As traditional e-commerce revenue continues to decline, could livestream shopping platforms like Tilt become the future of online shopping and reselling for Gen Z and beyond?

Flyer showcasing how Tilt works. Retrieved via Tilt. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

As its slogan, ‘The Liveliest Place to Shop’, suggests, Tilt is a real-time shopping platform founded in 2021 by ex-Revolut employees Neil Shah and Abhi Thanendran. Recognising that the e-commerce fashion industry in the UK had grown stagnant and as such did not reflect the needs of the new generation of young adults and digital natives, the two co-founders drew on their combined experience in data and strategic growth at Revolut to meticulously craft Tilt. Aimed at bringing personal shopping to the masses, the new-fangled app reflects the seismic shift in consumer culture, which has taken place over the last decade but was particularly onset by the COVID-19 lockdown. It addresses the increasing demand for sustainable shopping options and engaging, personalised shopping experiences.

Already since its launch, Tilt has undergone several changes that reflect the diversification of its seller and user base. Early marketing copy taken from its Apple store listing would infer that the app started with the intention of primarily hosting resellers from designer and streetwear backgrounds: ‘UK’s community marketplace for buying and selling authenticated pieces from the world’s top designer and vintage streetwear fashion and apparel brands’. However, now in 2025, the app is home to resellers from all backgrounds, small business owners, and independent fashion brands. There is truly something available for everyone and every aesthetic.

So how does this app, which is revolutionising the shopping industry, work? Think teleshopping meets social media. The 500+ resellers on the app host virtual live rooms wherein they can auction their stock, run giveaways, and offer immediate responses to customer queries sent in via the interactive discussion panel at the bottom of each live session.

Through the interactive discussion panel, Tilt sellers are also able to establish a personal rapport with their viewers and build a sense of community. Han, the creative behind Split the Lark Vintage (@splithelark), a storefront selling a curated collection of subversive basics and unique vintage garments, cited the community aspect as a reason she enjoys using Tilt:

“The chat function serves as a forum where people talk amongst themselves and to the seller. So, Tilt not only personalises the shopping experience but also provides a genuine opportunity to connect with others and build friendships that persist outside the app. For example, I have been able to create a group chat on Instagram for those interested in the behind-the-scenes of my business and most, if not all, have come from Tilt…honestly, it’s like a group of besties.”

Split the Lark vintage campaign photograph. Photographer: Sofia Rendekova. Retrieved via @Splithelarkvintage on Instagram. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Girl Vintage Wholesale (@GirlVintage), which sells handpicked Y2K Italian vintage at wholesale prices, also expressed gratitude for how Tilt has enabled them to bond with their buyers on a whole new level: “It has been nice to connect with our buyers on a personal level and bring some entertainment whilst selling stock.” Meanwhile, with two Tilt livestreams under her belt, Sorrel Hazel (@SorrelHazel), who specialises in 90s and Y2K garments as well as custom style bundles, noted that while she has yet to establish a community, she has already observed some “regular watchers and buyers”.

Further features of the Tilt app include ‘boosts’, which users earn through watching livestreams on Tilt. After a host has issued one, users compete to claim it by tapping on the boost symbol. Boosts can earn users coupons or the opportunity to customise their profile avatar for 24 hours. Users can also privately message sellers by clicking on the message bubble on their page.

Ahead of a scheduled live stream, sellers are given the option to list example products on their profile, ensuring that they attract an audience interested in purchasing from them. Sellers also have the option to list any of these items as ‘buy it now’, although this feature is largely underutilised. Most sellers prefer to wait for the live stream, as the competitive bidding process often drives prices higher than the starting price, resulting in some items selling for much more than expected. For example, on a stream hosted by Depop It Girl and vintage shop owner Isabella Vrana (@isabellavrana), competitiveness amongst bidders resulted in a vintage suede belt bag selling for an astonishing £104 after a total of 31 bids.

Isabella Vrana at the London showroom she co-owns with Vival Studios. Retrieved via @Isabellavrana on Instagram. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Additionally, sellers can set a reserve price if they are concerned that an item may not attract many bidders, resulting in a sale price that is lower than they desire. Although, as a frequent user of the app since October 2024, I have found that sellers tend to only set reserve prices on their most coveted and unique items. As such, a lot of fantastic bargains can be found on the app. I myself have made several purchases through Tilt for prices that you certainly wouldn’t find on the likes of Depop nowadays, including a Japanese vintage pinstripe sleeveless shirt for only £9 from Split the Lark Vintage.

What’s more, I’ve noticed a growing trend where vintage resellers host livestreams centred on offering bargains, helping them, in turn, quickly create much-needed space for fresh stock. For example, the 90s and Y2K womenswear vintage reseller By Sophie Vintage (@bysophievintage) recently hosted a livestream where every item started at just £3.

But the real bargains lie in the giveaways. To promote their shop or give back to their loyal viewership, some sellers on Tilt host giveaways during their lives. Viewers enter in much the same way as they bid. For instance, to mark the launch of her Tilt storefront, Isabella Vrana hosted her debut livestreams, featuring a series of designer bag giveaways, including two highly sought-after Balenciaga City Bags. Girl Vintage Wholesale also praises this feature for its ability to “drive engagement", emphasising that giveaways benefit both sellers and buyers alike.

Although it is evident that Tilt is innovative in its design, the question remains: is livestream truly the future of shopping, or more specifically, second-hand shopping? The live-streaming industry being still very much in its infancy makes it challenging to predict its long-term future accurately. Nonetheless, the advancements made to Tilt since its initial launch, coupled with Sprii predicting that the livestream industry will reach £5 billion by 2025 in the UK, suggest that it will play a crucial role in the future of e-commerce.

Furthermore, with an integrated AI listing tool designed to help sellers list items efficiently during their livestreams, Tilt is clearly embracing the future, striving to establish itself as a key player in the expanding live fashion e-commerce industry. Additionally, with its recent success in securing £13.7 million in a series A funding round, Tilt appears poised for continued success and growth.

Speaking with Tilt sellers, it seems that most agree it will indeed play a key role in the future of e-commerce, though they recognise its limitations. For example, Sorrel Hazel, acknowledges livestream shopping is not accessible for everyone, saying, “There will be some people that love it, but I think for a lot of people they won’t have the time to sit through a 1–2-hour livestream and will prefer to sit on a purchase decision rather than making it impulsively”

Split the Lark Vintage shared a comparable sentiment, expressing that the growing movement to spend less time online might hinder the apps growth: “I think it is definitely a fun avenue, especially right now as apps like Depop can be seen to be decreasing in users and hype. However, I think if this were in 2020, Tilt would have had a better possibility of taking off, especially now there is a growing urge to get offline and to consume less.”

Meanwhile, Girl Vintage Wholesale stressed that whilst they “don’t think it will ever replace traditional online selling,” they hope that it will “sit alongside it very nicely and continue to grow throughout 2025 and beyond.”

So will you be downloading Tilt, or will you stick to the traditional shopping methods you know best?

Is livestream the future of second-hand shopping?

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