Elon Musk’s X to Test Livestream Shopping in Partnership With Paris Hilton – Elon Musk’s X is broadening its horizons as it strives to transform into a comprehensive application. Today, the company that was once Twitter revealed its plans to host a live shopping event featuring the renowned media personality, Paris Hilton. This new feature will enable X users to simultaneously view a live video stream, engage in chat discussions, shop for products, and socialize within Spaces.
In Hilton’s related partnership announcement, she added “together we’re going to be exploring new ways to connect with all of you across video, live video, live shopping, and even Spaces. And we’re just getting started.” The announcement left out specifics regarding the start time of the livestream event and other details about what to anticipate, such as the products that will be available for purchase.
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Before its transformation into X under Elon Musk’s leadership, the company formerly known as Twitter had already been exploring e-commerce endeavors. This included the introduction of mobile storefronts for merchants, referred to as Twitter Shops in 2022, as well as features that allowed merchants to build excitement around their upcoming product releases and send reminders to customers.
Furthermore, shortly after Elon Musk assumed control of X, the company embarked on a more substantial venture by conducting its first test of a livestream shopping platform. The inaugural partner in this initiative was Walmart, which initiated a Cyber Deals live event on Twitter in November 2022. During this event, users had the opportunity to watch a live broadcast, make purchases of the featured products, and engage in conversations surrounding the event through tweets.
The technological framework for livestream shopping was established during the pre-Musk era of Twitter. However, it seems that the focus is now shifting away from retailers and merchants and moving more towards creators. The X partnership is actually with Hilton’s media company 11:11, noted X CEO Linda Yaccarino, who posted on X that the deal will “create a launchpad for new initiatives in video and live video, live commerce, Spaces, and so much more.”
Following Musk’s acquisition of the network, Twitter’s livestream shopping and other projects were put on hold as the team shifted their focus to bringing significant changes to the company. This included the launch of paid verification, formerly known as Twitter Blue, and the implementation of various policy adjustments, some of which were directed towards content creators.
X is now looking to better engage with these creators by offering increased payouts. However, in recent days, X has revisited its livestreaming endeavors. Last week, Musk himself decided to put the platform’s capabilities to the test by livestreaming from the U.S.-Mexico border. During this stream, he discussed the need for a Trump-style wall and enhanced security measures.
Unfortunately, the livestream crashed, prompting Musk to email everyone at X with a note to “Please fix this.” Musk also recently tested livestreamed gaming through an alt account. In light of the recent infrastructure failure, it’s uncertain how reliable it will be for a Paris Hilton livestream, especially considering her 16.6 million followers on X.
However, it’s worth noting that this number is significantly lower than Elon Musk’s 158.6 million followers, which means the system won’t face the same level of strain. The announcement of the Hilton deal comes in the wake of Musk’s intentions to transform X from a microblogging platform into a space that caters to creators and enables them to monetize their fan bases. To achieve this goal, the company introduced an ad revenue-sharing program for creators, which has already distributed nearly $20 million in payouts, as stated by X CEO Linda Yaccarino.
Additionally, X has been investing in video content, including support for two-hour videos introduced earlier this year. Notably, X advertiser Apple utilized this feature to stream a full episode of its Apple TV+ show “Silo.” Musk also recently highlighted the viewership of Tucker Carlson’s show on X, although further analysis suggested that Musk may have exaggerated the view count.
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Regarding e-commerce, it remains uncertain whether consumers are inclined to shop on X or on social media platforms in general. Meta discontinued its live shopping feature on October 1st, following the earlier removal of the option from Instagram. However, TikTok has been expanding its live shopping initiatives in recent months, including a U.S. launch just last month. Given X’s recent developments, it’s evident that the company still believes in the potential of live shopping.