Viewer Purchase Experience Rate: 54.8% (66.2% among those in their 20s) Younger Generation Dominates: Generation Z Leads the Transformation of the Live Commerce Market

Introduction: What the “Low Viewing, High Purchase” Gap Really Means

A 2023 survey published by NTT Com Research offers a useful snapshot of where Japan’s live commerce market stands today:

• Awareness of live commerce: 31.9% (roughly “have heard of it”)

• Viewing experience: 3.9%

• Purchase experience among viewers: 54.8%

At first glance, this looks contradictory—viewing is still rare, yet more than half of those who do watch end up buying. The implication is straightforward: live commerce is not yet a mass habit, but it converts exceptionally well once people experience it.

The age split is even more revealing:

• People in their 20s: 66.2%

• People in their 30s: 59.6%

This “the younger, the higher the purchase rate” pattern is not just a minor difference in performance. It signals a structural shift in how commerce is likely to evolve—especially as platforms increasingly merge content, community, and checkout into one flow.

This article explores why younger consumers lead live commerce adoption, what the high purchase rate truly indicates, and how the market’s growth path may differ from conventional e-commerce logic.

What “54.8% Purchased” Means: A Different Decision Structure From Traditional E-Commerce

Typical e-commerce conversion rates vary by category and traffic source, but broadly sit in the low single digits. In many retail contexts, a 1–3% conversion rate is considered normal: out of 10,000 visitors, 100–300 purchases.

Live commerce behaves differently. In the NTT Com Research survey, 54.8% of viewers reported having purchased. This is not a like-for-like comparison—people who choose to watch a live stream are already more interested than the average site visitor. But that is precisely the point.

Live commerce may function as a high-intent filter:

• Choosing to watch often means the consumer is already in a consideration mindset

• Engaging (commenting, asking questions) indicates stronger purchase intent

• Limited-time offers convert well because the decision is being made in real time, with social proof and reassurance available instantly

In other words, live commerce is not merely a sales channel. It can be a decision accelerator—compressing a longer e-commerce journey into a shorter, more confident sequence.

The Real Purchase Drivers: Trust, Reassurance, and Interaction

A defining feature of live commerce is that it shifts the center of gravity away from “specs and price” and toward confidence-building.

The same survey highlights that viewers value factors such as:

• Clear explanations by someone knowledgeable

• The presence of the host/streamer as a source of reassurance

• The ability to ask questions and resolve doubts through two-way communication

This suggests that live commerce purchasing decisions operate on two simultaneous axes:

1) Trust in the product“Is this actually right for me?”

2) Trust in the person delivering the information“Is this host credible, and do I feel safe buying based on what I’m hearing?”

This is a major departure from conventional e-commerce, where trust is often built through static assets—product pages, reviews, and comparison tables. Live commerce adds a human layer that can reduce uncertainty faster.

Why People in Their 20s Buy at the Highest Rate

Explaining the 66.2% purchase rate among people in their 20s as “young people are used to online shopping” is too shallow. A more accurate interpretation is that live commerce aligns extremely well with Gen Z–adjacent consumer preferences.

Common characteristics in younger digital-native behavior include:

• Skepticism toward one-way advertising (banner ads, traditional push messaging)

• Strong reliance on real voices (UGC, creator commentary, peer cues)

• Preference for interaction over passive consumption

• High tolerance—and often preference—for shopping as entertainment and participation

Live commerce matches these expectations almost perfectly:

• Instant answers to questions like “How does it fit?” or “What’s the texture like?”

• Participation via comments and recognition, shifting the feeling from “watching” to “joining”

• Emotional momentum—shopping becomes part of an event rather than a cold transaction

For younger audiences, this can make buying feel natural rather than forced—because it is embedded in a social, interactive experience.

A Structural Shift: From “How Many People Know” to “How High the Intent Is”

Traditional marketing often assumes a funnel:

Awareness (many) → Interest (some) → Purchase (few)

That model rewards scale. The bigger the top of the funnel, the bigger the bottom—at least in theory.

Live commerce appears to follow a different early-stage structure:

• Awareness is not yet universal

• Viewing is still limited

• But those who do view are highly likely to buy

This is a “depth over breadth” market in its current phase. The critical advantage is not simply reaching everyone—it is bringing the right people into the experience, then converting through trust and interaction.

The Growth Question: What Happens When Live Commerce Becomes Mainstream?

The survey also reports that among people who have not watched live commerce, roughly one in five indicated interest in trying it. That implies substantial headroom: the market is still early, and adoption can expand meaningfully with the right triggers.

The key strategic question for the next phase is:

• As awareness rises and lower-interest consumers enter the audience, will conversion rates fall, or can experience design maintain high purchase propensity?

This is where competitive differentiation will shift from “running a live stream” to building a superior commerce experience.

What to Watch Next: How the “Young-Led” Model May Become the Standard

In the near term, three developments are likely to shape the market trajectory:

1) Live buying becomes habitualAs platforms integrate discovery, community, and checkout more seamlessly, “watch → buy” can become a default behavior.

2) Older segments expand participationEven if purchase rates among older audiences are lower than those in their 20s, higher average order values can meaningfully grow total market value once trust is established.

3) Experience quality becomes the real competitive edgeDifferentiation will depend less on product alone and more on the total system:

• credible hosts and experts

• clear explanations and demos

• well-designed interaction (Q&A, pacing, comment handling)

• frictionless purchase flow and fulfillment confidence

Conclusion: Live Commerce Is Rebuilding Commerce Around Trust and Participation

A 54.8% purchase rate among viewers—and 66.2% among people in their 20s—should not be treated as a surprising data point. It is a signal that the fundamentals of online selling are changing.

Traditional e-commerce is optimized around rational comparison: features, price, and static trust signals. Live commerce adds a different engine:

• trust built through human presence

• reassurance created through dialogue

• participation that turns purchasing into an experience

This model fits digital-native values especially well, which is why younger consumers lead adoption and convert at higher rates.

As live commerce expands beyond early adopters, the winners will be the companies that can answer one central challenge: How reliably can you create a purchase experience that feels safe, interactive, and worth joining?

Live commerce is no longer just another channel. It is becoming a medium that reshapes the relationship between brands and consumers.

References

• NTTコム リサーチ「ライブコマースに関する調査」（2023年2月27日）https://research.nttcoms.com/database/data/002337/

• 日本ネット経済新聞「ライブコマース、視聴者の54.8％が購入経験」（2023年）https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/9093

• Statista, “E-commerce conversion rates worldwide”https://www.statista.com/statistics/413991/global-e-commerce-conversion-rate/