Why is the combination of AI discovery and live commerce so powerful? Because discovery surfaces what each shopper wants, and live commerce makes shopping entertaining — together they turn a marketplace into a destination people return to. Shopee fused both and reached a $100 billion GMV milestone.
The result: Shopee’s AI discovery engine, combined with live commerce, helped the platform achieve $100 billion GMV in 2024, growing 28% year-over-year — with live and video commerce now around 20% of platform GMV.
Discovery plus entertainment#
Shopee’s growth comes from making shopping both relevant and engaging. AI discovery personalizes what each shopper sees — surfacing products tuned to their taste — while live commerce turns browsing into a show, with hosts demonstrating products in real time. Discovery answers “what should I see?”; live commerce answers “why should I stay?” Together they create an experience shoppers return to repeatedly, which compounds into GMV. Live and video formats alone now drive about a fifth of the platform’s volume.
How discovery AI works#
Discovery AI personalizes what each shopper sees based on behavior, surfacing relevant products as they explore — including which live streams and videos to feature.
Three mechanics drive Shopee’s result. The engine personalizes discovery, surfacing products and content matched to each shopper. It powers live and video commerce, recommending the streams each shopper is likely to engage with. And it optimizes for engagement, keeping shoppers exploring and entertained, which sustains GMV growth.
Why engagement-driven discovery compounds#
The strategic insight is that GMV follows engagement. A shopper who finds the platform relevant and entertaining spends more time on it, sees more products, makes more purchases, and generates more data that sharpens future discovery. Live commerce amplifies the loop by giving shoppers a reason to return at scheduled times. AI discovery is the connective tissue, making every surface — feed, stream, recommendation — relevant enough to be worth the shopper’s attention. That relevance-plus-entertainment is how Shopee turned engagement into a $100 billion milestone.
What this means for your store#
You don’t need live streaming to apply the principle:
- Personalize discovery so every surface is relevant to the individual shopper.
- Add engagement — rich content, interactive formats — to give shoppers reasons to return.
- Optimize for time-on-platform and return visits, because engagement compounds into revenue.
Relevance plus engagement is what makes a store a destination. AI discovery is the foundation.
Bring discovery AI to your store with CartAmplify#
CartAmplify brings engagement-driving discovery AI to any store — Shopify, dropshipping, or marketplace. Personalized discovery that keeps shoppers coming back, the way Shopee built toward $100B GMV.
Related reading#
- How Shopee’s AI Search Powers Discovery at $100B GMV
- How Shopee’s AI Recommendations Helped Drive $100B in GMV
- How SHEIN’s AI Discovery Turns Trends into Sales
GMV figures cited from publicly reported Shopee / Sea 2024 results. Results vary by catalog, traffic, and implementation.
