Substack, Discord, Whatnot... Can All Fit Inside Social Commerce?
From Substack to Whatnot to Phia — the space is evolving.
Welcome back to Sell! Sell! Sell! 🛍️
👋 It’s Tobias again. This week, we’re watching social commerce split in two directions: the standard model — influencers, affiliate links, and live shopping — and a new wave of tools and behaviors that don’t look social, but still convert.
And it all raises a bigger question:
Where does social commerce actually start and stop?
Let’s get into it.
🚨 This Week’s Headlines
(May 20th)
Ogilvy APAC has unified its social marketing services—including paid and organic social, influencer marketing, and social commerce—under the Social@Ogilvy banner. This consolidation brings together 550 specialists across 16 markets, aiming to provide clients with a cohesive, culturally relevant approach to social media strategy and execution.
🧵 Wix Wants SMBs Selling From Their Own Sites — Not Just Their Socials
Good ole Wix has rolled out new tools aimed at helping small businesses turn their websites into social-style storefronts. Sellers can now embed product galleries on their homepage, use mobile-first layouts that mimic social feeds, and link Instagram Stories directly to on-site checkout — all designed to keep discovery on social, but move the sale to owned channels.
Why it matters: The feed may still drive awareness, but more sellers want to own the sale — and Wix is making that not just possible, but easy (while playing catch-up to Shopify).
💬 Discord and Substack Say Niche Communities Are the Future of Platform Media
New reporting from Adweek shows creators are shifting from algorithm-dependent platforms to community-driven ones like Substack and Discord. These aren’t just places to post — they’re where real sales are happening, through deep trust and two-way interaction.
Why it matters: Creators aren’t just building content calendars — they’re building customer pipelines.
📎 Adweek
🎤 Seller Spotlight
RNZY – Mastering the Art of Branded Apparel Auctions
Primary Channel | Top Brands / Items | Hook |
Whatnot livestream auctions | North Face, Patagonia, Carhartt, Nike | Thrift-store margins, big-brand consistency — all delivered live |
Meet RNZY, the dynamic duo of Ryan and Lindsay Esbjerg from Maine, who have carved a niche in the live-selling space on Whatnot. With over 100,000 items sold, 30,000+ reviews, and a stellar 5.0-star rating, their success story is a testament to strategic selling and audience engagement.
📦 Key Strategies Behind RNZY’s Success
1. Premium Brand Focus:
RNZY specializes in high-demand, name-brand apparel, including The North Face, Patagonia, Carhartt, and Nike. By sourcing items at low costs—sometimes as little as $10—they offer products that are both desirable and often hard to find locally for their audience.
2. Consistent Auction Pricing:
Their auctions typically start at $39, setting clear expectations and attracting buyers looking for quality at a fair price.
3. Rapid Shipping:
A standout feature noted by buyers is RNZY’s swift shipping, with an average fulfillment time of just one day, enhancing customer satisfaction and repeat business.
4. Regular Live Shows:
Hosting daily live shows at 12:00 PM, RNZY maintains a consistent presence, fostering a loyal community and ensuring steady sales.
5. Community Engagement:
Their approach isn’t just about selling; it’s about building relationships. By engaging with their audience and sharing their journey, they’ve cultivated a dedicated following.
RNZY’s model exemplifies how combining quality products, consistent practices, and genuine community engagement can lead to remarkable success in the live-selling arena.
🧪 Tech Product to Watch:
Phia Wants to Be Your Shopping Concierge
Bill Gates’ youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates (right) and her business partner Sophia Kianni (left)
Co-founded by activist Sophia Kianni and Bill Gates’ youngest daughter Phoebe Gates, Phia is a new shopping tool designed to merge personal taste with smart tech. Think: your favorite fashion friend — powered by algorithms.
Here’s how it works:
You answer a few questions about your budget, style, and favorite brands
Phia serves you curated picks with shopping links
The experience is designed to feel one-to-one, not one-to-everyone
🧠 Why this matters:
We’re entering a wave of “personalized commerce UX” — tools that act more like DMs than departments. Phia isn’t trying to be Amazon. It’s trying to be the best friend who knows what’s in your cart — and your closet.
“Our friends know what we like better than retailers,” says Kianni. “We wanted to build a tool that makes online shopping more conversational, and more efficient.”
🔭 Trend Watch
What Still Counts as Social Commerce? (And What Doesn’t?)
I started thinking about this because some of what I’ve reported this week doesn’t really fit the standard definition of social commerce.
We’ve hit a weird moment. TikTok Shop is obviously social commerce. But what about a Substack with affiliate links? A Discord drop channel? A newsletter-driven Shopify launch?
The lines are blurring.
Here’s how I’m thinking about it:
✅ Social commerce starts when content and community drive the sale
❌ It stops when you’re just running ads with no intent or engagement loop
🚦 The gray zone: tools like Phia, closed Discord drops, and newsletter-driven carts — they blur the boundaries but push the category forward.
The shift isn’t about platform. It’s about behavior.
Consumers now expect their shopping experiences to feel like entertainment, insider access, or a 1:1 message. Platforms like TikTok set the tone with live shopping and influencer drops. But tools like Phia, Substack, and Wix are showing that social commerce isn’t just happening in the feed anymore — it’s happening wherever trust and conversation live.
Oh, and what about that moment you buy something just because someone posted it in a group text on WhatsApp, Messenger or Signal?
Blurred line. Still social. Still commerce.
The category keeps evolving — and I’m not mad about it.
See you next week. In the meantime, Sell! Sell! Sell! 🫡