Autumn Fair is partnering with Whatnot, the live commerce platform, to give retailers and brands the chance to discover a new way to sell, connect with customers and build online communities, with a dedicated Whatnot experience at the buyer’s lounge, The Clubhouse, in Hall 9 throughout the show.
Whatnot is the largest live commerce platform in the UK, U.S. and Europe, where businesses showcase products, share their expertise and connect with buyers in real time across hundreds of categories. Through live shows, sellers can answer questions, build relationships with their communities and grow their businesses, bringing the trust and interaction of shopping in person to the online world.
The Whatnot experience provides an opportunity to see live commerce in action, meet the experts behind the platform and explore how live selling can help reach new audiences, move more stock and create an additional sales channel.
Live commerce is scaling rapidly, with Whatnot holding nearly 60% market share across its markets. The UK is its most established European market and its second largest globally, with sales up 281% year on year. The number of UK sellers has grown by 360% over the past year, while first-time buyers have increased by 374%.
See live commerce in action
During Autumn Fair, Whatnot will create a live commerce studio for visitors to experience live commerce in-person with Whatnot sellers going live from the space, showcasing products and sharing their expertise with audiences in real time.
Visitors can drop into The Clubhouse to watch experienced sellers run live shows, see how products are presented and sold, meet the Whatnot team and find out how to get started themselves.
The activation is designed to make live commerce accessible and practical, giving retailers and brands the opportunity to see exactly how the platform works rather than simply hearing about the concept.
Matthew Mein, Event Director at Autumn Fair & Glee said, “Live commerce is one of the most interesting developments in retail right now, and we wanted to give our visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to experience it for themselves. The Whatnot experience is particularly exciting because visitors can walk into The Clubhouse to watch a live show happening, talk to the experts, and even have a go themselves. For independent businesses in particular, finding new ways to reach customers and build communities is incredibly important. Whatnot offers a completely different way of putting products in front of people, and we're looking forward to offering our audience the chance to discover what it could do for their business.”
The Whatnot Takeover
Join the Whatnot Takeover After Party on Monday 7 September from 4pm–8pm, when The Clubhouse will become a hands-on live commerce experience for buyers and exhibitors.
Visitors can have a go at selling live themselves, with 1-to-1 support from the Whatnot team to help them experience the platform first-hand and understand how it could work for their business. There will also be food, drinks and a DJ, creating an informal opportunity to meet the Whatnot team and other retailers and exhibitors.
Spaces for the Whatnot After Party are limited - Save your spot
Sign up to the Whatnot After Party and experience live selling for yourself at https://www.autumnfair.com/whatnot-takeover.
Autumn Fair takes place 6–9 September 2026 at the NEC Birmingham.
