What is Dona and how does live shopping work?

Going to the bazaar, holding the product, and asking the seller is reliable but slow. An online store is fast, but what you saw in the photo can look different in your hands. Live shopping sits between the two: you see the product in real time, in the seller’s hands, ask a question, and buy right away from your phone.

What is live shopping?

Live shopping (also called live commerce) is a format where a seller runs a live video stream, shows the product, and viewers ask questions in chat and place orders during the stream. It went mainstream in China from 2016 and is now one of the fastest-growing segments of online retail worldwide.

Uzbekistan already had live selling — clothes, cosmetics and household goods are sold in Instagram and Telegram “lives” every day. The problem is that an order there ends with “message us in DMs”: payment is separate, delivery is separate, and there is no guarantee.

How does Dona solve this?

Dona is a live shopping app built for Uzbekistan. The stream, the product, the cart, payment and delivery live in one app. A purchase takes three steps:

1. Watch the live stream. Sellers show products live and answer your questions on the spot.
2. Tap the product. The product pinned to the stream drops straight into your cart.
3. Pay in a second. Click, Payme, Humo, Uzcard, or cash on delivery — pick whatever suits you.

Once the order is placed you follow its status in the app: being prepared, handed to the courier, out for delivery, delivered. There is a chat with the seller, and a notification when your favourite shops go live.

Why is this better than a regular online store?

• You see the real product. Not studio photos, but the item in the seller’s hands — size, colour and material included.
• You get answers immediately. “Do you have this dress in L?” — the seller answers on air.
• Payment is protected. Encrypted payment through Click, Payme, Humo and Uzcard. Cash is available too.
• Delivery across Uzbekistan. Order status is visible in the app.

What’s in it for sellers?

If you already sell on Instagram, opening a shop on Dona is free. Live streams, pinned products, an orders-and-payments dashboard — all in one place. The viewer doesn’t “message you in DMs”; they pay right inside the stream. Learn more: the seller guide.

How to start?

The Dona app is free on Google Play and the App Store. Download it, sign up, and browse today’s live streams. Fashion, electronics, beauty, home, kids — hundreds of sellers go live every day.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Dona app free?

Downloading the app and watching streams is free. When you buy, you pay only the product price and the delivery fee shown at checkout.

If I miss a live, can I still buy the product?

Yes. Products shown in a live stay on the seller’s shop page, and you can order them outside the stream.

Does Dona sell the products itself?

No. Products are sold by independent sellers. The seller is responsible for the item, its description, quality and price, while Dona provides the platform and the order flow.

Read next: How to shop in a live stream · Opening a shop on Dona

Download the Dona app