Is 2015 the year of live streaming? With the introduction of mobile video platforms such as Meerkat and Periscope this past spring, brands and retail marketers have been re-evaluating their digital strategies to incorporate the new apps.

Upon being acquired by Twitter in January, Periscope became the largest competitor to Meerkat virtually overnight. The two platforms have displayed a very similar mission — to live broadcast video content. Whether it be concerts, breaking news or behind-the-scenes access to special events, the live streaming platforms offer an intimate look into brands and the lives of others. So is one platform is better than the other?

At the moment, it looks like Periscope has taken the lead thanks to its New York Fashion Week (NYFW) live streaming.

Brands previously tried Periscope, but hadn’t quite made it an integral part of their marketing strategy. Create & Cultivate reported that Target used the platform to give consumers an inside look into its collaboration with Lily Pulitzer. However, this past week during NYFW, many brands including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger all offered live streaming of their fashion shows via Periscope. What used to be an exclusive event is now open to the public from the comfort of their own homes.

One of the first NYFW shows this year to use Periscope for live video streaming was Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s. Conrad, the entrepreneur turned designer, used Periscope to connect with her millennial audience by giving them behind-the-scenes access.

In addition to connecting with audiences, live streaming acts as a market research tool for brands. Uri Minkoff, CEO of Rebecca Minkoff, shared with Racked that the data from streaming shows affects thee brand’s decisions.

“We had a pair of trousers that buyers initially didn’t want,” Minkoff said. “I showed them the social reaction — how many bloggers wrote about them, how well they performed on Twitter, how much fanfare they had. They took the feedback and decided to stock them for major department stores.

“They were a great pair of trousers,” Minkoff added, “but we might not have gone into production with them if the buyers hadn’t agreed on them. The consumer voted yes, and that had an affect on what the stores carried. It just shows that the roles have been completely reversed. It used to be a one-way path, where it went from designers to buyers. Now the engagement of consumers matters. When we allow them to be part of the conversation and take their feedback, we get smarter.”

This isn’t the first year live streaming has been offered at NYFW, but thanks to mobile, it’s the most popular. The trend started at NYFW in 2009 with Alexander McQueen’s groundbreaking show.

With social content shifting (yet again) to a more intimate look at brands through live streaming, marketers need to consider making mobile video platforms an integral part of their strategy in 2016.