Social Commerce Booms: How Social Media Platforms are Revolutionising Online Shopping

Social media platforms are increasingly integrating e-commerce features, enabling users to shop directly within apps — a trend known as social commerce. This evolution is reshaping the retail landscape by merging social interaction with seamless purchasing experiences.

TikTok Shop now enables in-app purchases during live streams and videos.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok have introduced native shopping functionalities, allowing users to purchase products without leaving the app.

TikTok’s “TikTok Shop” enables in-app purchases during live streams and videos, creating an intriguingly interactive shopping experience. Similarly, Instagram’s “Shops” feature allows businesses to create customisable storefronts within the platform, enhancing product discoverability and user engagement.

Social commerce has without question diffused well — particularly in the US market, where the uptake has been promising to say the least.

In the U.S. alone, TikTok Shop achieved $100 million in single-day sales on Black Friday 2024, signalling yet another major shift in e-commerce. And with approximately 15 million merchants currently utilising TikTok Shop globally — many leveraging the algorithm's favourability for live streams — industry leaders are taking note of the transformative potential of social commerce.

Amber Venz Box, co-founder of LTK (formerly RewardStyle), highlighted the platform’s role in enabling influencers to monetise content by allowing followers to purchase items directly through posted links. LTK collaborates with over 8,000 retailers, demonstrating the significant impact of influencer-driven sales in the e-commerce sector.

Reflecting on his company's commitment to expanding its e-commerce capabilities in November 2024, Jan Wilk, Head of Operations at TikTok, is on record as having stated, “Live shopping and video commerce with real creators and brands is the future.”

This unprecedented growth notwithstanding, has come with some challenges of its own. Quite notably, some 32% of consumers prefer to keep shopping — including e-commerce — and social media separate, citing concerns over data privacy and product quality. Building consumer trust will therefore be the biggest test in the race to capitalise on the proven merits of social commerce.

Learn More