Social commerce has become increasingly significant in the e-commerce sector. In 2025, sales through social networks accounted for an estimated 17.11 percent of total online sales. This figure is expected to continue growing in the coming years. Who has grown a liking for this channel? The term "social commerce" is gaining traction worldwide. In 2024, global revenues generated through social media platforms were forecast to reach nearly 700 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of roughly 23 percent compared to the previous year. However, some countries have embraced this sales channel more vigorously than others. Leading the way in social shopping are Thailand, Colombia, and China. In 2023, approximately nine out of ten internet users in these countries made purchases through social networks. The future of shopping is live Live commerce has grown in popularity in recent years. Its prevalence is only expected to increase as companies utilize livestreaming technologies more and more for promotional and marketing purposes. Digital shoppers benefit from live commerce because it offers attractive discounts as well as inspiration and ideas. In 2022, Facebook was the leading social network platform where internet users purchased products during live streaming events. As with social commerce, Asian countries have paved the way for this highly interactive shopping experience. In 2023, over seven in ten consumers engaged in live shopping in China, India, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates.

In a 2024 survey, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of global consumers rated Facebook as the social media platform delivering the best experience for social commerce. Instagram ranked second, with 19 percent, followed by TikTok at seven percent.

In 2023, approximately two out of ten surveyed users in the United States indicated that they engage in social media shopping a few times a year. Meanwhile, 14.5 percent of respondents in the North American country reported making social media purchases once a month, with only 5.2 percent doing so on a daily basis.

In a 2023 survey, it was found that both men and women frequently encounter products through social media during their shopping journey. More than 60 percent of women and over half of men reported discovering products through social media. Notably, women exhibit a higher tendency to discover new products via social media in comparison to other channels, and they also engage more frequently in product research on these platforms.

According to a 2024 study, Facebook ranks as the top social network for shopping in the United States, with 46 percent of digital buyers using it for this purpose. TikTok Shop follows with 26 percent of U.S. shoppers, while Instagram holds its own with 21 percent. TikTok and the boom that won’t stop The rise of TikTok Shop in the United States represents a significant shift in social commerce dynamics. By tapping into its predominantly young user base and their engagement with short-form video content, TikTok is leveraging its platform to facilitate direct sales. The success of health and beauty products, which make most of purchases, underscores the platform's potential as an influential marketplace. Growing users, expanding influence Forecasts suggest that by 2029, the number of U.S. social media users will exceed 340 million, showing the growing influence of these platforms on consumer behavior and brand involvement. In 2023 alone, social commerce revenues in the North American country were estimated at nearly 76 billion U.S. dollars, and this figure is expected to nearly double by 2028, reflecting the rapidly expanding role of social media in the e-commerce landscape.

China and Thailand boast some of the highest percentages of social commerce buyers globally, with 95 percent and 94 percent of online shoppers making purchases through social media platforms in 2024. Peru closely followed with a 92 percent adoption rate, trailed by Colombia and India. A new era of online shopping Social commerce has transformed the online retail landscape in recent years. Between 2018 and 2024, social media sales revenue increased nearly eightfold, reaching approximately 700 billion U.S. dollars. By 2025, social commerce is projected to account for 20 percent of global online sales. While this purchasing channel attracts consumers of all ages, millennials, followed by Gen Z, are the most prominent direct buyers on social media. China: social commerce pioneer China's social commerce has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. In 2014, the market's gross merchandise value (GMV) stood at 95 billion yuan. By 2022, this figure had skyrocketed to over 2.7 trillion yuan, showcasing the immense expansion in this sector. This exponential growth is partly attributed to the significant increase in the number of social commerce users. In 2022, China had about 880 million social shoppers, more than double the number recorded in 2016.

A survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in February 2023 reported that the majority of Indian respondents 38 percent had purchased through social media platforms. In comparison, about 20 percent of respondents had never purchased anything through social media.

According to a survey conducted among consumers in India at the beginning of 2024, 81 percent of the surveyed individuals said that they look for reviews to verify a company before purchasing on social media. In comparison, 55 percent of the respondents stated that they had had a bad experience while purchasing via social media.

During a 2021 survey, over 47 percent of responding social media users aged 16 to 34 from the United States had purchased products or services on Instagram. Facebook was the platform named most often, used for purchases by nearly 51 percent of respondents. The phenomenon of making purchases via social channels is called social commerce. Estimates suggest there were over 90 million U.S. social commerce buyers in 2021.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in Vietnam in February 2023, 74 percent of respondents stated Facebook was the most used social media platform for online shopping in the past 12 months, followed by TikTok and Youtube. The same survey also revealed that clothing was the most popular purchased item on these social platforms.

In a survey conducted in 2021, more than three-quarters of social media users worldwide said they liked the option to make one-click purchases right then and there. In addition, 72 percent of respondents said they find social shopping convenient, the same percentage as those who said there should be more opportunities to shop through this channel.

A popular emerging shopping channel

Product advertisements are now a norm for users to come across while browsing on social media. As a result, social platforms have become one of the most popular emerging online shopping channels for potential consumers and internet users globally. In 2021, China and the United States were the two countries with the highest share of internet users purchasing from social networks out of a dozen leading e-commerce markets worldwide. Among those who regularly used social media channels, at least seven in ten had made at least one purchase of a product or service after seeing it advertised or reviewed on social media as of late 2021.

An impulse-driven trend?

While many consumers are swayed by ads seen on social media, two-thirds of those buying products found on social media in 2021 still made their final purchase through a shopping website or app. Less than one-third bought directly from the social media platform. Additionally, most online shoppers who purchased a product or service through a social network either did so impulsively or without any prior planning.

In 2023, younger consumers were the most likely to buy a product they had seen on a social media platform. According to the survey, almost 70 percent of Gen Z and over nine out of ten millennial shoppers in the United States purchased an item they had previously seen on their social media feed.

According to a 2023 survey, Facebook is generally the most popular social network for digital shoppers in the United States. Nevertheless, examining age-related preferences revealed that young adults aged 18 to 34 in the U.S. showed a stronger inclination toward Instagram.

According to a 2023 survey, the most popular social media platforms for buying products worldwide were Facebook and Instagram. Both networks belong to parent company Meta. Among the selected countries, Czechia (64 percent) and the United States (62 percent) used Facebook the most to shop for products. Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal had the most social shoppers on Instagram (each 57 percent).

During a 2022 survey, 56 percent of U.S. consumers said they preferred social media shopping because it was easier and faster than traditional e-commerce channels. In addition, 70 percent of respondents said they would rather check the social media app directly than go to a third party website. Finally, about six out of ten shoppers in the U.S. felt the "buy now" button was necessary when shopping on social networks.

According to a 2021 survey, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of social media shoppers globally made purchases on this channel without having planned to do so. In addition, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents shopped on social networks impulsively, while 14 percent had planned these purchases.

A 2021 survey found that a third of the global social media shopping spend in 2025 would be attributed to millennial consumers. Next in line are Gen Z shoppers, accounting for 29 percent of social commerce spending.

In 2024, the United States was home to an estimated 100.7 million social buyers. By 2028, this figure is forecast to grow to 116.9 million U.S. Americans expected to make purchases through social networks. Social channels are the new shopping hubs Social networks, known for producing the 'feel-good hormone' oxytocin and having a broad reach across the population, are redefining online shopping. In the United States, this channel is projected to account for an increasing share of online retail sales in the coming years. As of 2022, approximately 19 percent of U.S. online users who made purchases on a social media platform did so on Facebook, while 12 percent used Instagram. China remains the social commerce powerhouse Responsible for almost half of the world's online retail sales, China leads the way in e-commerce. As such, innovation has been the order of the day, bringing Chinese companies to strongly embrace new trends such as social commerce. According to estimates, China's social commerce gross merchandise value was set to reach 2.5 trillion yuan (approximately 398 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021. That year, sales through social media made up about 14.3 percent of the total online sales value in the Asian country, a figure that is expected to keep growing steadily over the next few years.

Social commerce revenue in the United Kingdom is poised for significant growth, with Facebook leading the charge. By 2029, Facebook's social commerce revenue is projected to reach 7 billion U.S. dollars, showcasing the platform's dominance in the evolving digital marketplace. This trend reflects the increasing integration of shopping experiences within social media platforms, transforming how consumers discover and purchase products online.

The number of Australian consumers who made purchases through social media in 2020 amounted to 5.3 million, the equivalent of around 28 percent of all internet users. Forecasts show the count of consumers in Australia who use social media for online shopping will increase to 6.4 million by the year 2024.