Social commerce for online merchants

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest have become essential to today’s online shopping experience. While these channels were originally created to help people connect and share digital content they’ve evolved far beyond that.

Today, social platforms function as powerful online marketplaces where shoppers exchange experiences, leave product reviews, and follow influencers showcasing and recommending products. They’re also places where merchants promote their offerings and sell them directly within the platform itself. In short: social media has grown into social shopping and, ultimately, social commerce.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at social commerce for online merchants and highlight what you should keep in mind when building an effective social commerce strategy.

Social Commerce: The new online shopping phenomenon

While social shopping refers to how online shoppers connect and influence each other, social commerce goes a step further: retailers themselves become part of that network.

To benefit from this new trend, more and more online merchants are building active social profiles, combining social proof with direct purchasing options. This allows shoppers to discover products, read reviews, gather information, and complete their purchase – without ever leaving their favorite social app.

And the numbers speak for themselves: global social commerce sales were estimated at $724 billion in 2022 and are projected to reach $6.2 trillion by 2030. Gen Z – those born from 1995 onward – shows particularly strong affinity for social commerce.

The main driver behind this rise? Authenticity! Nowadays, people trust recommendations from peers, influencers, and other customers far more than traditional retailer advertising.

Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, maintaining a presence on social media is becoming just as essential as your primary website.

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The most important social media platforms

Merchants wanting to tap into social media need to start by understanding which platforms exist, how much reach they offer, and what types of users they attract. After all, some channels naturally fit certain products or industries better than others. Here’s an overview of the most important platforms:

A. Facebook

Facebook remains one of the largest social platforms and offers robust tools for social commerce: from building a full shop and uploading product catalogs to managing orders, payments, and shipping without users ever leaving the app. Additionally, advertising is straightforward, and customers can easily message merchants to ask questions.

For merchants looking to bring a traditional e-commerce model directly onto social media, Facebook is a strong fit.

B. Pinterest

Pinterest users typically have high purchase intent. To transform the intent into conversions, merchants can upload product catalogs via API and create a storefront. Pinterest then promotes these through personalized recommendations. With Buyable Pins (a type of Pinterest currency), shoppers can complete purchases without leaving the platform.

One particularly powerful feature is “Shop the Look”, where tappable hotspots appear on images, leading users straight to the product page.

C. TikTok

TikTok offers merchants native tools for selling products and launching ads. But its real value comes from user-generated videos. Creators can embed product links directly in their content, making shopping feel natural and spontaneous.

The platform is especially popular with Gen Z. Success on TikTok typically requires producing fun, fast-paced, high-volume video content to keep up with user expectations.

D. Snapchat

Snapchat also addresses a younger target group and functions primarily as a messaging app where content disappears after a few seconds. Merchants looking to promote products can import their catalogs.

Snapchat’s strengths, however, lie in social shopping events and augmented reality. Users can virtually try on clothing, accessories, and makeup, take selfies and share their looks with friends.

How to make these platforms work for you

Major social networks have long recognized the economic potential of social commerce and now offer merchants an easy entry point into their built-in shopping ecosystems. This benefits small and mid-sized businesses in particular. After all, native tools make it simple to build a digital presence, gain visibility, and reach new audiences without requiring large resources.

That said, the resources needed for content creation shouldn’t be underestimated. Nor should the need to maintain your existing online store alongside an additional sales channel on a social platform.

Fortunately, smart integration tools are making things easier. Many solutions allow merchants to synchronize product data and inventory between their own online store and external marketplaces or social commerce platforms.

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Key social commerce strategies

Below are a few example strategies to highlight how marketing on social networks differs from traditional e-commerce:

Authenticity and credibility are essential. Social media is built on real, relatable interactions with like-minded people – often in real time.
Expect a two-way dialogue. Engaging on social platforms requires dedicating time to respond, interact, and converse. Communication flows both ways between merchants and customers.

This stands in contrast to classic online marketing, where messages typically move in only one direction, from the merchant to the customer, and either resonate or are ignored.

A. Encourage communication

Invite your customers to share all kinds of feedback – reviews, product ratings, likes, shares, and more.

Yes, criticism may come with it. But what matters most is how you respond. Especially when those responses are public. Show that you take the time to support frustrated or dissatisfied customers and that you handle questions or issues quickly and professionally.

B. Deliver effective customer service

Social media is an ideal environment for great customer support. Built-in messaging tools allow for faster and more personal communication than email or web forms on a traditional online store.

Questions about products, orders, shipping, returns, or complaints can (and should) be handled in a more customer-friendly way on social platforms. This level of responsiveness can significantly improve your brand image.

Make sure shoppers know this support option exists at every stage of the buying journey, and expect them to take advantage of it.

C. Build social proof

Testimonials, customer experiences, reviews, likes, shares, followers, and influencer recommendations: anything created by real users falls under the umbrella of social proof.

Social proof shows how well your products and services perform and builds trust as it comes from independent and real voices rather than your own marketing team. Shoppers rely heavily on it when evaluating brands on social platforms.

That’s why generating social proof is crucial. You can boost it through reliability, friendly and transparent communication, strong customer service, or even by offering small discounts to thank customers for leaving reviews.

D. Use influencer marketing

Identify authentic influencers with strong credibility and reach and invite them to review your products. Whether through written posts, video messages, or even live streams.

Important: When choosing, focus on the influencer’s audience. Their followers should closely match your target customer. When that alignment is right, influencer or referral marketing can be time-intensive, but it’s highly effective.

E. Benefit from live shopping

If you’re comfortable being on camera, consider live shopping. With live video streams, you can showcase products in real time, answer questions on the spot, and even capture orders during the session.

The future of social commerce

Social shopping has secured a permanent place in global e-commerce and continues to grow in both acceptance and visibility. For online merchants of any size or industry, it’s becoming increasingly important to complement the existing business model with well-designed social commerce strategies.

However, anyone who has relied solely on traditional online marketing will need to shift their mindset. Social media comes with its own tone, pace, and culture – and success depends on embracing that environment authentically.

For merchants willing to take that step, social commerce offers a powerful opportunity to drive growth and increase revenue.