Search engines, marketplaces, and direct website visits bring customers to online stores. At the same time, another path has grown in importance: buying through social media.
Social platforms are now part of the shopping journey. Products appear in feeds, in short videos, or in posts shared by creators. A few taps later, a visitor lands on a product page or completes a purchase.
This has implications for online shopping. It changes how products are discovered, how brands stay visible, and how marketing is organized.
A closer look at the numbers offers a clear picture of what is happening.
How Many People Are Buying Through Social Media?
Data from recent reports shows that social media plays a measurable role in ecommerce.
Surveys found that 31 percent of internet users worldwide have purchased a product through a social platform, and around 27 percent of them visit social media with the specific goal of finding products to buy.
Among people aged 18 to 24, about 55 percent say they have purchased a product through social media.
Across a slightly broader age group, the numbers grow further. Studies suggest that up to 73 percent of people between 18 and 35 have bought products on social platforms at some point.
In the United States, studies estimate that more than 100 million people use social platforms to make purchases.
When purchases occur directly within social platforms, certain networks stand out. Facebook remains the most widely used platform for transactions, followed by Instagram and TikTok, which rely heavily on visual content and short-form video.
The financial scale is also notable. For example, global social commerce sales reached about 700 billion dollars in 2024. Forecasts suggest that this number may pass 1 trillion dollars before the end of the decade.
Social Media as a Shopping Channel
Social media began as a place for conversation and personal updates. Over time, it became a place where products appear next to everyday content.
Many users encounter new brands during routine browsing: they come across a product in a post or a short video. Curiosity leads to a click, and the click leads to a product page.
Several platforms introduced features that support this behavior. Instagram added product tags and shop sections. TikTok connected videos with product links. Facebook integrated storefronts into brand pages. These changes turned social platforms into an additional entry point for online shopping.
How Social Media Influences Purchasing Decisions
A post may show a product in daily use, a clip may present a quick demonstration, or a carousel may display several product images in context. This format makes the product easier to imagine in everyday life.
Another influence comes from creators and reviewers. Users watch short demonstrations or read comments before making a decision: community feedback becomes part of the evaluation process.
These elements combine into an environment where purchase decisions form gradually during ordinary social media activity.
Social Media vs Traditional Ecommerce Channels
Search engines remain a major source of traffic for online stores. Marketplaces also attract large numbers of shoppers who already have a product category in mind. These channels still play an important role.
Search usually begins with intent. A shopper enters a phrase such as “ sweatpants” or “kitchen knives.” Marketplaces gather products within large catalogues and allow comparison across many sellers.
Social media introduces products in a more casual way. A person may watch short videos about travel, cooking, or fitness. In the middle of that stream, a product appears that matches an interest. The viewer discovers something new and follows a link to learn more.
This difference explains why social media marketing focuses on visuals and storytelling rather than direct product listings.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Online Stores
A social presence does not guarantee sales. It does create a steady flow of product exposure. Images, videos, and customer stories introduce products to audiences who may never search for them directly.
Several benefits appear when social media marketing receives consistent care:
- Product discovery expands. New audiences encounter the brand during everyday browsing.
- Brand recognition grows. Regular posts strengthen familiarity over time.
- Traffic sources diversify. Online stores rely on more than search or ads alone.
Challenges of Managing Social Media for Ecommerce
Running an online store requires time and coordination. Inventory, logistics, customer support, and website maintenance compete for daily focus. Social media marketing introduces an additional stream of tasks.
Content creation alone demands effort. A store may need product photos, lifestyle images, short clips, and promotional posts. Each platform has its own format and rhythm. Posting once a month does little to build visibility.
Many brands rely on agencies, designers, and social media managers to handle these tasks. This arrangement can become expensive and complex. Coordination across several contributors slows the process.
For smaller ecommerce teams, these demands can become difficult to manage alongside the rest of the business.
How AI Is Changing Social Media Marketing
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have introduced another option, with systems that generate marketing content automatically.
One example is Stryng, an AI system designed for ecommerce brands. After receiving a webshop link, the platform analyzes product pages and brand information. It then generates social media content based on that data.
The system can produce product images, lifestyle visuals, short videos, and carousel posts. Store owners review the content and approve what they want to publish. The platform can also schedule posts across supported social platforms.
For many ecommerce founders, the appeal lies in simplicity. Social media content appears regularly without the need to assemble a full marketing team.
Final Thoughts
The numbers surrounding social commerce continue to grow. Millions of shoppers encounter products during routine social browsing, and global sales connected to these platforms have reached hundreds of billions of dollars.
For online stores, buying through social media reflects a shift in how customers discover products. Search engines and marketplaces still bring valuable traffic, though social platforms introduce brands to audiences who may never search for them directly.
Maintaining visibility in that environment requires regular content and consistent activity. New tools built on artificial intelligence offer one way to handle that demand.
