Digital shopping persists via Instagram, Pinterest, and experiential activation
A couple of years ago, we predicted in a MediaPost op-ed that social commerce would soon take off in America despite its slow start, and boy, were we right!
TikTok Shop alone drove $100 million in 2024 Black Friday sales, tripling its performance from the previous year according to eMarketer data. This success demonstrates how social platforms can effectively compress the traditional customer journey, enabling instant purchases at the moment of discovery.
And the future of social commerce still looks bright, even as various platforms come and go, as they inevitably will.
Let's take a look at some of the other players with exciting, new developments in the space:
Plus:
Instagram reigns supreme for affiliate-driven sales
Instagram has established itself as the premier platform for affiliate marketing, with its visual-first format proving particularly effective for driving product sales.
The platform's Reels and Stories features, when combined with strategic affiliate link placement through stickers or bio links, create powerful conversion opportunities, as confirmed by recent research.
Brands are finding the most success by implementing full-funnel measurement strategies that track both awareness metrics and direct sales impact.
Don't sleep on Pinterest for full-funnel campaigns
While everyone’s talking about potential changes at TikTok and Meta, Pinterest has been quietly building an empire.
Shoppable Pins, cutting-edge visual search, and AI-powered campaign features are driving serious results for product-based brands.
Our clients' 2024 holiday campaigns on Pinterest knocked it out of the park, and we weren't alone - major celebrities and blue-chip brands jumped on board with their own shoppable gift guides.
Experiences bring brands to life
Think beyond the screen! Experiential marketing and social commerce are a match made in heaven. Here's why: If you create a memorable, immersive pop-up or event, your Gen Z and millennial audience will do the heavy lifting for you - sharing their experiences organically across social media. That means free exposure and genuine brand loyalty that you just can't buy. See some good examples we’ve done below:
And remember:
Creators' relatability sells
Even if you’ve got a rockstar creative team running your brand's social channels, consumers are more likely to trust creators they personally connect with. The key to driving sales? Partner with social creators who can authentically weave your product into their daily content.
When followers see their favorite creators genuinely using and loving your product, they can picture themselves doing the same. Don't just look for the biggest influencer -- look for the ones whose audience most closely matches your target, even if it's small. Sometimes micro- or nano-influencers are even more relatable to consumers than the big ones. No need to waste your budget delivering ads to people with no need for your product or service.
The winning formula is simple: find the right creator partnerships, let them showcase your product naturally, and create a clear, easy path to purchase. That's how you turn social engagement into sales!
Social commerce predictions for 2025
Looking ahead, we're predicting brands will win big when they combine:
Enhanced AI-powered personalization in social shopping experiences
Greater integration of augmented reality (AR) for product visualization
Expanded live shopping capabilities across platforms
Improved analytics tools for tracking cross-platform commerce performance
Social commerce isn't just another marketing trend - it's a fundamental shift in how people shop. Brands that get it right are the ones thinking beyond traditional e-commerce and meeting their customers where they already are: scrolling, sharing, and ready to shop on their favorite social platforms.
At Exverus, we’re going beyond buying social ads in 2025 – we're creating experiences that bring people together, building authentic connections, and turning social engagement into lasting customer relationships.
Want to learn how your brand can do the same? Let's talk!
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