Executive Summary

About half of US adult social media users have made a purchase via social media in the past year. But few users agree that they feel confident with the idea. Our exclusive primary research survey reveals the critical role digital trust plays in creating an environment where consumers feel comfortable making purchases.

3 KEY QUESTIONS THIS REPORT WILL ANSWER 

1. Which social platforms do US social media users feel most comfortable purchasing on?
2. What’s stopping consumers from purchasing via social media?
3. How does trust in a social media platform relate to the willingness to shop there?

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? We surveyed 1,730 US social media users on the factors that most affect their trust in social platforms. This report, a companion to our “Digital Trust Benchmark Report 2021,” reveals which social platforms users feel most comfortable making a purchase on and how trust (or lack thereof) relates to their willingness to buy on social media.

KEY STAT: Facebook is the most used platform for social commerce, followed by Instagram and YouTube. But more than half of social media users did not make a purchase through a social platform in the 12 months before taking our survey.