Social commerce has moved beyond a trend or an experiment and become a real part of how people are shopping today.

“What started as discovery and inspiration has now become shoppable, immediate, and increasingly transactional, often in a single sitting,” said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”

The shift didn’t happen overnight. In many markets, it was gradual, an accumulation of new features, changing consumer habits, and backend improvements that finally made buying on social feel normal.

But in the UK, the turning point was clear.

“The inflection point was the launch of TikTok Shop in 2021,” said our analyst Carina Lamb. “And that kind of finally brought native checkout, integrated logistics and creator led settling into one place.”

That logistics layer matters more than it might seem.

• The rollout of TikTok’s fulfillment services gave shoppers access to same-day and next-working-day delivery, adding a level of reliability that helped reinforce trust.
• “Without reliable stock visibility, without clear delivery timelines, straightforward returns, people just wouldn't use it. It's just the basics of retail, isn't it?” Lamb said.

In the US, social commerce growth happened in stages.

• COVID-19 likely played a role in accelerating digital behavior, but the groundwork was laid earlier.
• “Even in 2019, TikTok was gaining momentum. People were starting to spend more time on social year over year,” said our analyst Minda Smiley.

That increased time spent paved the way for commerce, but infrastructure sealed the deal.

“The friction has really [been] reduced,” Lamb said. “Brands are getting better at handoffs when a link comes in from social to their websites. You're getting payment preferences which are saved and remembered and it's all just getting a bit faster. So it's a really seamless experience now whether you're checking out natively or whether you're going to a brand website.”

Creators become commerce infrastructure

As platforms evolve, so does the role of creators. What began as influencer marketing is increasingly embedded into the transaction itself.

“Brands aren't just outsourcing marketing. They're kind of handing over a little bit of that retail experience then,” Lamb said. “And I think that's quite uncomfortable for a lot of brands that are really used to controlling everything.”

As scale increases, so does that tradeoff: “The bigger the scale, the more you have to hand over control.”

That shift could fundamentally change brand strategy.

• Brands may tap fewer creators and instead focus on forming deeper longer term relationships.
• “That kind of trust is going to be really important there because these creators aren't just influencers anymore. They're like a retail partner really now,” said Lamb.

At the same time, measurement remains a sticking point.

“Even though we are seeing so much momentum and growth, that is something that I think is a challenge,” Smiley said. “A lot of marketers are wondering ‘What’s the ultimate ROI? What are creators actually helping us do?’”

This pressure to tie creators directly to performance is fueling affiliate models and paid amplification.

Designing for social and AI

As social commerce matures, brands must also contend with the rise of AI-driven commerce. The two are related, but distinct.

“You need to accept that you're designing for two slightly different mindsets,” Lamb said.

For AI agents, brands need to be “findable and comparable,” said Lamb.

• That means clean data, clear product specifications, structured attributes similar to SEO.”
• Social commerce, on the other hand, is about “stories, emotion, aspiration, building that relationship with the consumer.”

Still, both share one operational reality: “Quite a lot of those sales are going to take place off platform,” Lamb said. That makes frictionless handoffs and optimized brand sites essential.

The implication is clear: Social commerce is real, material, and growing, but it’s part of a broader, increasingly fragmented commerce ecosystem.

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We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.

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