40 Social Commerce Statistics & Trends (2026)

US social commerce sales will pass $100 billion for the first time in 2026. TikTok Shop alone is on track to sell more online in the US than Target, Costco, Best Buy, or Kroger.

Shoppers now find products in their feeds, trust creators to vet them, and buy without leaving the app. Younger buyers lead, but older groups are catching up.

Below are 40 current social commerce statistics on market size, buyers, platforms, live shopping, and what makes people buy.

Key Social Commerce Statistics

Statistic	Figure	Source
US social commerce sales, 2026	More than $100 billion	eMarketer
US social commerce sales, 2027	Nearly $119 billion	eMarketer
TikTok Shop US sales, 2026	$23.41 billion (+48%)	eMarketer
TikTok Shop share of US social commerce, 2025	Nearly 20%	eMarketer
US social buyers who shop on TikTok, 2026	51%	eMarketer
US adults 18 to 34 who have bought on social	One in three	Bizrate Insights for eMarketer
US Gen Z who say social is their main product discovery source	73%	Salsify
Consumers who say social drives impulse purchases	81%	Sprout Social
Consumers open to buying inside social apps	57%	Sprout Social
Adults who bought because of an influencer	58%	BBB National Programs

What the Numbers Say

• Growth is steady, not explosive: US social commerce keeps adding double-digit growth each year.
• TikTok Shop is the growth engine: it holds a fifth of US social sales just over two years after launch.
• Facebook still has the most buyers: TikTok wins on speed, Facebook on reach.
• Trust is the gap: shoppers buy through creators but stay wary of undisclosed paid posts.

What Is Social Commerce?

Social commerce means selling products directly inside social media apps. Discovery, browsing, and checkout happen in one place, without sending the shopper to a separate website.

That is what separates it from social media marketing. An ad that links to your store is marketing. A product tag that lets someone buy inside Instagram or TikTok is social commerce.

Social Commerce Market Size Statistics

These forecasts come from eMarketer, which counts purchases made inside social apps and through shoppable links that lead straight to a checkout. Global estimates vary widely by definition, so the US numbers below are the most consistent benchmark.

1. US social commerce sales were expected to pass $87 billion in 2025.

2. They will cross $100 billion in 2026 for the first time, about 18% growth in a year.

3. By 2027, US social commerce sales are forecast to reach nearly $119 billion.

For context on the wider market, see these online shopping statistics.

Who Buys on Social Media

Age is the clearest dividing line. The first three figures come from a September 2025 Bizrate Insights survey for eMarketer.

4. One in three US adults aged 18 to 34 has made a purchase on social media.

5. That drops to 23% of adults aged 35 to 54.

6. Among adults aged 55 to 65, 13% have bought on social media.

7. 73% of US Gen Zers say social media is their main source for learning about new products, according to Salsify.

8. By contrast, 61% of Gen Xers discover products while browsing physical stores, per the same Salsify research.

9. Social media is now the top place Gen Z discovers products, named by 54% in Sprout Social's 2026 survey.

Social Commerce Platform Statistics

Facebook has the most buyers, while TikTok Shop grows fastest. Picking a channel starts with where your audience already shops, and this guide to the best social commerce platforms compares them.

TikTok Shop

10. TikTok Shop will reach $23.41 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2026, a 48% jump year over year.

11. That would make its US ecommerce business larger than Target's, Costco's, Best Buy's, or Kroger's, even though it only launched in September 2023.

12. TikTok Shop made up nearly 20% of all US social commerce in 2025.

13. 51% of US social buyers will shop on TikTok in 2026.

14. TikTok is the top platform for direct social purchases among Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (47%), per Sprout Social.

Facebook and Instagram

15. Facebook leads all platforms in total US social buyers, through Marketplace and Facebook Shops.

16. Across all ages, more consumers buy directly on Facebook than on any other app, at 39%.

17. 90% of consumers have a Facebook profile, ahead of Instagram (82%), YouTube (76%), and TikTok (58%).

18. Instagram Reels video views for luxury brands grew 234% in Q2 2025, as some brands shifted content away from TikTok.

What Makes Social Shoppers Buy

Social commerce runs on trust signals: creators, deals, and other people's experiences in the feed. Our online review statistics cover how shoppers use ratings.

19. 81% of consumers say social media drives them to make impulse purchases.

20. 57% are open to buying directly inside social apps.

21. Social media now ties physical stores as the top place to discover gifts, at 46% of consumers.

22. Promo codes shared by a brand or influencer are the top driver of purchases, followed by posts showing a product in use. Targeted social ads rank last.

23. 58% of adults have bought a product because of an influencer's endorsement.

24. Yet 26% say they don't trust influencer marketing, more than double the 11% who distrust advertising overall.

25. 64% distrust influencers who don't disclose their relationship with a brand.

The trust figures come from the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs. The takeaway is simple: buyers trust other buyers more than brand posts, which is why user generated content performs so well in feeds.

Live Shopping and Creator Statistics

Live shopping and creators turn a scroll into a sale. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday figures below are TikTok Shop's 2025 results.

26. TikTok Shop generated over $500 million in US sales across the four days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025.

27. The number of shoppers making a purchase rose nearly 50% year over year.

28. Shoppers tuned in to over 760,000 livestream sessions, for 1.6 billion views.

29. Brands that ran TikTok livestreams saw 84% year-over-year sales growth during the event.

30. Social media creator revenue will grow 16.2% to $20.6 billion in 2026, eMarketer forecasts.

31. Creator platform Later now processes $2.4 billion in annualized sales through creator-led commerce.

32. Over half of marketers spend 30 minutes or less vetting a single influencer.

Urgency drives live sales: limited drops, live discounts, and viewers watching others buy. These live selling tactics show how to run one.

Social Customer Service Statistics

The sale doesn't end at checkout. Shoppers expect quick answers on the same apps where they buy.

33. 73% of consumers say they will buy from a competitor if a brand doesn't respond on social media.

34. 55% prefer direct messages as their way to contact a brand.

35. For customer service, shoppers turn to TikTok (50%), Facebook (46%), and Instagram (44%).

36. 70% are comfortable with brands using AI tools to reply faster.

Where Social Commerce Is Heading

Every forecast points the same way: social platforms take a bigger slice of online retail each year.

37. TikTok Shop is expected to make up nearly a quarter of US social commerce sales by 2027.

38. Its US sales are forecast to pass $30 billion in 2028.

39. By 2028, more than half of US online shoppers will have bought something through a social platform.

40. With 56% of consumers planning to cut holiday spending in 2026, deals and useful product content on social will matter more than ads.

These social selling statistics cover how sellers act on the shift.

Wrap Up

Social commerce has moved from trend to everyday shopping. The feed is now where many buyers discover, compare, and check out.

The playbook is simple: sell where your buyers already scroll, lean on creators and real customer content, and show proof that other people are buying.

Sources

eMarketer | Retail Dive (eMarketer report) | Sprout Social Index 2025 and Q3 2026 Pulse Survey | Salsify | Bizrate Insights | BBB National Programs