29 Social Commerce Statistics & Trends For 2025

Do you want to lean more into social commerce but aren’t quite sure of how much of an influence it has in the ecommerce industry as a whole?

Social commerce is a subset of ecommerce in which online transactions for goods take place entirely on social media.

In this post, you’ll find the best statistics that demonstrate the rise of social commerce and social commerce trends.

General social commerce stats

1. Social commerce makes up 18.5% of global ecommerce sales

According to data collected by Statista, the social commerce sector of ecommerce makes up 18.5% of the entire industry around the world.

Source: Statista¹

2. There are 106.7 million social buyers in the United States

According to data collected by Statista, there were an estimated 106.7 million consumers who made purchases on social media in the United States in 2023.

This number is expected to increase by 10.6% to 118 million social buyers.

Source: Statista²

3. The global social commerce market was valued at $1.26 trillion in 2024

According to a study conducted by Precedence Research, the global social commerce market was valued at $1,262.19 billion in 2024.

This converts into $1.26 trillion.

It will grow to $1.66 trillion in 2025 and reach $19.81 trillion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.7% between 2024 and 2034.

Source: Precedence Research

4. The Asia-Pacific market accounts for 90% of the global social commerce market

Precedence Research’s data is from 2023, but even so, it revealed how the Asia-Pacific market dominates the social commerce industry.

It makes up 90% of the global social commerce market.

Specifically, it accounted for $1.14 trillion in 2024 and will account for $17.93 trillion in 2034.

It will grow at a CAGR of 31.77%.

TikTok Shop opened in new markets in 2023 and 2024 and is continuing to rise in influence, so these numbers are likely to change as research companies conduct more studies on the social commerce industry.

Source: Precedence Research

5. Social commerce makes up 46.6% of all ecommerce sales in China

Social commerce has a lot of influence in China, according to data reported by Statista.

46.6% of all ecommerce sales in the nation came from social commerce in 2023, up from just 13.2% in 2018.

This is how this figure compares to other markets in the world:

Share of social commerce sales out of all ecommerce sales:

	2018	2023	2028
China	13.2%	46.6%	54.7%
India	4.6%	15.3%	23.4%
United States	3.3%	8.3%	9.2%
Brazil	2.2%	7.1%	9.2%
Germany	1.9%	5.0%	5.9%
Indonesia	N/A	3.6%	5.0%
Japan	1.9%	4.5%	4.8%
Russia	0.5%	1.9%	2.5%

Source: Statista³

6. The number of social commerce buyers in the United States surpassed 100 million in 2024

According to eMarketer’s data on social commerce in the United States, the number of social media users who shop on social media platforms reached 100.7 million in 2024.

The site’s data says this figure represents 45.8% of all social media users in the United States.

There will be 116.9 million social commerce buyers in the United States by 2028, which will represent 49.5% of social media users in the United States.

Source: eMarketer¹

7. Social commerce sales increased by 26% in 2024

eMarketer’s data on social commerce states that social commerce sales increased by 26% in the United States thanks to the emergence of TikTok Shop.

After the initial surge wears off, social commerce sales will have only increased by 19.5% in 2025, 18% in 2026, 16.7% in 2027 and 16.5% in 2028.

The company stated that this increase is also thanks to a 5.3% increase in social commerce buyers in the United States.

The number of buyers who shop on social media in this region increased from 95.7 million in 2023 to 100.7 million in 2024.

Source: eMarketer¹

8. Social commerce sales will surpass $100 billion in the United States in 2026

According to eMarketer, sales from social commerce will be $100.99 billion in the United States in 2026.

Social commerce sales amounted to $71.62 billion in this region in 2024. This represented 6% of all ecommerce sales.

Sales increased by 26% from 2023 when social commerce sales amounted to $56.84 billion in the United States.

It will increase by 19.5% in 2025, amounting to $85.58 billion or 6.6% of all ecommerce sales.

Growth will slow down in 2026 but social commerce sales will account for a larger portion of all ecommerce sales, specifically 7.2%.

They will account for 8.4% of all social commerce sales by 2028. Social commerce sales will surpass $137 billion in the United States by then.

Source: eMarketer¹

9. The global penetration rate for social commerce will reach 31.71% by 2029

According to a forecast made by Statista, the worldwide social commerce penetration rate will grow by 0.8% each year between 2024 and 2029.

This means 31.71% of all social users will have the potential to become social media buyers by 2029.

Source: Statista⁴

10. The B2C segment of social commerce accounted for 57% of the market in 2023

According to Precedence Research’s study, business-to-consumer retail was most popular in the world of social commerce.

It accounted for 57% of the market in 2023.

Source: Precedence Research

11. Video commerce accounted for 42.7% of the social commerce revenue share in 2023

Precedence Research found that videos had the largest market share in social commerce.

They accounted for 42.7% of the revenue this industry generated in 2023.

Source: Precedence Research

12. Apparel accounted for 23.6% of the revenue share for social commerce in 2023

Precedence Research found that the apparel segment of ecommerce had the largest market share in social commerce in 2023.

This segment accounted for 23.6% of the revenue this industry generated in 2023.

Source: Precedence Research

Statistics for social commerce platforms

13. Douyin’s revenue from social commerce reached $200 billion in 2024

TikTok is banned in China, but its parent company, ByteDance, has a clone made specifically for the nation.

It’s called Douyin, and it leads in the revenue share for social commerce. An estimated $200 billion of the company’s gross merchandise value (GMV) of $490 billion in 2024 came from social commerce alone.

This is astounding seeing as TikTok’s entire revenue was around $20 billion in 2024.

Chinese app WeChat had an estimated $152 billion in revenue from social commerce in 2024 while Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, had an estimated revenue of $94 billion from social commerce in 2024.

Source: Statista⁵

14. TikTok converted 43.8% of US-based users into customers in 2024

eMarketer keeps track of and creates multiple forecasts for social commerce, including how many users on each social media platform will convert into customers.

They discovered that the amount of TikTok users based in the United States who made a purchase from TikTok Shop increased from 34.4% in 2023 to 43.8% in 2024.

This is thanks to the release of TikTok Shop in the United States.

This number is set to remain steady over the next few years, only increasing to 46.1% by 2028.

Here’s how TikTok’s numbers compared to other social media platforms:

• TikTok – 43.8% of US-based social media users shopped with this platform in 2024
• Facebook – 37.3%
• Instagram – 36.6%
• Pinterest – 22.0%

Source: eMarketer¹

15. 5.6% of social media users in the United States shop on TikTok at least twice a week

eMarketer surveyed over 1,200 social media users between the ages of 15 and 77 in the United States in March of 2024.

They asked these users about the social platforms they shop on.

They discovered that 5.6% of these users shop on TikTok two or more times every week:

• TikTok – 5.6% of social media users shop on this platform two or more times a week
• Pinterest – 4.3%
• Instagram – 3.1%
• Facebook – 2.4%

Tiktok and Instagram tied in the once per week category at 5.1% each:

• Instagram – 5.1% of social media users shop on this platform at least once a week
• TikTok – 5.1%
• Pinterest – 4.3%
• Facebook – 1.9%

Instagram won the two to three times a month category at 16.2%:

• Instagram – 16.2% of social media users shop on this platform two to three times a month
• TikTok – 15.9%
• Facebook – 13.1%
• Pinterest – 11.7%

Instagram also won the once a month category at 23.4%:

• Instagram – 23.4% of social media users shop on this platform once a month
• TikTok – 23.1%
• Pinterest – 21.5%
• Facebook – 19.9%

Facebook and Pinterest only won the category that represented the lowest shopping frequency, less than once a month:

• Facebook – 62.7% of social media users shop on this platform infrequently throughout the year
• Pinterest – 58.3%
• Instagram – 52.2%
• TikTok – 50.3%

Source: eMarketer¹

Statistics about online shoppers

16. 59% of global consumers have made purchases on social media

According to a survey conducted by Salesforce and reported by eMarketer, 59% of consumers around the world have used social media to make at least one purchase.

This puts it ahead of messaging apps, voice assistants, livestreams and any sale that requires chat, including chatbots and instant messaging:

• Social media – 59% of consumers around the world have used this channel to make purchases
• Messaging app – 36%
• Voice assistants – 24%
• Livestream video – 21%
• Chat – 20%

Source: eMarketer²

17. 50% of global consumers have used social media to discover products

According to a survey conducted by Salesforce and reported by eMarketer, 50% of consumers around the world have used social media for product discovery.

This makes social media more popular for discovering products than messaging apps, livestreams and chat.

“Influencers” was added as its own category in the survey, but it’s important to remember that a lot of product discovery on social media happens because of influencer marketing.

However, because “influencers” could also mean athletes giving an endorsement during match coverage, podcasters reading an ad on Spotify, or talk show hosts promoting a product, it’s better to not to link this figure directly to social commerce:

• Social media – 50% of consumers around the world have used this method to discover products
• Influencers – 22%
• Messaging app – 14%
• Livestream video – 11%
• Video or live chat – 8%

Source: eMarketer²

18. 28% of social media users in the United States are very likely to research products on social media

When eMarketer surveyed over 1,200 social media users in the United States, they asked about these users’ shopping habits in regards to social media.

The majority of users, or 28%, say they’re very likely to search for products on social media before deciding to buy them.

Only 13% are very unlikely to:

• Very likely – 28% of social media users in the United States say this is how likely they are to research products on social media
• Likely – 20%
• Somewhat likely – 19%
• Somewhat unlikely – 9% of social media users in the United States say this is how unlikely they are to research products on social media
• Unlikely – 11%
• Very unlikely – 13%

Overall, 67% of social media users in the United States are likely to research products on social media before making purchases while 33% are unlikely to.

Source: eMarketer¹

19. 23.1% of US-based shoppers aged 25 to 34 have made at least one purchase via social media

This is an older statistic that dates back to September 2023, which is around the same time TikTok Shop was made available in the United States.

This means it’s very likely these numbers are much larger now.

However, they demonstrate how influential social commerce is among prime advertising age groups:

• 14 to 17 – 7.5% of US-based consumers in this age group have made purchases via social media channels
• 18 to 24 – 16.8%
• 25 to 34 – 23.1%
• 35 to 44 – 19.1%
• 45 to 54 – 13.5%
• 55 to 64 – 10.4%
• 65+ – 9.6%

Source: eMarketer²

20. 26% of global consumers have bought grocery products 8 or more times on social media

According to a survey of over 3,800 respondents, 26% of consumers around the world have used social media to purchase grocery items eight or more times.

24% have purchased apparel and accessories eight or more times on social media while 44% have purchased items from this category between three and seven times.

Source: Statista⁶

21. 25.6% of consumers in the United States say apparel is the main product category they bought from on social media

The Influencer Marketing Factory surveyed 1,000 respondents, and Statista reported the data.

In the survey, consumers in the United States were asked about the product categories they bought from on social media in 2023.

The majority said they primarily purchased goods from the apparel product category.

Here are other product categories consumers purchased from:

• Apparel – 25.6% of consumers in the United States bought products in this category on social media
• Beauty – 19.4%
• Home – 13.5%
• Tech – 8.3%
• Food and beverages – 6.2%

Source: Statista⁷

22. 78% of global consumers are concerned about not receiving refunds when buying on social media

According to survey results reported by Statista, 41% of consumers around the world are worried their purchases will not be protected when they buy products directly on social media.

37% are worried they won’t receive adequate refunds for returned products.

This means 78% of consumers around the world are worried they won’t receive adequate refunds when something doesn’t go right with products they bought on social media:

• Purchases not protected – 41% of global consumers cite this as a concern when buying on social media
• Adequate refunds not given for returns – 37%
• Mishandling of data by social media sites – 29%
• Recommendations by social media influencers – 24%
• Authenticity or quality of purchased goods – 23%

Note from Adam: This is a huge sticking point for potential buyers. So, you might find that most people prefer to purchase via a well recognized online store. On a side note, If you’re looking to get into ecommerce yourself, it’s easier than ever to get started thanks to ecommerce platforms like Sellfy and Shopify. And these types of platforms provide more control over how your products are sold compared to social.

Source: Statista⁸

23. 42.3% of consumers in the United States are interested in buying luxury goods on social media

eMarketer teamed up with Bizrate to ask US-based consumers about their shopping habits when it comes to luxury goods.

They discovered that the majority of consumers, or 42.3%, are interested in buying these types of goods on social media:

• Social commerce – 42.3% of consumers in the United States have or are interested in buying luxury products from this sales channel
• Virtual stores – 27.3%
• Livestream shopping – 23.4%
• GenAI-powered virtual personal shopping assistant/chatbot – 17.8%
• AR/VR shopping tool – 16.8%
• Digital clienteling session – 16.6%
• Virtual goods* – 10.4%
• Cryptocurrency payments – 7.4%

NFTs, skins for digital avatars in video games, and digital versions of real-world products.

Source: eMarketer³

24. 57.4% of consumers aged 18 to 34 prefer to buy luxury goods through social commerce

eMarketer and Bizrate’s survey divided its respondents into four age groups.

They discovered that social commerce was most popular among younger consumers when it came to buying luxury goods:

• 18 to 34 – 57.4% of consumers in this age group use social commerce to buy luxury goods
• 35 to 54 – 43.0%
• 55 to 64 – 35.3%
• 65+ – 31.5%

Source: eMarketer³

Live shopping statistics

25. 21% of global consumers buy products from livestreams

A survey conducted by Salesforce and reported by eMarketer revealed that 21% of consumers around the world buy products they discovered on livestreams.

59% buy products from social media in general, and it’s very likely livestreams hosted on social media are included in this figure.

36% buy products on messaging apps while 24% use voice assistants.

20% buy products through live chat channels, chatbots and instant messaging apps.

Source: eMarketer²

26. 11% of global consumers discover products through livestreams

According to a survey conducted by Salesforce and reported by eMarketer, 11% of consumers discover products through livestreams.

To be fair, the study stated 50% of consumers use social media to discover products while 22% use influencers.

It’s very likely livestreaming is included in these figures.

Source: eMarketer²

27. Whatnot surpassed $2 billion in livestream sales in 2024

Livestreaming shopping platform Whatnot reported its creators surpassed the $2 billion mark in sales made on its platform.

This is $2 billion generated from livestreams on a single platform.

The company stated over 175,000 hours of video are streamed live on the platform every week, a figure they say “exceeds QVC’s weekly broadcast hours by 800x.”

Sales increased by 155% in the United Kingdom between January and September while sales increased 73% quarter-over-quarter in France.

The platform also states that a “Pokemon card is sold every 30 seconds in Germany.”

Source: Whatnot

28. 66% of sellers on earn at least $10,000 per month from livestreams

Whatnot surveyed over 500 sellers from various platforms as well as over 1,600 sellers on Whatnot.

They discovered that 66% of these sellers earn at least $10,000 per month by promoting products on livestreams.

25% earn $300,000 annually.

Source: Whatnot

29. 75% of small businesses say livestream selling increased their sales

When Whatnot surveyed 500 livestream sellers on various platforms as well as 1,600 of their own sellers, they discovered that 75% of them who own small businesses reported an increase in sales from livestream selling.

In fact, 41% of these sellers generate more than half of their sales through livestreams.

Source: Whatnot

Final thoughts

If the sources in this post are anything to go by, it’s clear that social commerce is booming and it seems here to stay.

While more social networks are adding ecommerce functionality and that functionality is being used, there’s no substitute for building your own ecommerce store that you control.

Then there are platforms that are taking the combination of social and commerce to the next level such as Whatnot. We’ll likely see more small businesses running livestreams to sell products on these types of platforms.

Interested in more statistic roundups? Check out our other posts on social media statistics, Instagram statistics, and online shopping statistics.