People are no longer simply using social platforms just to window shop: they’re actively buying products, in an increasingly seamless journey from viewer to buyer all within the same app. So, if social media is the new storefront, how can you make the most of it?

Understanding the different social shops
With a few social platforms offering social commerce, it’s important to recognise what's going to work best for your brand. Let’s look at the two key options for your 2025 social commerce strategy.

TikTok shop
With TikTok effectively becoming the go to search engine for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, it’s also becoming more prevalent in product discovery, which means that it benefits brands to show up on the platform, offering easy access to buying their products. Influencer and creator endorsement is a huge factor on TikTok, filling the feed with more mentions of products that users may be interested in, prompting them to buy directly from the shop.

TikTok shop is your best bet if you’re selling trendy, affordable products, especially aimed at younger audiences, as the nature of the platform is suited to generating these quick sales.

Instagram Shopping
Whilst TikTok is fast paced and trend led, Instagram is the place to primarily focus on aesthetics. Using visual storytelling and a consistent brand style, you can build deeper connections with your audience and showcase your products in a more professional way. Shopping tags offer an easy option for consumers to click on a post and see the products featured, taking them through a quick and simple shopping process.

Essential best practices
Wherever you’re selling, there are a few things to always keep in mind.

1.       Understanding and finding your audience
It’s vital to understand your audience and choose the right platform to reach them most effectively. Creating content that will resonate with your audience, in the right space, will improve the chances of them stopping their scroll and purchasing your products.

2.      Focus on high quality, consistent content
Captivate your audience with content that fits your brands aesthetics and values, while showcasing your products. Using visually appealing images, engaging videos and compelling descriptions will grab the attention of your audience, create a cohesive brand experience and drive sales.

3.      Leverage influencers and UGC
Boost your brands reach and reputation by working with influencers and inspiring user-generated content (UGC). Working with the right influencers and contributors who line up with your brand values will continue to add to your powerful brand image while engaging a new audience, while sparking UGC through challenges or campaigns can ripple through the algorithm bringing even more eyes to your brand and products.

4.      Engage
Commerce through social allows for even more opportunities to connect with your customers. Engage with creators using your products, show gratitude for feedback and answer queries the audience may have. This will increase brand loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

5.      Measure, Analyse and Optimise
As with everything on social, test and learn. Keep an eye on the performance of your content and how it correlates with your sales and use that information to alter your strategy if necessary.

Examples of successful social commerce

P. Louise
P.Louise is one of the most well-known examples when it comes to social commerce success on TikTok. With a strong brand story that gives the audience a relatable and aspirational narrative they create content that really resonates with consumers. They’ve seen great success through collaborating with creators and jumping on trends, but their biggest win came through using TikTok Live. They hosted a 12 hour live stream event which generated over £1.5 million in sales.

Next
Switching the attention over to Instagram shopping, Next are a great example of creating consistent content that highlights their products well. The key to driving sales through their Instagram page is their strong use of shopping tags on each post, allowing their audience to instantly find the product featured in each piece of content and add them to their shopping basket in just a few clicks.

Maybe you could be next? If you’d like help from the experts, get in touch with us today and let’s talk about getting the most out of social commerce for your brand.