Social media platforms have hundreds of millions of users. With such large audiences, these networks are a boon for companies involved in electronic commerce.
This information demonstrates why stores should engage in smart social media marketing strategies. In this guide, we explain how to use social platforms in commerce on the web to create engaging content, turn a follower into a customer, and drive your ecommerce business’s growth.
Table of contents
- What is social media ecommerce?
- What role does social media play in ecommerce?
- What are the benefits of social media ecommerce?
- Which social media platform is best for ecommerce?
- 11 Best tips for developing an effective social media ecommerce strategy
- Social media trends to consider for your marketing plan
- 3 Examples of successful use of social media for ecommerce
- Harness the power of social networks for your ecommerce website!
What is social media ecommerce?
Social media ecommerce refers to promoting an online store via social media platforms. It enables companies to showcase products, interact with customers, and facilitate seamless transactions without leaving the app. Features like shoppable posts, live shopping, and in-app checkout enhance the shopping experience.
Social media has transformed ecommerce marketing. The immense volume of traffic to social media sites indicates why it is essential that brands include social networks as an integral part of their marketing strategy.
With social media platforms’ far-reaching influence, it’s essential that online stores adopt a profitable strategy to harness the power that each of these networks offers.
What role does social media play in ecommerce?
According to the Digital 2025: Global Overview Report by DataReportal, 5.24 billion people are using social media as of February 2025. The total number of people using social media has grown by approximately 4.1% over the past year.
In addition, Mintel states that 47% of Americans report that they’ve purchased items on the internet because of being influenced by social media. Based on a Statista study of different generations of U.S. consumers in Q2 2023, the millennial generation had the greatest percentage of shoppers who made a purchase after having seen the product on social media, at 94%. This was followed by Gen Z at 69%.
For online stores, social media is much more than a place to post fun images. It’s also a powerful way to convert visitors into customers. As a marketer, you should view social media’s role in ecommerce as being an important sales channel because of the large number of consumers who use these platforms every day.
What are the benefits of social media ecommerce?
Social media ecommerce offers numerous benefits, regardless if you're new to online sales or an experienced e-tailer.
- Increased reach and engagement: Social platforms connect businesses with millions of potential customers, boosting brand visibility and engagement through interactive content, ads, and influencer collaborations.
- Seamless shopping experience: Features like shoppable posts, in-app checkout, and live shopping make purchasing quick and convenient, reducing friction in the buyer’s journey to create a more enjoyable shopping experience for customers.
- Data-driven marketing: Social media provides valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and ecommerce marketing trends, allowing e-tailers to personalize marketing strategies, improve targeting, and increase conversion rates.
Which social media platform is best for ecommerce?
There are various ways to get involved with social commerce. However, choosing social media platforms that will be best for your unique marketing strategy is important.
Although social commerce differs from ecommerce, establishing a presence on each of the platforms described below can be advantageous for your store.
There’s a good reason why a large number of retailers create Facebook pages. Statista reports that Facebook had over 3 billion active users each month, as of April 2024.
It’s the largest social network in the world. The sheer number of people using Facebook means that there’s a strong likelihood that your target audience is on the platform.
Facebook is a powerful social network for web commerce businesses due to its massive user base and advanced ad targeting and tracking, allowing your brand to gain insights into ad reach, clicks, cost, and demographics. The platform supports retargeting, live shopping, and user-generated content, driving engagement and conversions.
Furthermore, its community-building tools (Groups, Messenger, and Pages) help brands foster loyalty and customer relationships, making it an essential platform for electronic commerce success.
Another great opportunity for ecommerce marketers is Instagram. Statista notes that as of April 2024, Instagram had 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. Another Statista survey determined that 31.7% of Instagram audiences were between the ages of 18 and 34, while 30.6% were between 25 and 34.
When combined, this means that approximately 62% of people using Instagram are either millennials or members of Gen Z, two demographics that drive a significant portion of online sales.
Using Instagram for ecommerce is advantageous due to the network’s image-centric focus, providing substantial sales power. Ecommerce marketers can benefit from shoppable Instagram posts in the app, which allow merchants to tag individual products in a photograph. Merchants can also highlight the name with a price and purchase link.
Source: Mango
Shoppable posts will make it easier for Instagram sellers to provide a smooth purchasing process for their customers. There are many other commerce tools offered by Instagram that can benefit a business’s marketing efforts.
Like Instagram, Pinterest is based on images. As of April 2024, Statista found that around 498 million people around the world were using Pinterest each month. Statista also reports that one out of four U.S. marketers use Pinterest, and another 26% report that they have plans to do so.
In the past few years, Pinterest has added features that make it friendlier for ecommerce marketers. It acts as a visual search engine, helping businesses reach highly engaged shoppers.
With shoppable Pins, rich product descriptions, and direct links to online stores, brands can drive organic traffic and boost conversions. Pinterest users often search for inspiration, which will make them more likely to discover and buy products. Furthermore, Pinterest SEO and ads help companies target specific audiences, increasing visibility and long-term sales potential.
Snapchat
If you’re targeting a young audience, you may want to use Snapchat as a part of your marketing strategy. As of April 2024, Statista states that Snapchat had 800 million monthly active users. Statista also mentions that as of Q3 2020, 48% of people aged 15 to 25 in the US who use the internet utilized Snapchat.
Features like Snap Ads, AR Try-On Lenses, and shoppable stories allow businesses to create content showcasing products in a fun, engaging way. With instant swipe-up links, users can seamlessly shop.
The platform’s personalized and ephemeral content creates urgency, driving conversions. Plus, Snapchat’s advanced targeting helps brands reach the right customers effectively.
YouTube
Many people love viewing video content, which helps to explain the popularity of YouTube. Based on Statista data, YouTube had just over 2.5 billion active users each month worldwide as of April 2024. More than 5 billion videos are viewed each day on the network, according to Global Media Insight.
While YouTube offers ecommerce marketers a global reach, competition for viewers is fierce. This makes it important for brands to engage in savvy strategies to increase viewership.
YouTube can be a highly effective marketing tool if you implement the following actions:
- Build brand consistency across channels with compelling stories
- Choose keywords effectively so viewers can find you
- Post content regularly on a schedule
- Understand the target audience to build a following
- Share how-to videos
- Leverage your product reviews
- Provide answers to frequently asked questions about your products
- Use backlinks with other sites to cross-promote your products
- Make sure to give a clear call to action
If you build your presence on YouTube in the right way, it can be an invaluable source of new and loyal customers.
TikTok
The darling of members of Gen Z, TikTok has taken the social media universe by storm. This platform gives users the ability to create and share short video clips and is perfect for online stores wanting to appeal to younger audiences.
In April 2024, Statista reported that TikTok came in 5th place in terms of the most popular social networks, with almost 1.6 billion monthly active users.
As of July 2024, the two age groups that claimed the greatest market portion of the platform’s users were between the ages of 18 and 24 at approximately 35% and those between the ages of 25 and 34 at around 34%, according to Statista.
TikTok has the potential to be a great social media option for many companies. However, it’s important to note that there have been serious concerns raised about the ethics and data security of the network’s marketing practices.
For this reason, just be sure to determine if the benefits outweigh the risks for your business before you invest time on the platform.
If you do decide to add TikTok to your marketing strategy, you will need to learn about the various ways to advertise. Examples include the following methods:
- Hashtag challenge—encourages users to assign hashtags to products and gives an option to purchase them
- Biddable ads—ads that appear when users scroll
- Brand takeover—allows e-marketers to take over the start page for a day at a price of $20,000 to $200,000
- Branded lenses—face filters and 3D stickers that are used to tell stories
Depending on the future of the network it could be one of the best ways to introduce a youthful audience to your brand!
X (formerly Twitter)
X (formerly Twitter) allows you to post short messages for your followers to read, re-tweet, and comment on. Statista states that X had 611 million monthly active users globally as of April 2024.
A major advantage for brands on this platform is that clicks can be generated at a relatively low cost. It also has less competition for advertising so that the ads are less expensive.
The network offers highly targeted ads, real-time engagement, and viral potential. With advanced audience segmentation, brands can reach the right customers, drive traffic, and boost conversions. Plus, its dynamic ad formats, influencer collaborations, and trending topics enhance visibility and brand credibility.
LinkedIn is geared to professionals and had more than 1.15 billion individuals using the platform every month around the world in 2024, as described by DemandSage. This makes it a great place to target audiences if you have a B2B model for your business operations.
Because of the professionally minded audience on LinkedIn, it’s generally better to start a group on LinkedIn instead of running ads. In your group, you should focus on providing relevant information about your services or products. You can give advice, provide free samples, or promote webinars on LinkedIn.
For your social media marketing efforts on LinkedIn to be more effective, ensure that you only invite relevant users to your group. Make sure to use an appropriate name for the group that communicates its topic.
11 Best tips for developing an effective social media ecommerce strategy
Once you’ve identified the platforms that you want to use, you should determine how to make the most of your presence on each platform. Here are some tips to assist you in making your social media marketing efforts a success!
1. Determine your campaign goals
Before you start your social media outreach project, you must identify the goals that you want to accomplish. If you don’t track and monitor your progress, you’re not as likely to be successful in your efforts to engage with potential customers.
It is essential that you identify the metrics of success to understand whether your endeavors are prosperous or simply a waste of money, time, and energy. To build the groundwork for success, set benchmarks for the following:
- Traffic to be generated
- Number of followers
- Rates of engagement
- Rates of conversion
Setting initial targets for these things can also aid you in establishing other goals that you want to accomplish.
2. Provide value
When social media users visit your page, they don’t want to see just a bunch of product links. They want to receive value from your page. This makes it important for you to supply images, videos, and information that benefit visitors.
Think about what the market that you’re targeting cares about and ensure that your content addresses those issues. While promotion is important, you should temper it with other content that doesn’t feature sales pitches.
3. Optimize your social media profiles
To make the most of your social media marketing efforts, ensure that any profiles you create for your brand on the various networks are visually appealing, informative, and conversion-driven.
Start with a clear, high-quality profile picture (usually a logo) and a concise yet compelling bio with relevant keywords, a call-to-action (CTA), and a link to a landing page or store. Use a consistent brand voice and aesthetic across all platforms to build recognition.
Regularly update contact details, business hours, and links to promotions. Utilize platform-specific features like Instagram Highlights or pinned posts to showcase products effectively.
4. Improve the SEO of your posts
Search engine optimization assists your content in gaining increased exposure. You should choose your keywords carefully and use them in the content that you post and hashtags. This allows you to connect with new audiences as people search for information about the topics your blog mentions.
Take time to research relevant keywords. To add more value to your content, include videos and images.
5. Employ user-generated content
On social media, you don’t want to appear as if you’re simply trying to please others by saying what you think they want to hear. Instead of posting screenshots of your product reviews, you can share user-generated content. This includes photos and videos created by a customer instead of the business.
When you share user-generated content, it can help boost the credibility of your brand and your products. Most shoppers want to see what others think about a product before they buy it themselves.
6. Include videos in your posts
Outbrain reports that 87% of marketers use videos as a part of their marketing strategies. They do this because many shoppers will purchase products after they watch videos highlighting their benefits.
Video marketing can be used across social channels to drive sales. However, you still need to utilize blogs and photos to complement your video content. Craft engaging and inspirational videos that encourage website visitors to make purchases.
7. Engage with your audience
Since the point of social media is for people to interact with each other, you will need to engage with those who follow you. Website visitors who have positive interactions with companies are more likely to recommend them to others.
Making connections can’t only be focused on sales. Instead, you should post several types of content that discuss general topics that relate to your niche. If you post helpful content, your followers are more likely to engage with your sales copy.
When visitors comment on a post of yours, respond to their comments. This makes them feel like they are valued and shows others that you are interested in what they have to say.
8. Post consistently
When it comes to social media, consistent posting is key for online stores. You’re trying to gain the attention of possible customers.
If you post infrequently, the audience that you’re trying to reach may forget about you. Generating enough traffic from social media requires you to post content regularly.
The easiest way to make sure that you post consistently is to use a social media content calendar. Mix up what you post and include short commentary, videos, and pictures to keep followers interested.
9. Don’t be afraid to use hashtags
Hashtags are everywhere you turn on social media. Instead of being afraid to use hashtags, why not embrace them? These allow you to reach people who search for the specific terms that you use in your hashtags.
Make sure that you understand the hashtag etiquette for the social media website that you use, as the expectations may differ across platforms.
10. Harness the power of influencer marketing
Collaborating with influencers is a great way to expand your reach, build credibility, and drive sales. By partnering with influencers who align with your niche and target audience, your brand can tap into a loyal and engaged follower base. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are particularly effective for influencer campaigns.
Keep in mind that a very high follower count won't necessarily be the best criterion for finding the right influencers to work with for your campaigns. While macro-influencers (500,000 to 1 million followers) provide greater exposure, micro-influencers (10,000 to 50,000 followers) often deliver higher engagement and authenticity.
Consider partnering with influencers on product reviews, unboxings, tutorials, or giveaways, ensuring that content feels organic rather than overly promotional. Affiliate programs and unique discount codes incentivize influencers and help track ROI.
11. Utilize paid advertising
Most social networks offer paid ways to advertise. While these tools cost money, they’re a critical tool for ecommerce businesses.
There are many different types of ads that you can implement to try to engage an audience of potential customers. Review the options on each platform and choose the ones that fit your digital commerce brand the best.
You will find many targeting choices that can aid your brand in reaching a specific group that has a higher likelihood of conversion.
Social media sites allow you to avail paid ads to target consumers by gender, age, income level, interests, and other categories. This helps to improve your reach and get your brand out in front of a larger audience on the chosen platform.
With so many different targeting choices and types of paid advertising available, it will definitely be worth taking the time to learn about these techniques. Choosing the best ad and targeting options for your brand and your audience can aid in increasing your digital commerce business’s growth and sales.
Social media trends to consider for your marketing plan
As with anything involving digital commerce, what’s popular on social networks today may be ineffective months down the road! It’s therefore important to keep an eye on what’s trending when developing your brand’s social media marketing strategy.
Note that the use of data analysis tools, either provided by the platforms themselves or via external options, will be crucial in obtaining valuable insights letting you know which strategies are most effective with your particular audience.
Here are five trends to think about taking advantage of this year to convert followers into loyal customers:
- Short-form video content: Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are driving engagement. Brands can leverage them for product demos, behind-the-scenes content, and influencer collaborations.
- Social commerce and shoppable posts: More platforms now allow in-app purchases. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok Shops enable seamless social shopping experiences without users leaving the app.
- AI and personalization: AI-driven recommendations, chatbots, and personalized ad targeting help brands create highly tailored experiences that increase conversions and customer loyalty.
- User-generated content (UGC): Consumers trust peer recommendations. Encouraging customers to share reviews, testimonials, and photos/videos featuring products boosts authenticity and engagement.
- Community-driven marketing: Brands are focusing on building engaged communities through private groups (Facebook, Discord, Reddit) and interactive content (polls, AMAs, live Q&As).
3 Examples of successful use of social media for ecommerce
To help inspire your social media strategy for your web commerce business and encourage customers to shop on your website, here are a few examples of brands that have found success on various platforms!
Chewy
Chewy’s website offers a wide range of pet supplies, such as food and treats, toys, beddings, carriers, clothing, health and hygiene products, and other goods for a variety of pets. The company makes great use of social networks to promote its offerings, educate pet owners, and connect with current and potential digital commerce customers.
Take this Instagram post, for instance, where Chewy highlights content shared by a happy customer.
Source: Chewy
The company also often features, along with other content, “Chewtorials,” brief educational videos to help pet parents with different issues or concerns, on YouTube.
Source: Chewy
In addition, Chewy’s social media strategy serves as a good reminder that you don’t always need to share serious content, as demonstrated by this fun Instagram post combining Valentine's Day and astrology themes.
Source: Chewy
LEGO
LEGO, the toy brand loved by kids and adults who are kids at heart, is adept at sharing content on social networks to delight fans of the company’s product catalog and drive purchases, whether customers prefer traditional commerce and wish to shop at a brick-and-mortar location or digital commerce and head online to the website.
Take this simple yet effective post shared on Facebook, for example. It promotes LEGO’s botanical offerings and encourages engagement by asking followers to tag other users.
Source: LEGO
On the brand’s YouTube channel, viewers can find video content of various lengths, including building tutorials; product announcement and designer videos, offering insights into new sets and the creative processes behind them; and animated series and short films based on popular LEGO themes, such as LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, and LEGO City, providing engaging storytelling and character adventures.
Source: LEGO
Duolingo
Language-learning app Duolingo utilizes several social networks but has become known for its TikTok presence in particular, offering humorous, meme-driven content featuring its iconic green owl mascot.
By embracing viral trends, playful brand personality, and pop culture references, Duolingo has built a highly engaged audience.
@duolingo welcome to the first edition of the owlympics, featuring me. and me. and ME. which me are you rooting for?\ud83d\ude08 #owlympics #duolingo #sports #fyp \u266c original sound - Duolingo
Source: Duolingo
Duolingo leans into self-aware, relatable content, often joking about its aggressive lesson reminders.
@duolingo \ud83c\udf38 KOREAN OR GET EATEN \ud83c\udf38 on Spotify now - link in bio! #duolingo #netflix #squidgame #squidgame2 \u266c original sound - Duolingo
Source: Duolingo
Its strategy of using informal, behind-the-scenes, and interactive content fosters strong user engagement, making it one of the most recognizable and followed brands on TikTok.
Harness the power of social networks for your ecommerce website!
Since most shoppers are actively involved with social media, it makes sense for you to go where a potential customer may be. Understanding how to leverage the power offered by social media sites may assist in driving sales and boosting your customer base.
Consider using the strategies that we’ve listed to implement effective social media marketing campaigns and create a strong presence on the various platforms for your ecommerce business. When you do, you should start to see the results of your efforts as your website visitor numbers and conversion rates increase over time.
If you’re already using social networks for your own online store, we’d love to hear which platforms have worked best for you in the comments below!
