Products

Insider Intelligence delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About Insider Intelligence

Our goal at Insider Intelligence is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how Insider Intelligence came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about Insider Intelligence.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to eMarketer's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

TikTok, Meta, and YouTube refine social commerce strategies

We forecast US retail social commerce sales will grow nearly 30% this year to hit $68.92 billion. Here’s a look at how three of the big social commerce players are priming their platforms for growth.

1. TikTok goes all in on in-app purchases

Last year, TikTok showed it was serious about social commerce: It beefed up its shopping ad types, it began to hire staff for US fulfillment centers, and it tested its Shop feature in the US.

In 2023, the platform is investing even further into its social commerce capabilities:

  • The platform is testing an in-app checkout feature in the US, which should help streamline the shopping experience and encourage more #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt purchases.
  • It also rolled out the beta version of its Shops feature to more businesses. However, TikTok has been struggling to attract merchants to the program, promising discounts and free shipping to increase adoption.

Why it matters: This year, 33.3 million US consumers will make a purchase on the platform, increasing 40.6% YoY. TikTok already has a lock on product discovery and inspiration. If it can find ways to make the purchase process easier, it’s a no-brainer for shoppers.

2. Meta focuses on shoppable ads

Unlike TikTok, Meta is leaning on advertising to drive social commerce.

Why it matters: Facebook has by far the most social buyers: we forecast 65.7 million people will make a purchase on the platform this year. However, the platform’s growth is slowing, with the number of social buyers increasing only 3.5% YoY after an 11.9% growth last year. Instagram is growing social buyers a bit faster at 4.9%, reaching 43.0 million this year.

3. YouTube leans on creator relationships

  • The company discontinued its product tagging feature, which allowed creators to add shoppable links to their videos.
  • With that change, YouTube rolled out its affiliate program to all creators, which allows creators to earn commission from products featured in their videos. YouTube hopes this program will attract more creators and help it compete with TikTok.

Why it matters: A quarter of US consumers start their search on YouTube when shopping online, more than on Instagram or TikTok, per Jungle Scout. YouTube can use its strong creator relationships to entice consumers who come to the platform for shopping inspiration to actually make a purchase.

 

This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

First Published on May 5, 2023