The social commerce industry has grown into a multitrillion-dollar market that is reshaping retail globally. In 2025, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest dominate not only how people connect but also how they shop. Each platform has unique strengths, audiences, and challenges. Understanding which platforms perform best in social commerce helps brands maximize growth in this new era of online shopping.
The Global Rise of Social Commerce
Social commerce refers to buying and selling products directly on social media platforms, where browsing and checkout happen without leaving the app. This model is growing much faster than traditional e-commerce. By 2025, global social commerce sales are projected to surpass $1.2 trillion, nearly triple the growth rate of traditional e-commerce (McKinsey & Company, 2023).
Driving this boom are younger generations: 78% of Gen Z and 74% of Millennials say they buy through social platforms, compared to 42% of Baby Boomers (Amra & Elma, 2025).
This generational shift is why platform performance matters so much. The question is: who’s winning?
Platform Performance in 2025
1. Facebook: The Social Commerce Pioneer
Facebook remains the largest social network, with more than 3 billion monthly active users (Insider Intelligence, 2024). It leads in social commerce adoption, as 53% of U.S. social buyers reported making at least one purchase on Facebook in 2024 (Statista, 2024).
Facebook’s key strengths are its Marketplace, Facebook Shops, and Messenger integration, which combine discovery, customer service, and checkout in one place. It dominates among older demographics (35+ years old) who are more comfortable with Facebook compared to newer apps like TikTok.
2. Instagram: Visual Storytelling Meets Shopping
Instagram, with over 2 billion monthly users (Meta, 2024), is the go-to platform for visual discovery.
- Around 44% of users shop weekly on Instagram through Shoppable Posts, Reels Shopping, and Instagram Checkout (Shopify, 2024).
- It is particularly strong in fashion, beauty, fitness, and lifestyle.
- Influencer collaborations thrive here—90% of marketers rank Instagram as the top platform for influencer partnerships (HubSpot, 2024).
Instagram balances aspiration and convenience, making it a powerful driver of planned and impulse purchases alike.
3. TikTok: Discovery Commerce at Scale
TikTok has grown to 1.8 billion global users by 2025 (Exploding Topics, 2025). What sets TikTok apart is its discovery commerce model: users don’t search for products, they discover them in their For You Page.
- TikTok Shop generated a 120% year-over-year increase in sales as of 2025 (Business Insider, 2025).
- In the U.S., over 47 million social shoppers bought through TikTok in 2024, with projections of 55 million by 2027 (Capital One Shopping, 2025).
- The platform is dominated by Gen Z and young Millennials, who account for more than 60% of social commerce buyers here.
Its strength lies in viral content, creator-led trust, and impulse conversions. However, TikTok faces challenges, including increased reliance on paid ads for visibility (Business Insider, 2025) and regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. (Digiday, 2024).
4. YouTube: Long-Form Trust and Shoppable Videos
YouTube remains the second-largest search engine globally, with over 2.7 billion monthly users (Insider Intelligence, 2024).
- 70% of viewers say they bought a product after seeing it on YouTube (Insider Intelligence, 2024).
- Features like shoppable video ads and integrations with Shopify make it easier for creators to sell directly.
- Strength lies in tech, education, lifestyle, and tutorials, where long-form videos build deep trust.
YouTube is less about impulse buying and more about informed purchasing, making it a vital platform for products requiring more consideration.
5. Pinterest: The Inspiration-to-Purchase Path
Pinterest has 482 million monthly users (Statista, 2024). While smaller than its rivals, it is highly influential in shopping inspiration.
- 85% of users say Pinterest helps them plan purchases (Pinterest Business, 2024).
- It excels in home décor, DIY, recipes, and fashion.
- Pinterest’s visual search tools and personalized recommendations guide users from “just browsing” to checkout.
This positions Pinterest as a high-conversion platform, especially for planned purchases.
Platform Comparison
| Platform | Monthly Active Users (2025) | Strengths | Best-Selling Categories |
| 3B+ | Marketplace & Shops, broad adoption | General retail, electronics | |
| 2B+ | Visual storytelling, influencer power | Fashion, beauty, lifestyle | |
| TikTok | 1.8B | Viral discovery commerce | Beauty, apparel, gadgets |
| YouTube | 2.7B | Trust from long-form video | Tech, tutorials, lifestyle |
| 482M | Purchase planning & inspiration | Home décor, recipes, DIY |
Challenges for Social Commerce Platforms
Even the leading platforms face hurdles:
- Trust issues: Counterfeit goods and fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace and TikTok Shop reduce consumer confidence.
- Declining organic reach: Algorithms increasingly favor paid promotions, making it harder for small sellers to gain visibility (Business Insider, 2025).
- Regulatory scrutiny: TikTok in particular faces risks in the U.S. over data security concerns (Digiday, 2024).
- Saturation: With so many brands competing, standing out requires creativity, influencer partnerships, and ad spend.
Expert Insight
“No single platform is the winner for every brand. Success in social commerce depends on matching your audience with the platform they trust and engage with most. Brands that diversify across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube can scale faster without depending on one channel.”
— Mr. Phalla Plang, Digital Marketing Specialist
The Future of Social Commerce Platforms
Looking ahead, each platform is carving out its niche:
- Facebook will remain the most widely used, especially with older demographics.
- Instagram and TikTok will continue to lead in short-form discovery commerce for Gen Z and Millennials.
- YouTube will dominate for informed purchases requiring more research.
- Pinterest will thrive as an inspiration-driven commerce hub.
By 2030, social commerce could make up 20% of global e-commerce, with AI, AR, and livestream features further shaping platform dominance (McKinsey & Company, 2023).
For brands, the best strategy is not to bet on one platform, but to leverage each according to its strengths.
Note
In 2025, the battle for social commerce dominance is not about one winner—it’s about platform specialization. Facebook drives mass adoption, Instagram perfects visual discovery, TikTok fuels viral impulse buying, YouTube builds trust through video, and Pinterest inspires planned purchases.
For brands, success means diversifying, experimenting, and adapting. The future of commerce lies in meeting customers where they already spend time—and increasingly, that is on social platforms.
More Read
References
Amra & Elma. (2025, May 18). Top social commerce statistics 2025. Amraandelma.com. https://www.amraandelma.com/social-commerce-statistics
Business Insider. (2025, June). TikTok Shop: The end of free reach for sellers. Businessinsider.com. https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-shop-free-views-fading-for-sellers-2025-6
Capital One Shopping. (2025, March 1). TikTok Shop statistics 2025. Capitaloneshopping.com. https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/tiktok-shopping-statistics
Digiday. (2024, October 28). TikTok Shop: Catalyst for social commerce’s resurgence or fleeting fad? Digiday.com. https://digiday.com/marketing/tiktok-shop-the-catalyst-for-social-commerces-resurgence-or-a-fleeting-fad-marketers-sound-off
Exploding Topics. (2025, July 31). Social commerce growth 2025. Explodingtopics.com. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-commerce
Insider Intelligence. (2024, July 22). Social commerce forecast 2024–2026. Insiderintelligence.com. https://www.insiderintelligence.com
McKinsey & Company. (2023, September). The future of social commerce: Global projections. McKinsey.com. https://www.mckinsey.com
Pinterest Business. (2024). Shopping insights and stats. Pinterestbusiness.com. https://business.pinterest.com
Shopify. (2024). Instagram shopping trends 2024. Shopify.com. https://www.shopify.com
Statista. (2024). Social commerce adoption by platform. Statista.com. https://www.statista.com
