3 Trends Shaping Social Commerce in 2022

The way we shop has changed dramatically in the last few years. Smartphone shopping is at a historic high with 41% of consumers saying they shop daily or weekly via a mobile or smartphone, compared with just 12% 5 years ago. Social commerce is also growing with almost half (48%) of US social media users buying something via a social media platform. As brands and consumers become more familiar with social commerce, we’ve identified 3 trends that will shape the space in 2022.

Communities and creators continue to inspire shoppers.

More than ever, people are faced with so many choices when choosing a brand or product. Trust is paramount for making purchase decisions, and we look to friends, family, creators and communities we trust for inspiration. This trend will continue to grow in 2022. As social commerce grows, it will be critical for retailers and brands to cultivate loyal customers and evangelists who share authentic product recommendations with their friends and fans. In the next year, we expect to see a continued industry-wide investment in building loyal online communities.

H-E-B, a supermarket chain based in Texas, uses Live Shopping to make social commerce personal, frictionless and useful to its customers. They’ve been able to cultivate deeper connections and trust with their customers by interacting with them, implementing their feedback to provide relevant products and content, and giving them exclusive access to influencers they love. This has translated into positive impact in the form of sales, awareness lift and customer growth.

Our own research shows that creators will continue to play a critical role in the shopping experience: over half of consumers get ideas on which product to shop from celebrities and creators, and 45% of online shoppers globally say they want to buy products promoted by creators directly on social media. In Q4, we introduced new tools and experiences like Shops in Groups and Live Shopping for Creators to help support this behavior, and we’ve given more creators the ability to earn a commission on products they recommend on Instagram. As creators’ influence continues to grow, we expect to see a continued industry-wide investment in bridging communities and commerce and an increased prominence of monetization programs, such as affiliate marketing

Earlier in the pandemic, we heard from retailers who leaned on experiences like Live Shopping to connect with their customers when they had to close their physical stores. While physical locations may be opening back up, we expect brands to continue experimenting with live shopping and collaborating with creators as hosts for events to nurture relationships with their customers and community.

People shop their values.

When shopping from businesses directly, over half (56%) of consumers globally say it’s very important that the brands they buy from support the same values they believe in. We expect shoppers to continue to lean into sustainability and look for information from brands that helps shoppers better understand their values.

One trend we’re keeping a close eye on is vintage, thrifted and secondhand fashion, including the popularity of “secondhand first” shopping behavior. Ongoing supply chain shortages coupled with an appetite from consumers to shop sustainably makes us believe shoppers will continue looking for alternative ways to find what they need secondhand — whether it’s thrifting, online resale or shopping locally on Instagram, Marketplace or Facebook Groups. In the US, the average number of new clothing listings each day on Marketplace doubled in January compared with December.

Brands begin to explore what shopping could look like in the metaverse.

While we are several years away from realizing the potential of commerce in the metaverse, we believe brands will experiment with social commerce experiences that provide a preview of what shopping in the metaverse could look like.

When we think about what exists today, AR and live shopping are two examples of early glimmers into the metaverse. Experiences like AR Try On allows consumers to preview products like accessories and beauty products before they buy, and Live Shopping provides a more immersive experience that allows us to connect with brands and bring the personalized in-store experience to online shopping. Consumers are warming up to live shopping, with 47% of online shoppers noting that they would buy products directly from live videos, and brands of all sizes are finding success.

One of my favorite examples of this trend is Zox, a direct-to-consumer brand that sells wristbands made from recycled plastic with empowering messages. While testing Live Shopping in our Live Shopping Fridays program earlier in 2021, Zox sold $28,392 in product within the same day that they hosted their Live Shopping event.

We’ve seen that beauty brands have been some of the earliest and most successful adopters of AR Try On. We’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in beauty like NARS, Mac and Maybelline to integrate AR Try On into their shops and advertising experiences. As the buzz around the shift to the metaverse continues, we expect beauty and fashion brands to continue to be early innovators.

A majority (79%) of global consumers note that the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. We look forward to seeing how brands continue to create new shopping experiences leveraging the social commerce tools of today as we realize how we will shop tomorrow.