Independent social commerce research · 1,000 US shoppers

Shoppers want trust three times more than a lower price.

Independent research on how 1,000 US shoppers actually buy on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. Free findings, no platform funding.

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n=1,000 US shoppers · stratified to Census · no platform funding

Latest findings

The latest from the data.

Reviews and product pages drive 44 percent of social purchase decisions, creator video 19 percent.
Research Brief · No. 08

Creators get you found. Reviews get you bought.

Browsing leads discovery at 26%, but reviews and the product page drive 44% of purchase decisions, versus 19% for creator video.

 Shoppers active on three or more social platforms spend 337 dollars over six months versus 180 dollars for single-platform shoppers.
Research Brief · No. 07

Your best shoppers buy on three platforms and spend 87% more.

Shoppers on three or more platforms spend $337 over six months versus $180 on one. Facebook now reaches 66% of social shoppers, TikTok 65%.

 Holiday shoppers have a two-day purchase window: 83 percent of social purchases close within two days of discovery.
Research Brief · No. 06

Holiday shoppers have a two-day purchase window.

83% of social purchases close within two days of discovery, and 73% start unplanned. Is one channel enough to capture them?

All insights and data answers →

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Most social commerce research
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Original consumer surveys · No platform funding · Cross-platform benchmarks

What independence means

Four principles that govern every report we publish.

01

No platform funding

We do not accept money, sponsorship, data partnerships, or in-kind support from any social platform. Our findings cannot be bought.

02

Original consumer surveys

Every finding starts with real consumers answering real questions. We do not republish secondary research or platform-supplied estimates.

03

Methodology in the open

Sample size, screening, quotas, and question wording are published with every report. You can evaluate the work without buying it.

04

Findings, not opinions

We report what the data shows, including findings inconvenient for the platforms or for the brands buying the work. The data is the product.

The 2026 Report · Available now

Social Commerce
Intelligence Report
2026

What 1,000 US social commerce buyers reveal about which platforms they trust, how they discover products, where purchases complete, and what would make them buy more.

Platform-vs-platform benchmarks across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. No platform funding. No outside agenda.

Free Executive Summary → View the Report
What's inside
  • 01The Speed-Trust Paradox — how shoppers buy on platforms they don't fully trust. The impulse window, the trust-share gap, and the in-app advantage.
  • 02Who's Actually Spending — the cohorts driving social commerce, not who you think. The 35–44 power cohort, the parent premium, and the platform income map.
  • 03The Trust Imperative — what limits spend today, and what unlocks more. What trust actually means, the live commerce gap, and the satisfaction loop.

Three themes · Nine signals · Strategic implications

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Built for the people making the call on where to invest.

Brand marketers

CMOs, brand strategy leads, and digital commerce directors evaluating where to put media and merchandising spend across social platforms.

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Strategy, planning, and account leads who need defensible benchmarks to bring into client conversations and pitch decks.

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VC, growth equity, and public market analysts modeling social commerce platforms, brands, and the picks-and-shovels around them.

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