Social Commerce 2021

Media and Commerce Convergence Creates Growth Opportunity for Brands

Executive Summary

The pandemic-driven ecommerce boom has helped accelerate the growth of social commerce in the US. The market is poised for continued gains as key social commerce platforms advance their shopping and checkout capabilities.

How big is the social commerce market, and how fast is it growing?

We forecast that US retail social commerce sales will rise by 34.8% to $36.09 billion this year, representing 4.3% of all retail ecommerce sales. We also revised our 2020 social commerce forecast upward, from 19.8% growth to 37.9% growth.

Which social media platforms are most effective at driving social commerce?

Instagram and Pinterest provide the most relevant social commerce experiences for brands today, but Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok are all expanding their offerings.

Which brands and product categories should invest in social commerce?

Apparel/accessories remains the largest category for social commerce, but consumer electronics, cosmetics, home decor, and consumer goods are also key players. Brands featuring new and differentiated products and/or aspirational imagery are best suited for the social commerce environment.

What social commerce strategies should brands consider?

Brands looking to drive social commerce sales need to consider content/creative, media strategy, audience amplification, and conversion. They should also have a measurement strategy to demonstrate whether their efforts are working.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report includes our updated US social commerce forecast, analysis of the latest social commerce capabilities, and marketing strategies for brands.

KEY STAT: The number of US social commerce buyers accelerated 25.2% to 80.1 million in 2020 and will grow another 12.9% to 90.4 million in 2021.

Here’s what’s in the full report

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15expert perspectives

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    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. The State of US Social Commerce
    3. The Opportunities and Challenges of Social Commerce
    4. Key Social Commerce Platforms
    1. Media-Commerce Convergence: The Evolution of Shoppable Content
    2. Brands and Social Commerce
    3. Elements of an Effective Social Commerce Strategy
    4. Key Takeaways
    1. Insider Intelligence Interviews
    2. Read Next
    3. Sources
    4. Media Gallery

    Charts in This Report

    Interviewed for This Report

    Mark Bamford
    Viktrs
    CEO and Founder
    Interviewed June 12, 2020
    Courtney Christ
    Mindshare
    Partner and Director, Paid Social
    Interviewed July 22, 2020
    Moksha Fitzgibbons
    NTWRK
    President
    Interviewed October 16, 2020
    Jason Goldberg
    Publicis
    Chief Commerce Strategy Officer
    Interviewed June 26, 2020
    Parris Ikuomola
    Viktrs
    Artist Services Manager
    Interviewed June 12, 2020
    Dan Lurie
    Pinterest
    Head of Shopping Product
    Interviewed December 16, 2020
    Graham Mudd
    Facebook
    Vice President, Product Marketing, Ads
    Interviewed June 24, 2020
    Turner Novak
    Gelt VC
    General Partner
    Interviewed November 6, 2020
    Andy Pang
    Snap Inc.
    Head of International Marketing Science
    Interviewed October 27, 2020
    Katie Puris
    TikTok
    Managing Director and Global Head of Business Marketing
    Interviewed October 15, 2020
    Randall Rothenberg
    Interactive Advertising Bureau
    Executive Chair
    Interviewed November 17, 2020
    Vishal Shah
    Instagram
    Vice President, Product
    Interviewed June 24, 2020
    Rachel Tipograph
    MikMak
    Founder and CEO
    Interviewed January 7, 2021
    Chris Walton
    Red Archer Retail
    Co-Founder and Co-CEO
    Interviewed June 17, 2020
    Deborah Weinswig
    Coresight Research
    Founder and CEO
    Interviewed December 15, 2020

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    authors

    Andrew Lipsman

    Contributors

    Bianca Carasus
    Researcher
    Jasmine Enberg
    Senior Analyst
    Nazmul Islam
    Junior Forecasting Analyst
    Daniel Keyes
    Nina Goetzen
    Analyst
    Amy Rotondo
    Director, US Research
    Debra Aho Williamson
    Principal Analyst

    "Behind the Numbers" Podcast