Social Commerce Series: It’s Time to Get Serious

This is the fourth post in our social commerce series. If you’re just joining us, start with a primer on social commerce, explore its opportunities and challenges, and learn how to drive revenue.

As 2026 planning kicks into gear, one thing is undeniable: Social commerce has outgrown its test-and-learn phase. It’s now a foundational growth channel.

The platforms, tools, and consumer behaviors have matured. What was once experimental is now measurable, scalable, and something consumers expect. The year ahead will draw a clear line between brands that simply show up on social and those that build full-funnel, connected commerce ecosystems—integrated storefronts, creator-powered content, affiliate engines, and AI-driven experiences all working in concert.

That means the time to define your vision and invest through budgets, pilots, and partnerships is today.

If you’ve followed our Social Commerce Series, you’ve seen this evolution unfold. If not, here’s what every brand should be thinking about as they build their 2026 roadmap.

1. Social marketing and commerce are no longer separate.
   
   Social isn’t just for awareness anymore. It’s the full purchase funnel.
   According to Mintel, nearly half (48%) of consumers globally say they plan to make purchases directly through in-feed social commerce features. While fashion, apparel, and beauty continue to lead, emerging categories—from electronics to home goods and retail—are quickly catching up.
   
   If your brand doesn’t yet have a social storefront, the moment to act is now.
2. A single storefront won’t cut it.
   
   In 2020, Meta was the loan platform with a dedicated shopping flow. Fast forward five years, and nearly every major platform—TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Snapchat—offers a native storefront.
   
   To stay competitive, brands should meet customers where they already shop, activating multiple storefronts tailored to each platform’s discovery behaviors, algorithms, and shoppers.
3. Creators are the new commerce engines.
   
   Creators are no longer just influencers. They’re sales drivers.
   
   According to Capital One Shopping, 44.7% of shoppers on TikTok say they purchase products based on influencer or creator recommendations. With every major social platform releasing new creator-commerce tools, shoppable creator content is easier than ever.
   
   Creators build trust, relevance, and momentum. Not Integrating them means leaving measurable revenue behind.
4. Live shopping turns buying into entertainment.
   
   Livestream commerce brings the energy of a retail floor directly into social feeds—real-time demos, Q&A, and moments of urgency you can’t replicate in static content. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube all support  shoppable streams. As of 2025, roughly 60% of U.S. adults watch live shopping overall, with TikTok being a top platform. And according to Retail Dive, about half of all TikTok users reported buying something after watching a TikTok Live.
   
   It’s not just selling; it’s storytelling that converts.
5. Affiliate is the bridge between creators and conversion.
   
   Affiliate marketing has quietly become one of the most powerful accelerators of social commerce.
   
   Programs like TikTok Shop Affiliate, Amazon Associates, and LTK are blurring the lines between influencer marketing and performance media, turning every piece of content into a potential point of sale. Today, according to eMarketer, roughly 49.5% of U.S. social shoppers said they were led to a purchase by a paid creator.
   
   Affiliates allow brands to reward creators for real sales, not just impressions, and build a sustainable ecosystem where creators, platforms, and advertisers all win. In many ways, affiliate is the infrastructure layer of the new social commerce economy‚ powering measurable, long-tail revenue.
6. AI and chat commerce are the next frontier in social shopping.
   
   The next era of social shopping is conversational.
   
   AI-driven chat commerce is emerging as a powerful way to guide, personalize, and convert consumers within social environments.
   
   Today, according to Bloomreach, 61% of people say they have used an AI tool to help them shop online. And Sellers Commerce claims retail chatbots increase sales by ~67%, while AI-enabled personalization can boost revenue by up to ~40%.
   
   From ChatGPT’s newest commerce features and TikTok’s Symphony AI tools to Meta’s AI-powered chatbots and Snap’s My AI shopping assistants, platforms are merging entertainment with tailored, in-the-moment recommendations.
   
   Soon, the line between “content” and “customer service” will disappear. You’ll be able to discover, ask questions, and check out in a single thread. This is when social becomes truly personalized commerce at scale: intent-led, context-aware, and built around conversation.

Ready to get started? Here’s how.

• Immerse yourself in the experience.
  Buy something through a branded storefront on TikTok or Instagram. Feel what frictionless social shopping really looks like.
• Partner with platforms.
  Stay close to platform reps to understand what’s coming next and where alpha/beta opportunities can unlock first-mover advantage.
• Test, learn, repeat.
  Run 30-, 60-, or 90-day pilot storefronts to gather insights. Real results come from iteration, not observation.
• Bring in the right partner.
  Razorfish builds end-to-end social commerce ecosystems—from strategy and shop setup to  shoppable activations and ongoing optimization. If you’re ready to accelerate your social commerce roadmap, we’re here to help.