Commerce Chronicles - From Likes to Checkouts: The Rising Role of Social Commerce in E-Commerce Growth

The future of e-commerce isn’t on your website...it’s in your feed.

What started as a marketing experiment is now a revenue engine, and the smartest brands are cashing in. It’s social commerce. 

Anyone can talk about social engagement, but true social commerce is the ability to build an entire sales system inside Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. In fact, social commerce has become so valuable that Statista reported that global social-commerce sales are projected to surpass $2.9 trillion by 2026.

Yet most e-commerce businesses still treat social as a brand builder and traffic driver rather than a transaction channel.

Our latest Commerce Chronicles survey asked founders and marketing leaders how social commerce is actually performing, what’s working, and where investment is heading next. We discovered: 

• Which platforms actually drive sales…not just likes
• The real ROI of influencer marketing
• Which channels deliver the most meaningful results
• And the most significant roadblocks holding brands back 

So, without further ado, let’s jump in.

Social Media Platforms That Actually Drive Sales

When asked which social media platforms have been most effective:

• 67% said Facebook + Instagram
• 50% cited LinkedIn
• 33% cited YouTube or Pinterest for discovery

And we can’t say we’re surprised. 

These figures reflect global data, with Meta’s platforms accounting for almost half of all social shopping sales. More than 3 million businesses actively advertise on Facebook alone, making it one of the largest paid media ecosystems in the world. 

Shane Barker, Founder of TraceFuse, explains the popularity: “Influencers help bridge the gap between brand and buyer by creating authentic, relatable content that feels more like a recommendation from a friend than a sales pitch.”

For operators like Sheldon S. Crocker of Crocker’s Transformative Thinking, the impact goes beyond clicks: “When I share my personal journey, people don’t just like the post…they connect with the message. That leads to real outcomes: book sales, course sign-ups, and invitations to speak. Social commerce has given me a way to build trust at scale while still keeping it personal.”

The keyword? Personal. Online connection comes down to trust, and trust comes from familiarity. 

Facebook and Instagram dominate not just because of scale, but because they feel personal. They are where people connect with friends, share memories, and express identity. Now, they’re the same space where brands can seamlessly join the conversation. 

That psychological overlap? It matters.

BlueTuskr Insight:

Stop buying reach; start engineering resonance. The right social network isn’t the one with the biggest audience. It’s the one your audience feels at home in..

When a product appears in a feed that already feels safe and familiar, it’s not processed as an ad; it’s received as a recommendation from within someone’s social circle. And in human psychology, familiarity breeds confidence…and confidence is the ultimate buying state.

Influencer Marketing: The ROI of Authenticity

When asked about the greatest value of influencer marketing and social commerce:

• 67 % said it’s about trust and authenticity
• 33 % credited the speed to purchase

This aligns with NielsenIQ (2025), which found that 92% of consumers trust user-generated content more than traditional ads, and that brands using authentic UGC see 28% higher conversion rates. 

Social proof doesn’t just boost conversion rates; it also shapes shopping behavior by building trust and encouraging more purchases.

Arjun S., Growth Strategist at Webline India, summed it up: “Social commerce, especially when paired with influencer partnerships, shortens the buyer journey by moving customers from discovery to checkout on the same platform.”

And it makes sense. 

When people see someone they relate to using a product, their brain fires a familiarity response that signals safety and belonging. 

That’s the quiet power of social proof: it bypasses skepticism by replacing marketing with mirroring. And when you bypass the skepticism phase… You shorten your sales cycle.  

BlueTuskr Insight:

Consumers crave validation from their social group more than persuasion from a brand. They buy what reflects who they are, or who they want to be. That’s why campaigns built on real people, real language, and real moments often outperform polished ad creative.

Build for that instinct by:

• Turning customers into creators. Let genuine buyers tell your story.
• Ditching the polish. Raw, unfiltered clips beat perfect lighting every time.
• Talking like your audience. Use their tone, humor, and slang.
• Going small to grow big. Micro-influencers convert trust into sales.
• Joining the convo. Reply, reshare, engage. Make your feed feel human

Engagement & Investment: Social Commerce Isn’t “Nice to Have”...It’s the Core

We asked respondents: “On a scale of 1–10, how much does social commerce improve customer engagement with your brand?”

• 100 % rated 9/10 

And then we followed up with: “On a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to increase your investment in social commerce over the next 12 months?”

• 33 % scored 8/10
• 33 % scored 9/10
• 33 % scored 10/10

That averages out to a 9/10 confidence level; a clear sign that operators see social platforms not as side channels but as engines for customer loyalty, online sales, and the delivery of both products and services directly to consumers.

BlueTuskr Insight…

Clearly, social commerce isn’t going anywhere; brands just need a more strategic way to optimize it.

If we can sum up social commerce in one sentence, it’s this: Stop optimizing your social media for likes…optimize for checkout velocity. 

Treat every scroll as a potential conversion. Social commerce is a powerful way to build relationships with your audience through ongoing engagement and personalized experiences.

To start doing this:

• Wire up storefronts: Enable Instagram Shops, TikTok Shop, and Pinterest Pins to sell products and services directly through your social platforms.
• Measure success like a CFO: Track add-to-cart and purchase metrics from shoppable posts, and monitor performance not just on social platforms but also on your websites.
• Close the loop: Retarget engaged viewers with email/SMS automations and loyalty offers to build relationships and encourage repeat purchases. 

And voilà…your feed becomes your funnel.

The Challenge Gap: Too Many Creators, Not Enough Conversions

When asked about the biggest challenges with influencer marketing and social commerce:

• 67% cited finding the right creators who can actually sell, not just post. 
• 33% pointed to maintaining consistent engagement across multiple social media platforms.

Influencer activity goes beyond posting. An authentic influencer creates content that connects with the brand’s audience. This ability to connect is one of the most essential pieces of the puzzle.

For brands with limited budgets, selecting the right influencers or narrowing campaign scope is the first thing they need to nail down. Niching down helps you maximize your ROI without overspending. 

Shane Barker captured it perfectly: “Our biggest challenge is finding creators who can truly drive conversions, not just vanity metrics. The process still requires a lot of hands-on testing to get it right.”

External data backs him up. Brands pivoting from macro to micro and nano influencers see a47% lift in engagement. The reason is simple: better audience fit.

BlueTuskr Insight…

The creator economy isn’t about follower count; it’s about fit. Choose creators who speak your customers’ language, not just your brand’s tagline. 

First, you’ll want to look for real engagement over polish: comments with names, questions, and inside jokes signal genuine connection…parasocial proof that sells. Next, scan feeds for commerce signals like “I bought” or “code worked” (past conversions predict future ones). 

Most of all, when it comes to partnerships, reward conversion, not clout. 

Blend flat fees with performance bonuses, give creators freedom to speak authentically, and secure rights to repurpose top-performing content. Track the metrics that matter: saves, shares, DMs. The right influencer doesn’t feel like an ad; they feel like a friend, and that’s why people buy.

How Do I Measure Success in Social Commerce?

To understand success, you first have to understand key performance indicators such as website traffic, conversion rates, and total sales. While likes are great for brand awareness, when it comes to the bottom line, you’ll want to see actual conversions.

Although it sounds like a lot of tracking, most social media platforms now offer robust analytical tools. By leveraging this data, e-commerce brands can pinpoint which posts or promotions are converting followers into paying customers, and which need refining. 

The most innovative e-commerce companies treat measurement as an ongoing process, using data to guide every decision (from content creation to influencer partnerships). By focusing on the right KPIs, businesses can ensure their social commerce initiatives are not just generating buzz but delivering real, measurable success.

BlueTuskr’s Take: New Audiences, New Commerce Rules

From our vantage point, working with e-commerce brands and agencies, three moves will separate the winners from the window-shoppers:

1. Integrate, Don’t Interrupt: Build native storefronts on the social media channels your target audience already trusts.
2. Data Before Deals: Track UGC conversions and adjust influencer spend like you would ad spend.
3. Creators as Partners, Not Billboards: Reward performance, co-create content, and share insights back to creators for continuous improvement.

At BlueTuskr, we believe social commerce is no longer an extension of e-commerce; it’s the evolution of it. The brands that connect influence with infrastructure will own the next era of digital marketing.

The rest will still be chasing likes while others are counting checkouts.

What’s Next

If you want to stay ahead in the social commerce wave, don’t just scroll; strategize. 

Tune into The E-Comm Show, where we dive into the real stories behind the brands turning followers into paying customers through social platforms, influencer partnerships, and content that converts.

And when you’re ready to take your social selling from “posting” to profit-driving, our team at BlueTuskr can help you build a connected digital strategy, from influencer campaign management and paid social optimization to UGC integration, email marketing, and CRO.

Because in 2025, the brands that win aren’t just visible, they’re shoppable. Let’s make every post, partnership, and piece of content move the needle on real sales.