Key stat: 42% of US retail leaders rank social commerce, like TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping, among their top two holiday order drivers, edging out the 41% who say the same of their own ecommerce site or app, according to an August report from Narvar and eTail Insights.

Beyond the chart:

• Shoppers already check out without leaving the feed. In fact, 62% of US consumers have purchased inside social media apps, and 86% are more likely to buy from brands that respond to them on social, according to Emplifi.
• Meanwhile, social shoppers bring bigger holiday budgets. Some 58% of consumers likely to buy gifts on TikTok Shop plan to spend more this holiday than last year, compared with 35% of all US holiday shoppers, according to CivicScience.

Use this chart: Drop this into your holiday channel review to argue that social commerce deserves core-channel resources, not test budgets. Pair the 42% with CivicScience's 58% figure to show leadership why your TikTok Shop needs the same inventory, fulfillment, and returns planning as your own site.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Holiday Shopping 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• US Social Commerce Forecast 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the August 2026 Narvar Insights and eTail Insights report titled "Delivering the 2026 Holiday Shopping Season." 1,348 US shoppers were surveyed during May 2026. All respondents plan to do holiday shopping in 2026, make online purchases at least every 2-4 months, and return online purchases at least 2-3 times per year. Additionally, 100 US retailers and brand manufacturers were surveyed during the same time period.