Retail social commerce sales in China will grow to $242.41 billion (RMB1.675 trillion) this year, accounting for 11.6% of total retail ecommerce sales in the country, according to our latest estimates.

Just over 26% of US Instagram users took to the platform for social commerce purchases in 2020. That share will rise to about 30% in 2022 but then stagnate as social commerce use reaches a saturation point. More like this:. Report: US Social Media Usage 2021. Article: Shopify makes its buy button available to all Facebook and Google merchants.

Retailers across Western Europe are pioneering the use of AI to boost digital sales, and new options for delivery and returns are emerging. Yet Europe’s main markets have been slow to embrace social commerce.

Investment in social advertising is likely growing due to an uptick in social commerce adoption among consumers. According to CivicScience’s trend adoption tracker, the percentage of internet users who had bought a product directly through social media channels grew each quarter between Q4 2018 and Q3 2019, rising from 13% to 21%.

China is the largest digital market in the world, leading all countries in terms of ecommerce, mcommerce and social commerce. It’s also home to many of the largest ecommerce conglomerates, including Alibaba and JD.com, who are generating sales at a scale that far exceeds that of companies in the US—including Amazon.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand Cuts Clothing has grown a lot since it first launched in 2016 on Kickstarter. “Since day one, we have been focused on making premium minimalist shirts for the modern man,” said Steven Borrelli, CEO and co-founder of Cuts.

In our recent report, “Social Media Update Q2 2020,” we explore some of the latest developments in the social commerce space, including the May 2020 launch of Facebook Shops. Facebook Shops allows businesses to set up free online storefronts on Facebook and Instagram.

Other channels like mcommerce and social commerce have also captured consumer attention. For example, 37% of US adults in the Salesforce survey said they were more interested in mobile app shopping than they were last year, and 22% said the same about shopping via social media.

Business Insider Intelligence research analyst Daniel Keyes and eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Andrew Lipsman discuss what shopping will look like next year: How quickly shoppers will return to stores, which brick-and-mortar stores will be left, and what the most popular payment methods will be. They then talk about consumers losing patience with Peloton, what shoppers want from returns experiences, and Facebook's new live in-app shopping feature.

The percentage of regular social commerce buyers nearly doubled during that same period, from 5% to 9%. A September holiday survey from Smartly.io found that 37% of respondents had purchased holiday gifts from seeing a social media ad, and 30% expected to do so this holiday season.

On today's episode, we discuss sustainable shopping: the "circular economy" leading to the popularity of recommerce, social media playing a role in secondhand selling, and how smaller retailers can benefit from the pandemic-fueled local shopping trend. Tune in to the discussion as eMarketer principal analyst Bill Fisher hosts principal analyst Karin von Abrams and research director at Insider Intelligence Matteo Ceurvels.

In this On-Demand Meet the Analyst Webinar, our analyst dove into our latest US social commerce forecasts, and the areas poised for growth.

When social buying in China will boom

Live streaming commerce—a form of online shopping that is interactive and takes place in real time—is creating new and innovative ways for brands and retailers to connect with consumers. The format has gained wide popularity in China particularly.

There is evidence to suggest that social commerce is taking hold in other parts of the region, too. In an August 2020 study by ChannelAdvisor and Dynata, 20% of UK adults who shopped digitally said that since the start of the pandemic, they had purchased a product after seeing an Instagram post or ad for it, up from 17% in May 2020.