The metaverse may be far away, but video is here and now on social media—and consumer usage patterns are changing fast.

Social video advertising is now capable of driving benefits throughout the funnel. Advertisers expect to prioritize a few key paid social strategies in 2022, including developing more native video ad creative, promoting creator videos as paid ads, investing more in ISR, and supporting efforts around still-emerging shopping livestreams on social platforms.

Livestreaming has become a prominent feature across the social media and digital video landscapes. Here’s how marketers are taking advantage of opportunities within the space.

Netflix is playing catchup with its younger competitors: The platform began building livestream capabilities while competitors launch completed products.

Video is a growing part of advertising on social media. Here’s how advertisers are using video ads on social platforms to drive ad performance throughout the funnel.

The “TikTok effect” on influencer marketing is palpable, but Instagram and YouTube are still highly relevant venues for creator video.

Livestreaming continues to make gradual inroads among consumers, and beauty is a leading use case. Though the US is unlikely to match China’s nearly $480 billion livestream shopping market anytime soon, nearly a fifth of respondents in our April 2022 survey reported having shopped via live video broadcast.

In 2022, China’s tech sector will continue dealing with a new regulatory climate, resulting in some new winners and a few familiar losers. Short-form video will make gains with commerce, and the metaverse will rear its head.

YouTube is the most popular platform for non-TV video content in the US, with 65% of the country’s short-form video viewers using the service to watch user-generated content, video game livestreams, and the like.

Among US social video viewers, YouTube is the most popular place to watch live content, with 52.0% tuning in on the platform. Facebook ranks as their second app of choice, used by 42.6% for live video, while Instagram and TikTok tie for third with 33.4%.

On Google’s end, that meant pushing into social commerce with features like livestream shopping on YouTube, as well as improving its Google Shopping product with visual search integration and better filtering options.

Marketer Takeaway: Livestreaming is poised to be a major driver of social commerce growth, but it’s still in its early days in the US. Brands that are ready to experiment in the livestreaming commerce space should start with a curated selection of products and remember that it’s not only about sales: Livestreaming can also be an excellent brand awareness and customer engagement tool.

Integrations related to livestreaming and social commerce. More video and interactivity. New ways for creators to make money from exclusive content and social commerce, but also the potential for more scrutiny of sponsorship disclosures. Livestreaming and Social Commerce Integrations. Stories and livestreaming are getting more complementary.

Insider Intelligence spoke with Liyia Wu, founder and CEO of ShopShops, about why livestream shopping will take off in the US.

Well into the pandemic, consumers still say they are spending more time with social media. Activities like live streaming, video chatting and gaming are drawing some of them in.