TikTok Shop's low prices came with shaky trust, but the budget retailer is maturing into a serious marketplace and attracting partnerships.

Social commerce has hit a turning point as creators, younger shoppers, and built-in checkout push spending higher. Growth is accelerating, but it’s uneven—favoring platforms and strategies that turn attention into action.

In 2026, commerce will thread itself even more tightly into the platforms consumers already use, whether they're watching TV, scrolling TikTok, or browsing a retailer’s site. Streamers will hunt for new revenues beyond subscriptions and ads, fashion shoppers will polarize toward luxury or low-cost, and TikTok Shop will transition from experiment to expectation. Meanwhile, creators will embed more directly into retail environments as brands seek safer, more strategic partnerships.

Creator marketing will scale in 2026 as brands chase measurable outcomes. At the same time, pressures from AI, shifting platform incentives, and rising automation will reshape how creators earn and grow.

Skims is now valued at $5 billion after raising $225 million, per The New York Times. The company plans to use the funds to open stores in international markets, grow its intimates and shapewear lines, and expand into other categories. The fundraising round cements Skims’ status as the buzziest brand in undergarments. The company is now valued at nearly twice as much as Victoria’s Secret, despite having less than one-sixth of its revenues. While Victoria’s Secret has struggled to find a middle ground between sex appeal and comfort, Skims has managed to do both—earning customers’ loyalty in the process.

From Ulta Beauty’s new marketplace to Gap’s creator platform, here’s what the eight most interesting retailers from October have been up to, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.

Shoppers will be able to buy the much-hyped Nike-Skims collaboration starting Friday, seven months after the partnership was announced. While an unusual pairing on paper, the collaboration between Nike and Skims plays to both companies’ strengths, and positions the new brand to become an athletic powerhouse. The collection’s versatility and innovation are likely to appeal to consumers who want both performance and style from their clothing—as well as those who lean more heavily toward either.

The trend: Brands are ramping up investment in women’s sports to attract diverse audiences in an underserved sector. Snapchat partnered with Togethxr, a sports media company focused on women in sports. Kim Kardashian-owned Skims partnered with League One Volleyball in a deal that will see Skims become the official sleepwear, loungewear, and intimates partner of the league. Our take: Smart, forward-thinking brands will follow in the footsteps of Snapchat and Skims, capitalizing on women’s sports as an undersaturated market with strong potential to drive action before hitting its ceiling.

The news: Skims, the shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian, is on an expansion tear as it nears $1 billion in annual sales, per Business of Fashion. The company plans to open 16 stores in the US this year, bringing its total domestic footprint to 22. Over the next nine months, Skims expects to establish itself in seven new markets—including stores in Mexico, London, and Dubai. Our take: While stores are hugely important to Skims’ growth, the company has several advantages over the rest of the D2C field. Unlike most other D2C companies, Skims doesn’t need to rely on its stores as billboards given its high-profile founder, who is also a fixture of its ad campaigns. Its partnership with Nike will give it access to an even larger audience and smooth its entry into the athleisure category—assuming production delays don’t get in the way. The launch will also considerably increase Skims’ retail presence without needing to invest in premium real estate.

Whether brands are aligning their product with comfort food, launching fragrances, or prioritizing scent in their retail spaces, marketers are embracing multisensory experiences as another way to stand out in the digital noise.

Women’s sports advertising is thriving: TV viewership is up 140%, ad spend has doubled, and in-game ads drive 40% more engagement than primetime TV.

Nike partners with Skims to launch women’s activewear brand: NikeSKIMS combines the former’s performance expertise with the latter’s form-fitting style and emphasis on inclusivity.

Social shoppers find inspiration for their purchases from many different types of content, but none more so than creator, influencer, or celebrity influencer content.

Mall foot traffic is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2023, visits to indoor shopping malls were down 5.8% from 2019 levels, an improvement from the 15.3% decrease in 2021, per Placer.ai’s The Comeback of the Mall in 2024 report.