Social Media Trends Every Retailer Should Know

In retail, many chase the next big thing—a new style, a new way to reach consumers—triggering a frantic race to adopt. But most trends fade as fast as they appear. The real game-changers are curated habits that prove they can stand the test of time. I’ve championed social commerce as the future of retail for over a decade. In hindsight, that barely scratches the surface. It’s now a deeply ingrained consumer behavior. The imperative isn’t just to adopt it, but to evolve with it—constantly and intentionally. At HSN, social commerce was core to our strategy. We pioneered the blend of shopping and entertainment. That’s the essence: finding the sweet spot where entertainment, connection, and commerce converge. Soon after, platforms like Twitch began enabling users to both game and shop in real time, blending entertainment with commerce. Fanatics has successfully leaned into this model as well, immersing fans in live experiences while showcasing gear in action, often worn by their favorite athletes and community, turning fandom into a powerful trust signal. More recently, TikTok Shop collapsed the purchase funnel into a single scroll. It's no longer discover, then buy. Now, it’s see it, want it, buy it—seamlessly, in-platform. So, as we look ahead, how do I see this "social commerce habit" evolving? Here's what I expect: 🔹 Creator Integration is Non-Negotiable. For Gen Z, in particular, TikTok Shop has become a primary discovery engine. They trust their favorite creators to genuinely try products and offer honest feedback. The more brands lean into authentic partnerships with creators, the more trust they build in this integrated shopping experience. It’s about relationship-driven commerce. 🔹 Embrace a Zero-Click World. Speed and simplicity are paramount. Consumers need to be able to see, buy, and receive as fast as humanly possible. This means minimal clicks, minimal friction, and no moments for reconsideration. It's about instant gratification and removing all barriers between desire and ownership. 🔹 Elevate Live Shopping. This is a powerful return to the personal connection and real-time interaction that defined the best of traditional retail. Shoppable videos and live sessions transform social media into a personalized shopping aisle. Imagine experts demonstrating products, showing how they fit or can be styled, all in real-time, tailored to your interests. It brings humanity back to digital retail. 🔹 Unlock the Power of Virtual Try-Ons. A longstanding hurdle in e-commerce is "try before you buy." AI-enabled virtual try-on features solves that, making online shopping more immersive and convenient. This translates directly into higher conversion rates, deeper engagement, and customers spending more valuable time interacting with your brand digitally. It’s time to stop treating social commerce like a trend. This is commerce, full stop. It’s a fundamental consumer behavior that belongs at the center of every modern retail strategy.

The only constant in this business is change. No matter how well you've done, or how much you've learned, you always have to be prepared to face something new. It’s 2025, so here are the 11 key trends I’m watching this year →  1. AI isn't coming - it's already here. Not in some far-off sci-fi way, but in practical, revenue-driving ways. The brands that don't adapt now will be playing catch-up for years. 2. The pure-play DTC model is dead. Remember when a Shopify store and Facebook ads were enough? Those days are over. Brands that survive will master the omnichannel dance - retail, marketplaces, and wholesale working together. 3. Basic subscriptions are over. The future is membership communities with real value - exclusive access, early drops, and genuine connection. 4. Retail media networks will dominate. Walmart and Amazon's ad platforms aren't just alternatives to Meta - they're becoming crucial channels with incredible targeting capabilities. 5. Real sustainability or bust. It's not about eco-friendly labels anymore - it's about supply chain transparency and genuine impact. Your customers in 2025 won't just prefer sustainable options - they'll demand them. 6. Marketplace strategy is make-or-break. Platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop offer massive volume, but they can quickly cannibalize your direct business if you're not careful. The key is using these platforms for incremental growth while maintaining strong direct relationships. 7. Creator commerce will own the funnel. Forget driving traffic to your site - creators will sell directly to their audiences wherever they are. Your biggest 2025 sales channel might not even be your website. 8. Fast beats free shipping. Customer expectations have fundamentally changed. The logistics game isn't about saving pennies anymore - it's about saving time. 9. Global is getting easier but riskier. New tools make expansion simpler, but regulatory hurdles still kill momentum if you're not prepared. The opportunity is massive, but only for brands that do their homework. 10. TikTok ads are in their golden age. The costs remind me of Facebook circa 2015. It won't last forever - the brands building presence now will have a massive advantage when prices inevitably rise. (Assuming it doesn't get banned, of course). 11. Strategic tech partnerships are crucial. The smartest brands will scale through deep SaaS integrations. Building everything in-house is a fast track to getting left behind. These aren't just trends I'm observing - they're battles we're actively fighting. The brands that win in 2025 won't just adapt to these changes - they'll help shape them.

Every year we say holiday shoppers are starting earlier. And every year they do. This year, it’s not even a joke: More than a quarter of Prime Day shoppers told us they were buying holiday gifts in July. Holiday 2025 won’t be business as usual in other ways either. I’d focus on three imperatives coming out of Tinuiti’s Holiday Shopping Trends study: 1. Redefine Value. Price still matters, but free shipping now rivals discounts as a purchase driver. Tariffs mean shoppers are looking harder at “value,” not just price tags but quality, longevity, and speed. That’s a full-business challenge, not just a marketing one. 2. Design for AI-first shopping. With more than half of shoppers using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, brand presence in AI research will shape consideration long before checkout. One way Tinuiti is helping brands: AI SEO. Shaping content and technical signals so brands get included in Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, and others. If you’re not briefing the AI agent that speaks on your behalf, you’re not in the consideration set. 3. Make Social Your Discovery Engine. Social is now the #1 product discovery channel for holiday. Inspiration is happening on TikTok, Instagram & Facebook, not just on Google or Amazon. Discovery strategy & social strategy can’t be separate anymore. And here’s the thing: it may be too late to line up big celebrity or creator influencers for holiday, but it’s not too late to get scrappy with creators who are already posting content in your space. Tinuiti helps brands identify the right creators, build authentic content with them, and amplify it so it drives discovery and sales. This is a time for being proactive & not waiting for the traditional holiday season to start. The data is clear: shoppers are starting earlier, shopping online more & using new tools to make their decisions. Are you ready to meet them there? #ecommerce #retail #holiday2025 #marketing #measurement https://lnkd.in/eAK4iHAs

If more of your store sales start on TikTok lately, you might wanna read this. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. The checkout happens in-store. But the sale happens everywhere else. Here's the reality: This year 60%+, and in 2027, 70% of retail sales will be digitally influenced. I can't emphasize this enough; here's what most brands miss—digital influence isn't just about online sales. It's about shaping every moment before the customer even walks into your store. L'Oréal cracked this code: 100M+ AR try-on sessions driving real conversions. 31 brands orchestrating seamless experiences across 72 countries. No.1 in beauty influencer marketing (29% market share), 20-80% higher conversion rates through enhanced digital experiences. The new customer journey isn't linear—it's layered: - They discover you on social - Research you through reviews and UGC - Try your product virtually through AR - Get retargeted with personalized content - Finally purchase in-store (feeling confident they're making the right choice) Every touchpoint matters, and every interaction influences the final decision. The brands winning today aren't just selling products—they're orchestrating experiences across owned, paid, and earned media that guide customers from curiosity to checkout. Digital discovery is increasingly pay-to-play and shoppers are paying attention. ++ Tactical Recommendations for CPG / FMCG Brands ++ 1. Beyond just having perfect, high SOV product pages, create discovery ecosystems. - Optimize for "zero-moment-of-truth" searches. - Activate shoppable content at scale. - Leverage user-generated content as social proof. Brands that do these see a 35% higher conversion rate from digital touchpoints to in-store purchases. 2. Connect digital engagement directly to retail execution. - Geo-target digital campaigns to drive foot traffic - Create "store-specific" digital content CPG brands using geo-targeted social ads see a 23% higher in-store sales lift in targeted markets. 3. Most important one; stop flying blind—measure digital influence on offline sales. - Implement unique promo codes for each digital touchpoint to track conversion paths. - Use customer surveys at point of purchase. - Partner with retailers on shared data insights Brands with proper attribution see 15-25% improvement in marketing ROI within 12 months. 𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 ecommert® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰,𝟲𝟬𝟬+ 𝗖𝗣𝗚, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘁® : 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. #CPG #FMCG #AI #ecommerce Procter & Gamble PepsiCo Unilever The Coca-Cola Company Nestlé Mondelēz International Kraft Heinz Ferrero Mars Colgate-Palmolive Henkel Bayer Haleon Kenvue The HEINEKEN Company Carlsberg Group Philips Samsung Electronics Panasonic North America

Retail isn’t just being disrupted. It’s being reprogrammed...by the algorithm. For decades, retail was about shelves and search. Then social platforms rewrote the playbook. Gen Z doesn’t start with Google. They start with TikTok. Thanks to interest-based algorithms of social, discovery is now a feed, not a funnel. According to Flywheel's Future of Retail Disruption Report, platforms like Douyin (TikTok’s sister app in China) are on pace to become the largest digital retailers in their markets. And TikTok Shop is already replicating that model globally with so much more to come. This isn’t just about creators. It’s about commerce embedded in content. About entertainment that converts. 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭. Here’s the shift: 📱 From search intent → algorithmic intent 📈 From shelf-based selling → content-based conversion 🎯 From attribution models → engagement ecosystems If you think retail ends at the PDP, you’re already behind. For the full report and so much more, check the link in the comments to subscribe to Retail Insights. Let me hear all your hot takes on how social platforms are changing your brand’s path to purchase. What’s working? What’s not? Who’s getting it right?👇