UK's Social Shopping Boom: A 32% Surge You Can't Ignore!
Social shopping in the UK has exploded by 32% since 2022, yet fewer than a third of businesses are tapping into this booming market, according to a new report.
Young adults aged 16 to 26 are leading the charge, with 68% having made purchases through social media in the past year—a whopping 40% increase from 2022, reports Adyen, a financial tech platform. For these shoppers, TikTok Shop reigns supreme, used by 71% of them, followed by Instagram at 35% and Facebook Marketplace at 25%.
Interestingly, 9% of UK social shoppers made their first purchase on these platforms in the last year. Overall, Facebook Marketplace is the go-to choice, favored by 50%, with TikTok Shop and Instagram following at 45% and 33%, respectively.
The growth isn't limited to the younger crowd. Even among those aged 59 to 77, social shopping is up by 36% since 2022, with 12% using these platforms. Facebook Marketplace dominates this age group, with 73% using it, while TikTok Shop and Instagram each attract 17%.
The study of 2,000 UK consumers revealed that social media shoppers average four purchases a month. This is slightly less frequent than their counterparts in the US and Hong Kong, who shop five and seven times a month, respectively. The average UK social shopping transaction is £117.81.
Despite the surge, almost 20% of consumers avoid social shopping due to fraud concerns. Surprisingly, only 29% of businesses currently sell via social media, but among those that do, 71% have seen revenue boosts.
Nicole Olbe from Adyen highlights the vast potential of social commerce, noting that one in ten people made their first-ever social purchase last year. She stresses the importance of seamless payment options to capture sales in this growing market, as over half of consumers will abandon a purchase if their preferred payment method isn’t available.
This rise in online shopping is putting additional pressure on high street retailers. Recent British Retail Consortium data showed a 2.3% drop in total UK shopper footfall in June, with high streets down by 3.1%.
A standout example of social commerce success is the viral beauty brand Made by Mitchell, which recently became the first UK business to generate $1 million in a single day on TikTok Shop. During TikTok Shop’s Summer Sale, a 12-hour live session from Manchester featuring exclusive discounts and new product launches saw sales of $830,000, pushing the brand past the $1 million mark in just 24 hours.
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