Subject areaChannels and tools
Social commerce is buying that happens inside a social network, without leaving the app: a product is discovered in a post, a video or a friend's recommendation, and bought right there.
The expression was introduced by Yahoo! in 2005 for its services in which users recommended products to other users; the model gained strength with Instagram Shopping (2018) and with TikTok Shop, which reached the European Union in 2024.
For marketing it moves the centre of the purchase from the company's site to the conversation between people: trust comes from the community before the brand, and measurement counts the sales generated by content, beyond visits.
An example
A natural cosmetics manufacturer works with a content creator who shows her routine in a video. The product can be bought with one tap under the video, and most of the month's orders come from there.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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