40% Of Gen Z And Millennials Shop On Social Media, With Clothing Categories Being The Most Popular!

The Influencer Marketing Factory released the "Social E-Commerce Status Report" last month. Let's take a look at the development of social e-commerce!

Let’s first clarify the concept of social e-commerce. Social e-commerce refers to the process of selling products directly on social media. Consumers can complete the entire shopping process from product discovery and research to checkout without leaving the platform.

Looking at the entire market size, eMarketer predicts that total U.S. social e-commerce sales will grow by 34.8% in 2021, reaching $36.09 billion, accounting for 4.3% of total U.S. e-commerce sales.

In addition, a survey conducted by eMarketer in January showed that the number of social e-commerce buyers in the United States increased by 25.2% in 2020, reaching 80.1 million, and is expected to increase by another 12.9% to 90.4 million in 2021.

The Influencer Marketing Factory’s research on 350 U.S. Gen Z and Millennials shows that almost half (40%) of Gen Z and Millennials have purchased products they have seen before on social media apps or live broadcasts.

60% of Generation Z and Millennials have purchased products after seeing content posted by influencers, and 46% of Generation Z and Millennials said they would make at least one purchase on social media per month.

Despite the convenience of shopping on social apps, Gen Z prefers to save specific items first and then research brands and products before purchasing them. About 53% of respondents said they like to carefully research the products they buy online before purchasing.

Additionally, about 61% said they prefer the “add to cart” option for shopping on social media, while 39% still prefer redirects to third-party websites.

Among the top items purchased on social channels, clothing (41%) leads the way, followed by beauty and cosmetics products (23%), followed by technology and home products.

It is worth noting that the younger generation prefers online shopping. Sellers should also pay more attention to the social media usage preferences and consumption needs of the younger generation, such as their preference to interact with brands.

To sum up, all major social media platforms are actively promoting the development of e-commerce. The development prospects of social e-commerce are quite promising, and sellers can also pay more attention to this area.