83% of retailers say social commerce is UK’s fastest growing sales channel

Social commerce is becoming crucial to the growth strategy of UK retailers across the board, as 85% say it is the fastest growing sales channel.

That’s according to new research under the title of ‘The Power of Social Commerce – Retail Economics and TikTok Shop’, carried out by Savanta on behalf of delivery management platform Scurri, which surveyed 123 UK retailers including enterprise and mid-market businesses.

The UK’s social commerce industry is predicted to more than double in the next four years, rising from £7.4 billion to almost £16 billion by 2028 - representing 10% of the total online commerce market, up from 6% in 2024, and growing at four times the rate of overall e-commerce sales.

Other findings in the survey include 86% of British retail brands believe social commerce is "democratising the retail landscape" and "levelling the playing field", by allowing mid-market businesses to compete against enterprise level companies and achieve commercial success regardless of size and resource.

What’s more, the research suggests that larger businesses are increasingly learning from the strategies of founder-led and SME brands that are delivering social commerce success, with 50% of enterprise retailers agreeing that social commerce is no longer an optional feature but a key driver of growth.

When asked which channels will drive strategic growth opportunities over the next 24 months, mid-market brands identified YouTube (55%), Instagram (54%), TikTok Shop (54%), while enterprise retailers focused on Facebook (57%), Instagram (48%) and TikTok Shop (48%) as they look ahead to 2027.

The research also reveals that mid-market brands are more active than enterprise businesses in terms of shopper engagement activities on social commerce, including activation of paid partnerships (42% vs 29%), brand customer content (48% vs 39%) and live shopping events (46% vs 24%).

In contrast, enterprise level respondents were more prevalent in activating partnerships with macro influencers (32% vs 21%) and lifestyle influencers (47% vs 37%).

Regardless of business size, the majority (89%) of retailers agree post-purchase experience is crucial to building consumer trust with consumers who have very high expectations for delivery speed, tracking and returns when purchasing via social commerce.

Rory O’Connor, founder and CEO of Scurri, said: "To meet the demands of platforms like TikTok Shop, UK retailers of any size must partner with approved delivery services that meet the platform’s standards for timely and secure deliveries.

"Using delivery management software to streamline operations between multiple partners allows retailers to scale efficiently and ensure timely deliveries, reducing the risk of delays and customer dissatisfaction.

"Regardless of which social platform they sell on, retailers’ delivery partners also need to integrate seamlessly with other fulfilment tech infrastructures, such as warehouse management (WMS) or order management solutions (OMS), to optimise processes, uphold delivery experience and create the compelling post-purchase journeys social shoppers expect."