Social Commerce and Marketplaces: more than channels, true shopping ecosystems

In recent years, marketplaces and social commerce platforms have evolved from being mere alternative channels to becoming key hubs in the consumer purchase journey. According to eMarketer, 68.1% of global digital shoppers bought products through a marketplace last year, and 30.9% made at least one purchase on social media.

This shift goes beyond convenience or price — it reflects a transformation in how consumers discover, trust, and decide to buy from brands, especially among younger audiences.

What’s driving this growth?

One of the main forces behind this trend is the convergence of marketplaces, social platforms, and media.
While marketplaces offer variety, competitive pricing, and optimized logistics (over 20% of shoppers start product searches directly on marketplaces, per eMarketer), social platforms are capturing the “discovery moment” through visual formats, user recommendations, and creator-driven content.

Meanwhile, brand trust is becoming a stronger purchase driver than price alone: in regions like China (49.4%) and India (32.1%), consumers cite trust as a decisive factor.

How is this taking shape in practice?

Social commerce is no longer limited to “shopping within a social app.” It’s evolving into integrated experiences where content, community, navigation, and purchase coexist seamlessly.
For example, a user watches a short video, interacts with it, clicks on an integrated “shop,” and completes a purchase — all without leaving the platform. In this scenario, the marketplace serves both as a discovery medium and a transaction channel.

According to eMarketer, U.S. social commerce sales could surpass $100 billion by 2026.

What does this mean for brands and advertisers?

For today’s media planners, this evolution opens new strategic opportunities:

• Incorporate marketplaces not only as sales spaces but as visibility and high-intent traffic channels.
• Reimagine social platforms as active commerce ecosystems — beyond branding or engagement, toward direct conversion.
• Fuse content, community, creativity, and data to deliver cohesive, instant experiences.
• Measure beyond the last click, attributing discovery, interaction, and cross-channel behavior to fully understand the consumer journey.

Looking ahead

The future points toward greater sophistication in social commerce: smarter recommendation systems, deeper integration among marketplaces, social media, and payments, and rapid expansion in regions like Latin America, where mobile and social app usage are high.

For brands and agencies operating in the region, the key lies in identifying these inflection points, adapting media mixes, and activating audiences with relevance, creativity, and purpose.