87% of Consumers Are Open to Buying Through Social: Why Social Commerce Belongs in Your Growth Plan
Social Commerce Has Earned a Place in the Growth Plan
Social commerce has moved beyond passive discovery. 87% of consumers are open to buying through social ads or influencer posts, according to SmartCommerce's national survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers.
Consumers are not just seeing products in their feeds. They are actively weighing whether those products belong in their carts, routines, or next shopping trips. That shift matters because social is increasingly influencing the moment before a purchase path begins, not just the moment awareness starts.
How many consumers buy through social ads or influencer posts?
When asked whether they consider buying through social ads or influencer posts:
24% often do
42% sometimes do
21% rarely do
13% never do
That means 87% are open to it. For marketing leaders deciding where growth investment should go, this is the starting point: social is no longer only producing attention. It is producing buying interest.
Want the full data? Download the Shoppable Social Media guide for all eight insights and best practices.
Why buying interest does not automatically become a sale
Interest does not automatically become conversion. Social can create the moment of demand, but brands still have to connect that demand to a clear purchase path.
If a consumer has to search for the product, remember it later, find a retailer, check availability, compare reviews, or restart the journey somewhere else, the brand creates more chances for that intent to disappear. The opportunity is to make the next step immediate enough to capture interest while it is still active.
For marketing leaders, every channel has to earn its place in the budget. The question is no longer whether social can create attention. It is whether that attention can move closer to revenue.
The feed can create demand. The next action is how brands start to make that demand measurable. For many social moments, carting is one of the clearest signals that interest is moving closer to purchase.
Optimize with SmartCommerce
Harness social channels for commerce. Social is where consumers discover products, validate choices, and make buying decisions. SmartLink turns shoppable social media, paid social ads, and influencer content into connected paths to retail action. Make creator content part of a measurable retail commerce strategy now.
Activate every post with a path to purchase. SmartLink turns social ads and posts into commerce-ready experiences. Engaged consumers choose a trusted retailer, see relevant purchase options, or directly cart, depending on the campaign goal.
Measure which experiences actually convert. Use AI-driven MCP Analytics to analyze product, retailer, channel, and campaign performance in real time.
Get the full guide
This is the first of eight insights in SmartCommerce's Shoppable Social Media guide, based on a national survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers in May 2026. Download Shoppable Social Media: A Guide to Optimizing Owned and Influencer Channels for the full data and best practices.