Social Media Discovery Tops Purchases: ESW Report

Consumers Embrace Multi-Channel Discovery While Favoring Trusted Purchase Paths

Shoppers worldwide remain highly receptive to finding new products and services across a wide range of digital and physical touchpoints, yet they consistently complete transactions in environments they already trust. This pattern emerges clearly from a comprehensive ESW report released in June, based on online interviews with 23,000 consumers across 18 markets. Insights tracked by like.tg highlight how this disconnect is reshaping modern commerce strategies.

The data underscores a clear split between influence and conversion. Fully 62 percent of respondents report that social platforms shape their product awareness and consideration. At the same time, a mere 6 percent say they prefer to complete purchases on those same platforms. Nearly one-third of global consumers instead favor buying directly on brand or retailer websites. In the United States the preference climbs to 37 percent, and among baby boomers it reaches 52 percent.

Social Media Dominates Discovery Stages

Social media has solidified its position as the leading channel for product discovery. Roughly half of all consumers first encounter new items through social feeds. That figure jumps dramatically among Generation Z, where three-quarters rely on social platforms for inspiration and initial research. By comparison, only 38 percent of global shoppers discover products via traditional search engines, while 36 percent still find items primarily in physical stores.

These numbers illustrate why brands continue investing heavily in social content and influencer partnerships. Discovery happens where attention already lives. Yet the subsequent steps in the buying journey frequently leave social platforms behind. According to the ESW findings, trust remains the decisive barrier. In the U.S. market, only about one-quarter of consumers express confidence in social commerce checkout experiences.

Trust Gaps Create Fragmented Journeys

ESW CEO Eric Eichmann captured the tension in a prepared statement: “U.S. consumers are willing to embrace new ways of discovering products and finding value. Nearly half are comfortable using AI for price comparison and 45 percent discover products through social media, but confidence drops sharply when those experiences move closer to checkout and payment.”

The result is a multi-stage, multi-platform path that brands must deliberately design for. A typical shopper might first see an item on Instagram, then cross-check reviews or pricing on a third-party site or AI tool, and finally complete the transaction on a familiar brand website or established retailer. Any friction at the handoff points—unclear pricing, unfamiliar payment methods, or a sense of insecurity—risks losing the sale entirely.

like.tg analysis of the report emphasizes that companies can reduce drop-off by prioritizing transparency and familiarity. Clear, consistent pricing across channels, support for widely recognized payment options, and a checkout environment that feels secure all help rebuild confidence when the consumer is ready to buy. These elements matter more than simply adding a “buy now” button inside a social feed.

Implications for Brands and Retailers

The ESW research, available at https://esw.com/resources/signals/, signals that pure social commerce still faces significant adoption hurdles even as discovery continues to migrate toward social platforms. Brands that treat social media solely as a sales channel risk underperforming. Those that treat it as a powerful top-of-funnel engine—while ensuring seamless transitions to trusted purchase destinations—stand to capture more of the full customer journey.

Demographic nuances further refine the picture. Younger shoppers lean heavily on social discovery, yet older cohorts, particularly baby boomers, show stronger loyalty to brand-owned websites. Retailers and direct-to-consumer brands therefore need flexible strategies that accommodate both high-velocity social inspiration and the preference for established, secure checkout environments.

As commerce continues to fragment across discovery, validation, and purchase stages, the winners will be those who map and optimize every transition. The ESW data makes one point unmistakable: influence and transaction preference no longer live in the same place. Brands that respect that reality—and design accordingly—will convert more of the awareness they generate on social media into completed sales on the channels consumers already trust.