From Scrolling to Sales: How to Win Customers on Social Media in 2025

Following on from our blog last month: Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Businesses: Turning Challenges into Opportunities in 2025, we’re now turning the spotlight to one of the biggest opportunities in retail right now and that is social commerce.

Social media isn’t just a marketing tool anymore, it’s a fully-fledged sales channel. Consumers aren’t simply scrolling, they are discovering, comparing, clicking, and buying all without leaving the app.

For retail, service, and hospitality brands, this shift in consumer behaviour opens up serious potential but only if you know how to meet customers where they are, and how they behave.

How Consumers Are Shopping on Social:

Customers aren’t going to social to look for a brands, they’re discovering new brands through content. Whether it’s a TikTok product review, an Instagram Reel from a creator, or a Facebook Marketplace listing, the customer journey often starts with what they see first, not what they search for. Trust is also peer-led People trust people. Reviews, comments, influencer posts, and user-generated content carry far more weight than polished ads.

Authenticity beats perfection. In-app shopping is normal on Instagram, TikTok Shop, and Pinterest Shopping. Platforms have all built full shopping flows directly into their ecosystems. The fewer steps it takes to buy, the higher the conversion rate.

What Does this Mean for Businesses?

Social media is now a transactional space and to ignore that is to miss out on vital sales. The challenge is no longer just being visible, it’s being shoppable, shareable, while being trusted.

Strategies to Increase Engagement and Sales on Social

Start creating for the platform and not just the brand. Each platform has its own tone, pace, and content style. What works on Instagram might not on TikTok. Brands that perform well understand the culture of each space and tailor their content accordingly. From short-form video, trending audio, behind-the-scenes clips, quick how-to’s, making content shoppable by using features like Instagram Shopping, TikTok product tags, and Pinterest buyable pins. Tag products directly in your posts and stories too.

Your aim is to turn curiosity into conversion ensuring users don’t leave the app. Try to leverage creators, not just influencers. Partner with creators who align with your brand values and actually use your products. Micro and nano influencers often drive better engagement because they feel more relatable to most people and they’re usually more cost-effective for your brand.

Engage as a human, not as a logo to comments. Join trends, and reshare user content. Remember brands build stronger communities when they act like people would face to face. Don’t simply broadcast content, join the conversation and use social as feedback for your brand. Your customers are telling you what they want every day in the comments, messages, and content they engage with, so that’s why smart brands treat social media almost like a live focus group and adjust their products, content, and offers accordingly.

Invest in paid strategically when organic reach is limited. If you know you’ve got a great piece of content that’s performing well, put some budget behind it. Paid ads should feel authentic, less like an ad, more like content.

Retail Has Moved Into the Feed

Your customers are on social platforms everyday not just to be entertained, but to be inspired, to explore, and to buy. This is where demand is being created and bricks and mortar businesses gaining more customers both offline and online.

If your business isn’t showing up in these moments with content that connects and a path to purchase that’s frictionless, you’re just going to be invisible.

Social media isn’t just part of the shopping journey anymore, for many customers, it is the the journey that leads to loyalty.

If you want to hear more about retail strategies or need help building your own? Follow our retail blog at retailinspired.org or connect with us on LinkedIn for insights, tips, and practical ideas straight from the evolving retail landscape.