Over eight in ten (86%) British retail brands believe social commerce is democratising the retail landscape, levelling the playing field by allowing mid-market businesses to compete against enterprise level companies and achieve commercial success regardless of size and resource, according to the latest research from Scurri, a next-generation delivery management platform.
Original research of 100+ UK retailers reveals larger businesses are increasingly learning from the strategies of founder-led and SME brands that are delivering social commerce success, with half (50%) of enterprise retailers agreeing that social commerce is no longer an optional feature but a key driver of growth.
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 ecommerce sales.
Eighty-three percent of retailers surveyed agreed social commerce is the fastest growing sales channel in the UK. When asked which channels will drive strategic growth opportunities over the next 24 months, mid-market brands identified YouTube (55%), Instagram (54%) and TikTok Shop (54%), while enterprise retailers focused on Facebook (57%), Instagram (48%) and TikTok Shop (48%) as they look ahead to 2027.
Ninety percent of mid-market and 84% of enterprise brands recognise the need to embrace agility and experimentation to successfully implement a channel-centric commerce model – with less hierarchical businesses able to pivot more quickly and nimbly to meet fast-paced changes in consumer demand.
The research reveals 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 (32% vs 21%) and lifestyle (47% vs 37%) influencers.
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 & 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.”
