Survey: Only 15% of social media users make purchases on the platforms
A majority of consumers are influenced by brands’ social media content, but sales conversion on the platforms leaves a lot to be desired.
A new survey from retention marketing firm Clutch reveals that while 98% of consumers encounter products or services on social media and 78% say they’re influenced by brand content, only 15% complete purchases directly on these platforms.
Facebook and YouTube are the most-used social media platforms, with 73% visiting weekly, followed by Instagram (58%) and TikTok (39%). YouTube leads product research, with 49% using it as a visual search engine for tutorials and long-form content. For direct purchases, those surveyed by Clutch said they most often turn to Facebook (59%) and TikTok (53%), favoring native shopping features and seamless in-app checkouts.
Nearly 60% of consumers said they are concerned with security and potential scams when purchasing directly from social media platforms, implying a lack of trust. Still, more than a third (35%) of consumers will make a purchase via social media if there is a discount, and 31% will make a purchase if a product or service is positively reviewed or recommended by a peer.
After a successful social media purchasing experience, nearly two-thirds (64%) of consumers will make a repeat purchase, establishing the beginning of a trusted relationship, according to Clutch.
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“Marketers are doing the hard part by earning attention and trust, but there’s still friction at the final step,” said Anna Peck, content marketing content at Clutch. “Social platforms are powerful for building brand awareness, but their path to purchase isn’t always seamless. Brands see the strongest results when they boost top-performing organic posts or creator content as ads, keeping social proof intact. Organic drives results, but more gradually. Paid delivers faster and at scale once the creative clicks.”
For its report, Clutch surveyed 483 consumers in the United States during August 2025 about their online shopping behaviors. About 52% of respondents were female and 48% were male. Ten percent of respondents were ages 18 to 28, 40% of respondents were ages 29 to 44, and 49% of respondents were 45 and older.
