Social media is making it easier than ever to buy. But are brands forgetting why
By Dayana Collazos Ibarra · October 22, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Social media is making it easier than ever to buy. But are brands forgetting why people use it in the first place? đź‘€
I recently came across TikTok's announcement of its new AI-powered Shopping Assistant and Buy Direct checkout feature, designed to make discovering and purchasing products within the app even easier.
And it got me thinking about how much the role of social media is evolving.
I tried mapping out the different customer journeys a single social media post could trigger (see graphic below that I created with the help of AI, I actually think it looks alright đź¤) and it highlighted just how much we're asking social content to do today.
Consumers can increasingly discover, research and purchase products without ever leaving the platform.
The same piece of content can serve different purposes for different people, depending on where they are in their customer journey. But here's what I find interesting…
Just because platforms are making it easier to sell, doesn't mean every piece of content should be about selling. Far from it, if I'm honest.
A big part of what makes social media influential is the connection and escapism it provides. And as social commerce grows, I think brands need to be careful not to lose that.
Take creator-led content, for example. When creators naturally integrate products into their content and share genuine reviews/reactions, they can build trust and interest before someone even considers purchasing.
So by them adding a product link simply makes the next step easier for the viewer. But the content itself is what creates the interest in the first place.
As social commerce continues to grow, do you think brands risk becoming too sales-focused?
#PLMLinkedInChallenge Pretty Little Marketer