A new survey report from Clutch reveals a striking disconnect in the digital buyer journey: 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.

This gap highlights tension between brand visibility and conversion, prompting marketers to rethink how social media fits into the sales funnel.

“Marketers are doing the hard part by earning attention and trust, but there’s still friction at the final step,” said Anna Peck, who oversees marketing content at Clutch. “Social platforms are powerful for building brand awareness, but their path to purchase isn’t always seamless.”

Where Consumers Scroll, and Buy

Facebook and YouTube are the most-used 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, consumers most often turn to Facebook (59%) and TikTok (53%), favoring native shopping features and seamless in-app checkouts.

The Role of Content: Blending Authenticity with Paid Reach

Consumers respond to authentic content to build trust, but brands need scale to drive purchases.

“Brands see the strongest results when they boost top-performing organic posts or creator content as ads, keeping social proof intact,” said Peck. “Organic drives results, but more gradually. Paid delivers faster and at scale once the creative clicks.”

To succeed in social commerce, brands must go beyond visibility by crafting platform-specific content, reinforcing trust at every stage, and removing friction from discovery to checkout. The full report is available on Clutch.

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