14 Best Social Commerce Platforms and Apps in 2026

The online shopping experience has changed. Social platforms now bring product discovery and purchase together under one platform. DHL’s 2026 E-Commerce Trends Report, based on surveys of 29,000 online shoppers across 29 countries, found that 45% buy through social media channels.

Businesses are investing heavily in the channel. DHL found that 63% sell through social platforms, and 24% of shoppers expect to browse and buy more through social media over the next five years.

This guide compares 14 of the biggest social commerce platforms and explains the trends and best practices for generating revenue from each one.

What is a social commerce platform?

A social commerce platform gives businesses tools to sell through a social channel. Customers can open a product page directly from a post, then complete the order through the platform or the brand’s online store. The social channel guides the journey from discovery to purchase.

Social commerce is a category of ecommerce, which covers every sale conducted online. The narrower term applies when a social platform facilitates the purchase journey. A sale made entirely through a standalone website falls outside that category.

Common types of social commerce platforms are:

• Social networks: Let brands sell through profiles and posts, as Instagram does.
• Visual discovery platforms: Link images to relevant product pages, like Pinterest.
• Video platforms: Add shopping to short videos and livestreams, such as TikTok.
• Messaging platforms: Let businesses recommend products and take orders through chat windows like WhatsApp.
• Community marketplaces: Center shopping around seller profiles and buyer interaction through platforms like Depop.

The 14 top social commerce platforms of 2026

Learn more about each of these social commerce platforms:

• Shop app
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Snapchat
• Twitch
• Depop
• WeChat
• WhatsApp
• Amazon Live
• Xiaohongshu
• LINE

1. Shop app

Shop is a shopping companion app created by Shopify. More than just an order tracker, the Shop app helps users find new brands, check out quickly with saved payment information, and keep track of favorite products—all in one mobile app.

The Shop app is available in countries where Shopify Payments operates. Stores must meet the Shop Merchant Guidelines before their products appear in the app.

J Balvin used Shop to link social engagement with commerce during his 2025 tour. His team promoted geo-restricted product drops through an Instagram Story and Reel. Fans completed their claims through Shop Pay using saved shipping details. 

The campaign generated orders from 7,500 fans, and 90% of orders came from new customers. It also attracted new followers to J Balvin’s Shop Store.

How to use Shop to increase sales:

• Customize your Shop Store. Eligible products are automatically listed in Shop. Merchants can edit the storefront’s branding and organize its collections. Customers can then follow the store for future updates.
• Publish shoppable posts. Businesses can tag products in an image or video. These posts can appear in a customer’s Following feed and link directly to the product.
• Add Shop Minis. Shop Minis add interactive experiences to the app. One example is shoppable video, which lets customers purchase products featured in the content. Shopify opened the Shop Minis development platform to all developers in December 2025.

Adding Shop as part of your commerce strategy helps you build stronger customer relationships, encourage repeat purchases, and keep your brand visible, especially among smartphone users looking for easy, personalized shopping experiences.

2. Instagram

Instagram has three billion monthly active users, according to Meta. Its social commerce tools connect product catalogs with content across the platform.

Eligible merchants can create a storefront on their Instagram profile and tag catalog products in content. 

Here’s how to use Instagram for social commerce:

• Pair your Shopify store with Instagram. The Facebook and Instagram by Meta sales channel syncs your Shopify catalog with Instagram Shopping. You continue managing product details through Shopify.
• Create an Instagram Shop. Approved merchants can display their catalog on their Instagram profile. Shoppers can browse individual product pages before moving to checkout.
• Tag products in posts and Stories. Product tags take shoppers from content to the relevant product page. Shopify currently limits Story product tags to image-based Stories.
• Publish shoppable Reels. Meta now lets creators attach catalog products or product links to Reels. Brands can use the format through creator partnerships.
• Host Instagram Lives. DTC beauty brand Glamnetic has used Instagram Live to demonstrate products and let customers interact with their founder in real time. Live sessions can direct interested shoppers to the brand’s Shop or tagged content.

Instagram Shopping and product tagging are available only in eligible countries. Instagram Shopping sends customers to the merchant’s Shopify checkout page. A separate Shopify-powered direct checkout on Meta is in limited release for eligible U.S. stores selling to U.S. customers.

3. Facebook

DHL surveyed 29,000 online shoppers across 29 countries for its 2026 E-Commerce Trends Report. Of those shoppers, 63% had purchased through Facebook—the highest rate among the social commerce platforms measured. 

Meta also reports that users post more than 3.5 million Marketplace listings each day in the U.S. and Canada.

A Facebook Shop is a customizable storefront attached to a business Page. Product discovery can begin in a brand’s Facebook Group or Meta ad, then continue in the Shop. Shoppers can ask questions through Messenger before moving to checkout.

Businesses can use Facebook commerce tools in three ways:

• Open a Facebook Shop. Install the Facebook and Instagram by Meta sales channel to sync your Shopify catalog with Facebook. Changes made in Shopify also update the Facebook Shop. Good American uses Facebook product listings to display items from its catalog.
• Sell through Facebook Marketplace. Create separate Marketplace listings for eligible local inventory. Marketplace availability and shipping options vary by location.
• Continue conversations in Messenger. Customers can message your Facebook Page about products. Staff can answer questions and direct each customer to the relevant listing.

Checkout availability also varies. Shopify-powered direct checkout on Meta is in limited release for eligible U.S. stores selling to U.S. customers. Other shoppers are redirected to the merchant’s online store.

4. Pinterest

Pinterest has more than 600 million monthly active users. People use the platform to find ideas and save them as Pins. Product Pins add shopping information such as price and availability.

Feasting at Home founder Sylvia Fountaine says, “I think that any retailer who relies on visual storytelling can benefit from Pinterest, as the products become aspirational for shoppers who pin your posts to their boards. There is simply better curation here than on Instagram, which is pivoting to social commerce but feels slow and clunky.

“Pinterest feels more like a gallery that can be shared, which allows us to feature multiple products on curated boards. Niching down at its finest!”

Here’s how your ecommerce business can use Pinterest: 

• Connect your Shopify catalog. Install the Pinterest for Shopify app to sync your product feed and create Product Pins. The app also installs the Pinterest Tag and Conversions API. Pinterest reported in June 2026 that advertisers using both tools saw 23.7% more attributed conversions than advertisers using the Tag alone. Purchases are completed on the retailer’s website. App availability varies by country.
• Join the Verified Merchant Program. Merchants that meet Pinterest’s requirements receive a blue checkmark on their profile and Pins. The program is available only ineligible countries. Merchant details are currently limited to U.S. business accounts.
• Feature Product Pins on public boards. Pinterest distributes Product Pins across the platform. Save them to a public board to display them on your profile. Product Pins created through Catalogs can also be promoted as shopping ads.

5. TikTok

More than one billion people use TikTok globally. The platform accounts for 18.2% of U.S. social commerce sales. TikTok Shop reported in May 2026 that two-thirds of its U.S. users had discovered a new brand on the platform, and more than 57% bought from that brand within days.

Short-form video and creator recommendations drive product discovery on TikTok Shop, especially among its younger audience. That sales model demands a steady flow of product content from enterprise brands and a defined creator workflow. For example, creator videos need approval before they run as Shop Ads.

Danielle Peplinski, cofounder of Glow Fashion Boutique, explains their success on the platform. “Since 2021, TikTok has been the best social commerce platform for our business. Prior to TikTok, we used Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and worked with two agencies on ad placement, with very limited sales conversions. With a few viral videos we were able to grow our community significantly in a year.

“With one viral video related to our business concept of creating a capsule wardrobe, we had our first ever $20,000 month. As a small business in the competitive apparel space, that was exciting and helped us see the potential, for the first time, in social commerce.”

TikTok Shop gives businesses three ways to sell through content:

• Tag TikTok Shop products. The TikTok app for Shopify syncs products and keeps TikTok Shop orders in Shopify admin. Sellers can tag those products in videos and LIVE broadcasts. Checkout takes place inside TikTok Shop. Availability is limited to eligible markets.
• Host TikTok Shop LIVEs. Sellers can tag products during a broadcast so viewers can purchase them in the app. During TikTok Shop’s June 2026 6.6 sale in Singapore, livestream GMV doubled year over year.
• Partner with creators. TikTok One’s Creator Marketplace now provides creator search and campaign management. TikTok Shop sellers can set up commission-based affiliate collaborations in Seller Center. Approved creator videos can then run as Shop Ads.

6. YouTube 

Nielsen measured YouTube at 13.8% of U.S. TV viewing in May 2026—the largest share among media distributors. YouTube Shorts now average 200 billion daily views, and more than 500,000 creators participate in YouTube Shopping.

Brands and creators can add products to videos through the following tools:

• Sync YouTube with Shopify. Connect Shopify’s Google & YouTube sales channel to sync selected products. They can appear on video watch pages and during livestreams. Eligible U.S. merchants can offer checkout inside YouTube. In other markets, shoppers complete their purchase on the merchant’s website.
• Partner with creators. YouTube’s creator partnerships hub helps brands find creators and manage campaigns. Google’s February 2026 data found that viewers who watched an organic brand video were five times more likely to make a purchase. Brands can also promote creator videos with tagged products through Affiliate Partnerships Boost, although access remains limited.
• Host shoppable livestreams. Eligible creators can tag and pin products during a livestream. Viewers can open the Shopping panel without leaving the stream. Product tags appear only in eligible countries where the merchant offers delivery.
• Use automatic product tags. Eligible affiliate creators can enable automatic product tagging. YouTube identifies featured products and marks where they appear in a video. Shorts can display the tagged item as a product sticker. Basic auto-tagging is available globally, while advanced AI detection is rolling out by country.

7. Snapchat

Snapchat began as a visual messaging app in 2011 and now gives brands two routes into commerce: camera-based AR and product ads. Snap reported 956 million global monthly active users in the first quarter of 2026, up 5% year over year.

Brands can use Snapchat’s current commerce features in three ways:

• Run branded Filters. A Snapchat Business Account lets brands run Filter campaigns across multiple locations and apply age targeting. Smart Filters can display dynamic text.
• Invest in AR Lenses. Lens Web Builder is a self-serve tool for creating interactive camera experiences. Snapchat users engaged with AR Lenses more than nine billion times per day on average in the first quarter of 2026.
• Run product ads. Collection Ads display several products in one ad and send shoppers to your Shopify store to buy. Dynamic Product Ads draw from your product catalog to show relevant items. The Snapchat Ads app for Shopify syncs the catalog and installs the Snap Pixel. Snap reported that Dynamic Product Ads revenue grew more than 30% year over year in the first quarter of 2026.

8. Twitch

Twitch is a livestreaming platform built around creators and real-time chat. Amazon, which owns the company, reported more than 105 million monthly visitors in June 2026. Nearly 70% were ages 18 to 34.

Twitch’s current commerce tools focus on sponsored streams and external store traffic. The platform doesn’t have a general retail checkout inside streams. 

Creators can use Twitch in four ways:

• Partner with creators. Twitch now places Creator Sponsorships in the Creator Dashboard. Open Invite campaigns are available to Partners and Affiliates, although each campaign sets its own eligibility and market coverage. By May 2026, Twitch said creator participation had tripled from 2025.
• Invite viewers into the campaign. Viewers can vote or send instructions through chat during a sponsored broadcast. Lacoste used this format for a chat-controlled gaming competition promoting their holiday collection in France.
• Share product links through chat commands. Streamlabs Cloudbot lets creators assign a product-page URL to a custom command such as !shop. When a viewer enters the command, the bot posts the link in chat. The viewer then completes the purchase on the retailer’s website.
• Measure sponsored streams. Amazon Ads announced Chat Sentiment Analysis and Campaign Assist in 2026. Chat Sentiment Analysis groups viewer messages by sentiment. Campaign Assist

9. Depop

Depop is a mobile-first marketplace for secondhand fashion. Their Outfits feature lets shoppers assemble looks from products listed on the platform. 

In February 2026, Depop reported seven million active buyers and roughly $1 billion in 2025 gross merchandise sales. Nearly 90% of their active buyers were under 34.

Here are four ways to sell through the platform:

• Create a Depop shop. List individual items through the app. The web Selling Hub lets sellers prepare drafts and publish them in batches. It also accepts CSV uploads for larger catalogs.
• Promote product listings. Boosted Listings gives paid placement to individual products or an entire shop. A fee applies when a shopper purchases within 28 days of seeing the promoted listing. The 2026 fee is 12% in the U.S. and UK and 8% in Australia.
• Send offers to interested shoppers. Sellers can send an offer to one shopper or everyone who’s liked an item. Offers last 14 days and only work between buyers and sellers in the same country.
• Integrate professional inventory. Depop’s Selling API lets professional sellers synchronize stock with an external inventory system. They can also manage Depop orders through the integration.

10. WeChat

Weixin is the mainland China version of WeChat and the main commerce opportunity for brands targeting Chinese consumers. Tencent reported 1.432 billion combined monthly active users across Weixin and WeChat at the end of March 2026. 

Weixin Mini Programs, which are apps inside the platform, reach more than 1.1 billion monthly users. Businesses use them to offer shopping, booking, payments, and other services. 

Here are a few ways to use WeChat for your store:

• Build a Mini Program storefront. Mini Programs let customers shop and pay without downloading another app. 
• Open a Weixin Mini Shop. Businesses can sell products within the Weixin ecosystem. Tencent reported rapid year-over-year growth in Mini Shops GMV in the first quarter of 2026. Recent additions include brand incentives and coupons that customers can share.
• Accept local payments. TenPay Global Checkout lets overseas Mini Program merchants accept local payment methods. The rollout began in Singapore and Macao, so availability remains market-specific.

11. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the largest messaging platform in the world with more than three billion users. Their commerce tools place product discovery and customer support inside the same conversation.

The WhatsApp Business app is designed for small operations and The Business Platform gives larger brands access to programmatic messaging and automation. 

Here are the main ways to sell through WhatsApp:

• Create a business profile and catalog. The WhatsApp Business app lets sellers display products in collections. Customers can add items to a cart and send the order to the business as a message.
• Use Meta Business Agent. The AI agent can answer product questions and make recommendations from your catalog. A person can take over the conversation when needed. Access is limited to eligible businesses in select markets. Meta’s enterprise agent platform can also connect with Shopify.
• Bring shoppers into the chat. Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram send customers directly into a conversation. Ads in WhatsApp Status and promoted Channels are still listed as coming soon, with availability varying by region.
• Collect payment in WhatsApp. In-chat payment options depend on the customer’s market. In India, for example, eligible small businesses can share payment QR codes inside WhatsApp.

12. Amazon Live

Amazon Live lets brands livestream product content with Amazon checkout. It’s available to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, and access varies across Amazon marketplaces.

Amazon reported that customers exposed to a 2025 GE Amazon Live campaign recorded a 2.5 times higher purchase rate than customers who saw the campaign’s other ads.

Brands can use Amazon Live in three ways:

• Demonstrate products. Hosts can show how a product works and answer questions during the broadcast. Viewers can browse tagged Amazon listings while watching.
• Work with Amazon creators. Creator-led broadcasts place products in front of an established audience. Every tagged product needs an active Amazon listing, and checkout takes place through Amazon.
• Measure and remarket. Amazon added Live impressions, views, and clicks to Amazon Marketing Cloud in 2025. Advertisers can study viewer behavior and build remarketing audiences. The feature launched through a U.S. beta, so brands need to confirm access in their account.

13. Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)

Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote or Little Red Book, merges lifestyle content with in-app commerce. Customers discover products through posts and livestreams, then purchase through Xiaohongshu stores. Eligibility depends on the business entity and product category. 

Brands can reach shoppers in mainland China through four tools:

• Open a Xiaohongshu store. Merchants can apply through the platform’s official ecommerce portal. Approved sellers can attach products to posts and livestreams. Verification requirements and deposits vary by category.
• Publish shoppable Notes. Notes are Xiaohongshu’s standard content format. Merchants can attach a product to a Note so customers can move from the content to its listing. 
• Partner with creators. Xiaohongshu’s PGY platform connects brands with approved creators for sponsored posts and live commerce campaigns.
• Host livestreams. Businesses can manage product-led broadcasts through Xiaohongshu Qianfan. Viewers can open featured product listings during the stream and purchase within the platform.

14. LINE

LINE began as a messaging app in Japan. Businesses now use Official Accounts to reach customers and LINE MINI Apps to sell inside the platform. LY Corporation reported 100 million monthly active users as of December 31, 2025. 

LINE’s commerce presence is strongest in Japan. Availability and pricing vary by country, so confirm local account and payment rules before launch.

Brands can sell through three core LINE features:

• Open a LINE Official Account. An Official Account lets businesses message followers and answer questions through one-to-one chat. Sellers can add a coupon that sends customers to a product page or store.
• Send targeted messages. In June 2026, LINE introduced a new CRM option in Japan. It can trigger messages based on a customer’s previous behavior. Access begins at ¥5,000 per month, according to LY Corporation’s first-quarter earnings report.
• Launch a LINE MINI App. A LINE MINI App is a web app that runs inside LINE. It can contain product pages and payment flows. Customers can open it from an Official Account or share it in a chat.

LY Corporation has also announced a summer 2026 rollout for LINE Official Account AI Mode. The feature is designed to answer questions and complete purchases inside chat. Availability remains limited during the rollout.

Benefits of social commerce

U.S. retail social commerce sales will exceed $100 billion in 2026, according to EMARKETER. 

Recent data suggests six benefits of social commerce platforms for businesses:

• Reach Gen Z during purchase decisions. McKinsey found that 34% of Gen Z consumers consider social media important when deciding what to buy. It ranked higher than every other channel measured.
• Capture purchases during product discovery. Salsify found that 69% of consumers participate in ambient shopping. They make purchases during another activity, such as scrolling through social media. Shoppable content gives them a direct route to the product.
• Explain products through video. In Wyzowl’s 2026 survey, 85% of consumers said a video had convinced them to buy a product or service. A short demonstration can answer a key product question before checkout.
• Offer in-app checkout. NMI found that 59% of U.S. consumers consider app-based payments important. Half would choose a business that offers them. In-app checkout gives social shoppers a direct purchase route where the feature is available.
• Build trust with peer recommendations. Clutch found that 31% of consumers would purchase through social media if a peer had positively reviewed or recommended the product. Placing verified customer feedback near shoppable content helps buyers assess the purchase.
• Provide customer service through social media. Emplifi found that 67% of consumers prefer human assistance when requesting customer service on social media. Brands can answer product and order questions through a channel the customer already uses.

How to choose the best social commerce platform for your business

Base your choice of social commerce platform on the customer’s purchase path, from initial discovery through payment. Forrester says barriers to in-platform purchasing are still high in the U.S. 

Yet more than one-third of Gen Z and millennial U.S. online adults have bought directly from a creator or influencer post. Audience size alone does not determine the right platform.

Use these six criteria to decide on a social commerce platform:

• Audience: Confirm that category buyers use the platform.
• Catalog sync: Check how quickly product changes appear.
• Checkout path: Test every step from tag to payment.
• Measurement: Track orders and acquisition costs by platform.
• Governance: Make sure you can assign access, approvals, and local ownership.
• Global strategy: Verify feature availability in each market.

Shopify Growth Solutions uses first-party commerce data for targeting and attribution. Brands can publish products to social channels from Shopify and manage creator programs through Shopify Collabs.