Social Commerce: Just hype or a real revenue driver for Swiss retailers?
The integration of e-commerce functions into social media is more than just a trend; it is a change in the way we discover products. But what does the reality look like for Swiss online retailers in 2026? Is it worth the investment for you? We take a look at the current figures.
Linda Rajan
Rajan
Table of contents
What is Social Commerce?
Which platforms are suitable for you?
Benefits for online merchants
Challenges and best practices
Users spend several hours every day on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and the like. It is only logical that companies want to use these platforms to sell their goods directly to their target group. This is where Social Commerce comes in: This sales practice is intended to close the gap between inspiration (“Oh, I want that!”) and purchase (“Ordered!”).
The Online Merchant Survey 2025 shows an exciting picture here: While digital marketplaces are growing, Social Commerce in Switzerland has settled at a stable level. What does that mean for your sales strategy as an online merchant?
If you want to study the Online Merchant Survey in detail, you can download it here.
1. What is Social Commerce?
Maybe you have already heard the term, but do not know exactly what is behind it. Simply put, Social Commerce refers to the sale of products and services directly via social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook.
In contrast to classic social media marketing, where you “only” direct customers to your online shop via a link, here the shopping experience merges with social interaction.
The three core features of Social Commerce are:
In-app checkout: Customers can purchase products directly via a shop tab, clickable product tags in images and videos, or via live shopping features.
Personalisation: The platforms’ algorithms analyse user behaviour and suggest products that could suit them.
Social interaction: Purchase decisions are directly influenced by likes, comments, recommendations from friends, the community or influencers.
The role of Social Commerce in Switzerland
For a long time, Social Commerce was understood as the great “online shop killer”. The Online Merchant Survey 2025 shows, however, that Social Commerce (still) does not replace a web shop, but primarily complements it.
Development of the sales relevance of Social Commerce
Since 2022, the sales relevance of Social Commerce has consistently been around 30 percent. This means that while this channel is considered important by one third of Swiss merchants, noticeable growth has not materialised. Social Commerce is established, but its full potential has not yet been fully realised in Switzerland.
The main reason is very likely the missing platform features. Many features that make Social Commerce so successful abroad are not yet available in Switzerland. For example, the TikTok Shop has been introduced in many EU countries since the beginning of 2025, while its market entry in Switzerland has so far not taken place (as of January 2026).
In the USA and parts of Asia, the entire purchase process often takes place within the social media app (in-app checkout). In Switzerland, however, this option no longer exists, as the Instagram shop tab was discontinued in mid-2023. Today, merchants can only link their shop in the profile. Accordingly, Instagram and Facebook are used primarily by Swiss merchants as a digital shop window: inspiration is created on social media, while the purchase completion and payment then take place in your online shop.
This does not make Social Commerce any less valuable; it only changes its role. Instead of acting as a direct sales channel, in Switzerland it primarily serves as a powerful marketing and inspiration tool to boost your sales in the online shop.
2. Which platforms are suitable for you?
Each platform offers you different tools to showcase your products. Here you get an overview of the possibilities (as of December 2025):
Linking the shop in the profile, live shopping (limited), product catalogue (ads), shoppable posts and stories, product tagging, shop the look
Linking the shop in the profile, product catalogue (profile & ads), marketplace integration (Marketplace)
Product pins, shop the look, visual search
TikTok
TikTok Shop (regionally limited), live shopping, product links in videos
YouTube
Live shopping (limited), product links in video descriptions (often affiliate links)
Product catalogue: The digital shop window
On Facebook and Instagram (Meta), you have the option of creating a product catalogue. On Facebook, it serves as a shop window on your profile and can be used for your advertisements. On Instagram, you can only use the catalogue for the ads. The actual purchase takes place on both channels in your online shop.
Shoppable posts and product tags: The interactive price tag
On Instagram and Pinterest, you can attach small signs (tags) to your product photos. The big advantage is that your products can be linked directly on the image. When your customers click on a tag, they are immediately taken to the matching product page in your web shop.
Shop the Look: The digital fashion magazine
“Shop the Look” is similar to shoppable posts, but goes one step further: here, not just various individual items, but an entire outfit or a completely furnished room is shown. All visible items in the image are linked directly or in the caption. A click on the respective product leads directly to the shop. This function is especially popular on Pinterest.
Live shopping: Teleshopping 2.0
Do you remember the classic sales channels on TV? Live shopping works exactly the same, only more interactive. A person (e.g. an influencer or merchant) presents products in the livestream, tries them out or demonstrates them. The viewers can ask questions live and buy the shown product immediately with one click while the show is running. At the moment, this feature is fully available only in the TikTok Shop.
Product links in videos: The digital shortcut
This format is especially popular on TikTok and YouTube: Someone presents a product in a video, for example a new coffee machine. Instead of the viewers having to google the name laboriously, a link pops up directly in the video or in the description. A click on it brings the customers to the checkout or to the product page in the fastest way.
Relevance of the platforms
If you are wondering which channels you should focus on, the figures from the Online Merchant Survey 2025 can help you. In the figure below you can see which platforms the survey participants consider the most relevant from their perspective.
Instagram & Facebook
Meta’s product catalogues (Instagram and Facebook) are still the most widely used channels for Social Commerce and were perceived as the most sales-relevant.
Instagram is relevant or rather relevant for 43 percent of the surveyed merchants.
Facebook follows closely with 41 percent.
Here, features such as product tagging (tagging) in posts and stories work very well to drive traffic to your shop.
The Facebook Marketplace also stands out as a relevant platform in the survey. You can think of it as a huge digital flea market where used and new items are bought and sold (similar to eBay or Ricardo).
TikTok
A lot is said about TikTok, but its relevance for Swiss retail is (still) low. The in-app marketplace “TikTok Shop” is classified as relevant by only 9 percent of merchants. For the vast majority, the platform is therefore not yet an issue. This is probably also because features such as TikTok Shop are not yet available or established in Switzerland (as of January 2026). For you, this means: Keep an eye on TikTok, but do not stress if you have not been active there so far.
3. Benefits for online merchants
Even if revenue is not always generated directly via the platforms, Social Commerce offers benefits that you should not miss. The practice offers opportunities for brands of every size.
According to the Online Merchant Survey 2025, merchants primarily see the following points as gains:
Direct address of the target customers
59 percent of the merchants appreciate being able to reach their target group directly. Unlike a newspaper ad that all readers see, you can filter on social media with surgical precision. If you sell hand-thrown ceramics, for example, you do not show your vases to “everyone”, but specifically only to users who are interested in “interior design” and “sustainability”. Thanks to personalisation, you therefore reach exactly the people who are most likely to buy your products. This saves advertising budget and you reach your customers faster. In addition, potential customers have to click, search or wait less and therefore cancel their purchases less often. This leads to higher conversions.
Promotion of impulse purchases
54 percent of the respondents see this as the biggest lever. Social media is a place of inspiration. A user may not even be actively looking for a new coffee cup, but sees an aesthetic image in your feed and immediately thinks: “I need that!” Through the visual presentation, you awaken needs that were not there before. The emotional impulse leads directly to the purchase, before rational doubts (“Do I really need this?”) arise.
More interaction with (potential) customers
Social Commerce goes beyond the pure transaction. It enables you to build a lively community around your brand. You receive direct feedback through comments and likes (“Which color do you prefer? Blue or red?”). Customers can ask questions, exchange views among themselves and make recommendations. This closeness creates trust and binds customers to your brand in the long term. That is something an anonymous online shop usually cannot offer.
In the following graphic you will find further benefits that were mentioned by the online merchants:
4. Challenges and best practices
Challenges
As promising as Social Commerce sounds, it is not a sure thing. In day-to-day business, you will run into hurdles that you should be aware of:
Logistics and expectations
Social media is extremely fast-moving. Anyone who sees a product there and clicks spontaneously often also expects lightning-fast processing of their purchases. Your customer service and your logistics must be able to keep up with this pace. This also means that you must respond much faster to questions in comments or direct messages (DMs) than to a classic email.
The data jungle
Technical integration is often trickier than expected. Cleanly linking data from Instagram and the like with your own CRM system or online shop can quickly become complex. Without clean data management, you risk losing track of stock levels or maintaining customer data twice.
The constant battle for attention
The competition does not sleep and your customers’ feed is full. To remain visible, it is not enough to upload a product photo occasionally. You need continuously creative and authentic content that entertains and stands out. Posting once and waiting is not enough – community management costs time and resources.
“Invisible” products have a harder time
Not everything can be sold visually equally well. While fashion or decor items shine in images, “invisible” products have a harder time. Complex B2B software or abstract services are often less easy to market via purely visual channels than lifestyle products that can simply be photographed.
Best practices
Authenticity always wins:
Glossy advertising photos are often ignored. Instead, use User-Generated Content (UGC), i.e. photos and videos made by your real customers. If you work with influencers, make sure they really fit your brand and are credible.
Optimise the mobile experience:
Forget the desktop. Social Commerce takes place almost exclusively on the smartphone. Make sure that the checkout process works absolutely flawlessly and at lightning speed on the mobile phone. Nothing kills the desire to buy faster than a page that is not usable on the small screen.
