Carolina Abaunza Moreno In today’s digital landscape, social media platforms have evolved from mere engagement hubs to fully integrated shopping ecosystems. Consumers no longer need to leave the app to make a purchase; they can discover, research and buy products right from their feeds. This transformation is driven not only by organic interactions but also by paid social shopping — a key strategy for brands looking to turn “likes” into “buys.”
What is social shopping?
Social shopping is the fusion of ecommerce and social media platforms, allowing users to shop directly through their feeds. Popular platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook now offer shoppable ads and posts, where brands can promote products and enable quick purchasing actions. Unlike traditional ecommerce, where consumers must actively seek out products, social shopping makes the discovery process feel more natural, woven into users’ daily interactions on these platforms.
Paid social shopping takes this a step further by leveraging targeted ads and influencer partnerships to increase visibility, boost engagement and drive conversions. For brands, the combination of paid and organic strategies amplifies their reach and turns passive scrollers into active buyers.
The role of paid social in turning likes into buys
While organic social content is crucial for building an engaged community, paid social ads have become indispensable in the social shopping ecosystem. These ads appear natively within a user’s feed, often indistinguishable from regular posts, but are highly targeted based on user interests, behaviours and demographics.
Here’s how paid social shopping plays a critical role in converting engagement into sales:
- Targeted product ads: Paid ads on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are designed to appear in users’ feeds based on their browsing history, past purchases, or interests. By leveraging precise targeting options, brands can ensure their products are shown to the right audience at the right time.
- Shoppable ads: Many platforms offer direct shopping options, where users can click on an ad and purchase the product without leaving the app. For instance, Facebook and Instagram offer Shoppable ads, where brands can tag products within posts or stories and users can click to buy instantly.
- Dynamic product ads: Using tools like Facebook Dynamic Ads, brands can retarget users with personalised ads that feature products they’ve shown interest in. These ads help reignite consumer interest and encourage them to complete their purchase.
- Influencer partnerships with paid boosting: Brands often collaborate with influencers to create authentic content also known as user-generated content (UGC). To maximise reach and visibility, brands can then boost these influencer posts as paid social ads. This combination of organic influencer content and paid promotion ensures that the content reaches a wider audience and drives conversions.
- Retargeting & lookalike audiences: Paid social allows brands to retarget users who may have engaged with their products but haven’t yet made a purchase. By showing these users relevant ads, brands can nudge them to complete their transactions. Additionally, platforms offer lookalike audiences, allowing brands to target new users with similar traits to their existing customers, expanding their potential customer base.
Brands leveraging paid social shopping
Social shopping has become a powerful tool for brands to reach their target audiences, engage potential customers and drive sales. By using platform-specific features like dynamic retargeting, influencer partnerships and shoppable ads, brands can create seamless paths from discovery to purchase. Below are some leading examples of companies that have effectively integrated paid social shopping into their strategies, turning engagement into conversions.
1. Glossier – Paid social ads on Instagram and Facebook
Glossier, the beauty brand known for its minimalist products and strong community engagement, has effectively used paid social shopping, particularly through Instagram and Facebook ads, to amplify its reach and drive sales.
Tactics
- Shoppable ads on Instagram: Glossier uses Instagram’s shoppable posts and stories ads, which feature their popular products like the Boy Brow and Cloud Paint. These ads appear seamlessly in users’ feeds and stories, often featuring minimal, aesthetically pleasing imagery. Each ad includes product tags that allow users to shop directly from the post or story
- Facebook dynamic ads: Glossier also employs dynamic ads on Facebook, which retarget users who have previously visited their site or viewed products. These personalised ads showcase the exact products users engaged with, along with similar recommendations based on their browsing behaviour
Source: Glossier – Facebook Ads Library
Source: Glossier – Instagram Feed
Results
- Increased conversions: By combining shoppable ads with precise audience targeting, Glossier has been able to efficiently turn product discovery into direct sales, especially from users who may have hesitated to purchase initially. Dynamic retargeting on Facebook helps recover lost sales by reminding users of the products they were interested in
Gymshark – Dynamic ads for personalised retargeting
Gymshark, a fitness apparel brand, excels at using dynamic retargeting ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These ads display products that users previously viewed or added to their cart but didn’t purchase, showing personalised recommendations based on browsing history.
Tactic
- Retarget users with dynamic product ads, encouraging them to return and complete their purchase
Source: Confect
Result
- This strategy drives conversions by reminding potential customers of the products they are interested in, helping Gymshark recover abandoned carts and increasing sales
Fenty Beauty – Influencer-driven ads on Instagram
Fenty Beauty, Rihanna’s cosmetics brand, is known for its successful use of influencer partnerships and paid social ads. By partnering with influencers who create authentic content, Fenty Beauty enhances brand trust. The brand then boosts these influencer posts to reach wider audiences, turning organic content into a powerful paid social shopping tool.
Tactic
- Using Instagram shoppable ads in collaboration with influencers, Fenty Beauty makes it easy for followers to shop their products directly from posts and stories
Source: Fenty Beauty Instagram Feed
Source: Fenty Beauty – Facebook Ads Library
Result
- Fenty Beauty has created a high-converting ecosystem where users feel connected to influencers and can shop seamlessly from within the app
Adidas – Multi-platform paid social shopping strategy
Adidas uses paid social ads across multiple platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, to promote new product launches. Their ads often feature high-quality, eye-catching visuals with direct “Shop Now” links. Adidas also leverages TikTok’s paid ad features to create engaging content, such as fitness challenges, which users can participate in, further amplifying their reach.
Tactic
- Promoting limited-edition product drops and collaborations through Instagram’s shoppable ads and TikTok’s branded content
Source: Adidas Original – Facebook Ads Library
Source: Adidas – TikTok Ads Library
Result
- Adidas generates excitement around new releases and drives immediate conversions through strategic use of paid social shopping
Charlotte Tilbury – TikTok Shopping
Charlotte Tilbury, a luxury cosmetics brand, has successfully harnessed the power of TikTok for paid social shopping through engaging content and targeted advertising.
Tactics
- Branded hashtag challenges: Charlotte Tilbury launched the #TilburyEffect challenge, encouraging users to create makeup looks using their products. They partnered with influencers to kick off the challenge, showcasing their products in action
- Shoppable ads: The brand utilised TikTok’s In-Feed Ads, which appear as native videos in users’ feeds. These ads featured popular makeup tutorials using Charlotte Tilbury products, complete with a “Shop Now” button that directs viewers to purchase directly from their website
- Collaboration with influencers: By collaborating with beauty influencers, Charlotte Tilbury amplified their reach and engaged a wider audience. Influencers would demonstrate how to use their products in creative ways, driving both engagement and sales
Source: TikTok Ads Library
Results
- The combination of engaging user-generated content and strategic paid advertising led to increased brand visibility and significant sales growth
- The #TilburyEffect challenge went viral, generating authentic content from users and boosting conversions through the direct links in their ads. This approach highlights how brands can effectively leverage TikTok’s unique features for paid social shopping, turning engagement into direct sales
The power of paid social ads in social shopping
Paid social ads are essential in guiding users from the awareness phase to conversion. Here’s why they’re so effective:
- Precision targeting: Brands can target highly specific audiences based on interests, past behaviours and even lookalike traits, ensuring their ads reach the right people
- Seamless integration: Shoppable ads appear naturally within the user’s feed, making the purchase process intuitive and frictionless
- Data-driven insights: Paid social platforms offer deep insights into ad performance, allowing brands to optimise their campaigns in real-time, increasing ROI
The future of paid social shopping
The future of paid social shopping is poised for rapid evolution as social platforms continue to enhance ecommerce capabilities. With the rise of AI-driven personalisation, brands will be able to deliver even more tailored ads, creating hyper-targeted experiences that feel bespoke for each user. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual try-ons are expected to become standard, allowing users to interact with products in more immersive ways before purchasing directly through the app.
Additionally, live shopping events will likely gain popularity, blending real-time engagement with seamless purchasing opportunities. As privacy regulations evolve, platforms will also need to balance personalisation with user consent. Still, the trend towards social commerce is clear: paid social shopping will become an even more integral part of how consumers discover and buy products online. Brands that stay ahead of these innovations will be best positioned to capture the next generation of shoppers.
By combining paid social ads with organic strategies, brands can create an effective funnel where users move seamlessly from discovery to purchase. The ability to target specific audiences, retarget potential customers, and showcase shoppable content in a visually engaging format makes paid social a powerful tool in the social shopping landscape.
If you’re ready to take your social shopping strategy to the next level, Passion Digital is here to help. Our team of experts can craft a customised paid social strategy tailored to your brand’s goals, ensuring you reach your audience and drive meaningful results. Get in touch with us today to start boosting your social commerce efforts!