Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / Why Brands Are Embedding Social Commerce Directly into Feeds
Transcript
- Lucas: So you're scrolling through Instagram, you see a post from a brand you follow — maybe it's a lip shade or a pair of sneakers — and instead of a 'link in bio' or a swipe-up, there's just a 'Buy Now' button right there. You tap it, you pay with Apple Pay, and the whole thing happens inside the app. No redirect, no loading screen. Luna: And you never leave Instagram. That's the key. The brand keeps you in the feed, and the platform keeps you on its turf. Lucas: Exactly. That's native social commerce — in-feed checkout — and it's been quietly reshaping how brands think about the purchase funnel. By mid-2026, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even Pinterest have made this much more seamless than it was even a year ago. Luna: Yeah, and it's not just the big guys anymore. I've seen smaller d to c brands, especially in beauty and apparel, building their entire sales strategy around this. Lucas: And that's actually what I want to dig into today — why this shift matters, who it works for, and what the trade-offs are. Because it's not all upside. Luna: Before we get too deep, I want to mention something. These conversations we have every week — they take research, prep, and production time. And we keep this show ad-free by design. If you've found value in episodes like this, and you want to support that choice, you can at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep it going. Lucas: Appreciate that. And yeah, it's listener support that keeps us independent. So thank you to anyone who's contributed. Now, back to native commerce — let's talk about conversion rates. Luna: Because that's the big promise, right? Less friction means more purchases. Lucas: Exactly. A 2025 study from a major analytics firm showed that in-feed checkout improved conversion rates by an average of 20 percent compared to sending users to a mobile website. And that's not surprising — every extra step costs you customers. Luna: I remember reading that on mobile, the average checkout flow takes about 90 seconds if you have to go to a site. In-feed, it's like 15 seconds. Lucas: Right. And platforms are incentivizing this too. Instagram's algorithm, for instance, now gives preferential reach to posts that use its native checkout feature. Organic posts without it get less visibility. Luna: So brands that don't adopt it could see their organic reach drop. That's a strong nudge. Lucas: It's almost coercive. But for many brands, the trade-off is worth it. Take a beauty brand like Glossier — they were early adopters of Instagram Checkout back in 2019. They saw a 30 percent increase in revenue from social in the first year. Luna: And they also got access to rich purchase data from the platform, which they could use to retarget. But that's also the catch — you're giving up control of the customer relationship. Lucas: That's the big trade-off. When a customer buys through native checkout, the platform owns that transaction data. The brand gets aggregated insights, but not the individual email or phone number. So you can't build your own CRM list from those buyers. Luna: Unless you use a tool like Shopify's integration that passes some data back. But even then, it's not as rich as what you'd get from your own site. Lucas: Exactly. So the decision comes down to: do you want the conversion lift and algorithmic boost, or do you want to own the customer relationship? And for many d to c brands, the answer is both — they use native checkout for impulse buys and new customer acquisition, and then try to drive repeat purchases through email later. Luna: But how do you drive repeat purchases if you don't have their email? You have to rely on the platform's retargeting tools, which cost money. Lucas: Right. So it's not a free lunch. But the math can still work. Let's look at a specific example. A brand called Halfdays — they make outdoor apparel for women. They started using TikTok Shop in late 2024. Within six months, TikTok generated 40 percent of their total revenue. Luna: That's huge. And TikTok Shop is basically the same idea — you watch a video, you tap the shopping cart icon, you buy without leaving the app. Lucas: And TikTok's algorithm is even more aggressive about promoting shoppable content. They want to become the default shopping destination for Gen Z. Luna: Pinterest is doing something similar with buyable pins, though it's more about inspiration than impulse. You see a pin, you can buy the product right there. Lucas: And Pinterest has the advantage of intent — people come there to plan purchases. So the conversion rates can be even higher. A 2025 report showed that buyable pins had a conversion rate of 4.5 percent, compared to 2 percent for standard e-commerce. Luna: So the data is pretty compelling. But what about the brand experience? I've heard complaints that native checkout feels impersonal — you don't get a branded thank-you page or post-purchase upsell. Lucas: That's a real downside. You lose the ability to upsell or cross-sell in the checkout flow. On your own site, you can show 'customers also bought' or offer a discount for adding one more item. In native checkout, it's just one item, one price, one click. Luna: So it's better for single-item purchases, not for building a larger basket. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why some brands use native checkout as a top of funnel tool, and then try to move customers to their own site for repeat purchases. But moving them is hard because you don't have their contact info. Luna: Unless you offer an incentive — like a discount on their next purchase if they sign up for your email list after the transaction. But that's an extra step. Lucas: And it breaks the frictionless promise. So it's a tension that hasn't been fully resolved. But I think the trend is clear: more brands are going all-in on native commerce. According to a recent survey by a marketing consultancy, 60 percent of brands now use at least one platform's native checkout, up from 35 percent two years ago. Luna: And I imagine that number will keep climbing as platforms add more features. Like Instagram just launched a bundle option where you can buy multiple items from the same brand in one checkout. Lucas: That's a big improvement. It addresses the basket size issue. And TikTok is testing live shopping with native checkout — so you can buy during a livestream without leaving the app. Luna: So the line between content and commerce is almost gone. Every post can be a storefront. Lucas: And for marketers, that means rethinking the entire funnel. You're not just driving traffic to a site — you're closing the sale right there in the feed. The creative needs to be both engaging and transactional. Luna: Which is a different skill set. You can't just slap a product photo and a buy button. The content has to build desire in the first few seconds. Lucas: Right. And that's why we're seeing brands invest more in short-form video that demonstrates the product in use, rather than static images. The platforms reward that format anyway, so it aligns. Luna: So if I'm a small brand thinking about this, what's your advice? Start with one platform? Or try them all? Lucas: I'd say start with the platform where your audience already spends time. If you're targeting Gen Z, TikTok Shop is probably the best bet. If it's millennial women, Instagram Checkout. And then test — run a small campaign with native checkout and compare it to your standard link-in-bio approach. Measure conversion rate and cost per acquisition. Luna: And don't forget the data trade-off. If you're a brand that relies heavily on email marketing, you might want to be more cautious. Lucas: Exactly. It's not a one-size-fits-all decision. But I think the trajectory is clear: platforms want to own the transaction, and they're willing to reward brands that play along with better reach and lower friction. Luna: So the question becomes: can you afford not to be where the customers are buying? Lucas: And that's the strategic tension. I think we'll see more brands adopt a hybrid model — native checkout for new customer acquisition, and a separate owned channel for loyalty and repeat purchases. Luna: Makes sense. It's not either-or. It's about using each channel for what it does best. Lucas: Right. And as platforms continue to refine their tools, the gap between native and owned commerce will narrow. But for now, the smart play is to experiment, measure, and adapt. Luna: Well said. And on that note, thanks for listening. If you want to help us keep the show ad-free, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. See you next time. Lucas: Take care, everyone.