Amazon pillows.
Korean moisturizer.
An acupuncture mat.
These are just a few of the objects I’ve purchased on Instagram over the past couple months – mainly because an influencer told me to.
I’m not alone. Today’s shopper doesn’t head to the mall when she’s bored; she opens her phone.
In fact, according to HubSpot’s 2024 Consumer Trends survey, 25% of social media users have bought a product from directly within a social media app in the past three months.
As Adam Ortman, Founder and President of Kinetic319, puts it, “Each scroll and swipe is a potential opportunity, offering a dopamine-driven delight that our brains are hardwired to chase.”
Here, let’s jump into the psychology behind why social shopping is rising steadily in popularity in 2024.