Social Media Has Hijacked the Australian Shopping Journey and Brands Risk Falling Behind, Research Finds

Six in ten Australians act on products they see on social media, forcing brands to rethink discovery, trust and conversion

MELBOURNE, Australia, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Australian shopping journey has been rewritten. Social media is now driving purchase decisions at scale, fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate and buy products and forcing brands to rethink how they go to market.

New research from Pattern reveals that six in ten Australians now take action after seeing a product on social media, signalling a major shift in how retail demand is created. The research shows that 60% of Australians search for products on Google after seeing them on social media. Half of shoppers also report clicking through to a brand or retailer's website and 41% go directly to Amazon. This highlights a fundamental change, where social media is no longer just influencing demand, it's actively generating it at scale.

"Australia's social commerce market is projected to grow 20% annually to reach approximately AUD$12 billion by 2030," said Merline McGregor, Managing Director at Pattern Australia. "This highlights the scale of the opportunity and the urgency for brands to adapt or lose relevance and market share."

Influencers drive influence, but not evenly across generations

The role of social media influencers continues to grow in Australia, but their impact is highly concentrated among younger audiences. Overall, 38% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase a product if it's recommended by an influencer they follow. Among 18–24-year-olds, this rises to 62% and 61% for those aged 25–34. However, influence declines significantly with age, dropping to 20% among 55 to 64-year-olds and just 8% for those 65 and over.

"This is not just a shift in media consumption, but a shift in how trust is built. For younger consumers, influencers and social platforms are increasingly shaping what gets noticed, what is trusted and what gets bought. Brands need to adapt to this new reality. That means moving beyond one-off influencer campaigns and thinking much more seriously about how to build always-on, creator-led content strategies that drive a return," said McGregor.

Trust gap remains a barrier to full conversion

Despite its growing influence, a trust gap in social commerce remains a key barrier to full conversion for many shoppers. A significant number of Australians choose to save products discovered on social media for further research (26%), while others seek recommendations from friends or family (25%) before making a purchase.

This caution is further reinforced by the fact that 42% of consumers still prefer to complete transactions through familiar retailer channels, where established customer service and returns processes are present.

"Social media is now the engine of demand, but trust still dictates where transactions are completed. Consumers are often taking additional steps to validate what they see, whether that's researching further, seeking recommendations, or ultimately choosing to transact through more familiar retail environments. That tells us social media is driving intent, but trust is still determining where conversion happens," observed McGregor. "Brands need to bridge that gap by delivering consistent, credible experiences across every channel the consumer moves through."

The shopping journey starts on social media and converts across channels

Although social media is increasingly the starting point for product discovery, purchase behaviour remains distributed across a range of channels. When a product captures attention, more than a third of consumers are most likely to complete their purchase on a brand or retailer's website. Amazon follows closely at 28%, while 19% prefer to buy in-store.

The findings point to a fragmented path to purchase, where social platforms generate demand, but conversion is shared across retail channels.

"Brands should stop thinking about social media as separate from commerce," said McGregor. "Consumers are moving fluidly from social content to marketplaces to retailer websites to stores. Brands that convert shoppers are the ones that can create demand on social media and carry it through to wherever the customer chooses to buy."

Brands must create connections where their customers are

With social media embedded in everyday shopping behaviour, brands that continue to rely on outdated discovery models are finding it harder to connect with shoppers.

"The way consumers discover products has changed, and many brands are still playing catch-up. With 96% of Australians on social media, these platforms are where demand is created and won. Pattern was recently named TikTok Shop Strategic Partner of the Year for 2025, reflecting the growing importance of social-led commerce. We help brands turn discovery into purchase and build social experiences that convert," concluded McGregor.

For more information, please download Pattern's '2026 Marketplace Consumer Report'

About Pattern Inc

Pattern accelerates brands on global ecommerce marketplaces leveraging proprietary technology and AI. Utilising more than 77 trillion data points, sophisticated machine learning and AI models, Pattern optimises and automates all levers of ecommerce growth for global brands, including advertising, content management, logistics and fulfillment, pricing, forecasting and customer service. Hundreds of global brands depend on Pattern's ecommerce acceleration platform every day to drive profitable revenue growth across 60+ global marketplaces—including Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart.com, Target.com, eBay, Tmall, JD, and Mercado Libre.  For more information, visit https://au.pattern.com/

SOURCE Pattern