Seventy-three percent of US merchants said social-media engagement was the top strategy for maintaining relationships with existing customers. Second, at 43%, were exclusive offers and promotions, followed by personalized email marketing and loyalty programs.

Social media was similarly important for gaining new customers. Fifty-two percent of US merchants said selected organic social media content was the most effective marketing channel for attracting new customers in the last year. The next highest category was paid social media, at 26%, trailed by email and search-engine marketing.

Social-media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are at the forefront of influencer marketing and have become central to e-commerce.

TikTok has placed big bets on social shopping, with its viral Shop feature growing steadily in the US. And though YouTube Shopping has struggled to gain widespread adoption among creators, the company has continued to dedicate resources toward building out new tools. YouTube recently announced new updates to its affiliate-marketing program, expanding its partnership with Shopify to include all eligible Shopify Plus and advanced merchants in the US.

As for the most impactful marketing trends over the next year, 41% of US merchants said influencer or creator marketing would be the most important. Following that, 35% said customer data to create targeted and personalized marketing messages. Other trends mentioned were AI and automation and selected experiential events.