67 BUSINESS and conversion tool, particularly for retailers in fashion and interiors. The format that Alison was most emphatic about? Partnership ads. This is where an influencer creates content featuring your product, you allow them to be listed as a collaborator, and you then turn that content into a paid ad. “It’s not you as a business saying ‘buy us, we’re amazing’, you’re relying on other people’s recommendations, which is far more trustworthy,” she said. Carousels, reels, and story content all outperform single static images on Instagram right now. The platform rewards authenticity and aesthetic quality. YOUTUBE: THE OVERLOOKED LONG GAME YouTube may feel like an older platform, but its relevance for retail, especially in ecommerce tech news and consideredpurchase categories, is quietly growing. Some 75 percent of social searchers use YouTube more than any other platform, and 45 percent of UK beauty shoppers head there first for product research. Unboxing videos, how-to guides, and product reviews perform exceptionally well, and YouTube is now rolling out shoppable video tags that allow viewers to click through to product pages without leaving the platform. For retailers with products that need a little explanation, think garden equipment, wellness tools, or home appliances, YouTube is a channel worth serious consideration, especially as part of an always-on content strategy. WHATSAPP: THE COMMERCE PLATFORM NOBODY SAW COMING It may surprise many retailers to learn that WhatsApp, the UK’s most used social platform, is increasingly being classified as a social commerce channel. Brands are using WhatsApp Business in two key ways: customer service chatbots that respond to shopping queries with product links, and broadcast channels that send alerts about new products, promotions, or seasonal content to subscribers who have opted in. “I know quite a few businesses trialling manual customer service through WhatsApp,” said Alison. “They’ve set up a WhatsApp Business account, they’re promoting it on their website, and they’re just monitoring how many questions come in.” For independent retailers who value close customer relationships, WhatsApp offers an intimate, low-noise channel for nurturing those connections throughout the year. MEET CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY ARE Alison closed with a challenge. Too many retailers, she argued, are still using fiveyear-old social strategies, posting a product image and hoping for clicks. That approach no longer works. “People want to see what your product looks like actually being used by creators. They want to see reviews. They want to buy into your brand. They want to know the story of your founder and your products.” For UK independent retailers, whether you run a bricks-and-mortar shop, or operate an online store, the path forward involves three things: building a creator ecosystem, making your social content as shoppable as possible, and using platform data to understand exactly who is engaging with you and why. Social commerce isn’t face-to-face discovery. If anything, channels like TikTok and Instagram are amplifying the value of events like Spring Fair and Autumn Fair by warming up audiences before they arrive and sustaining relationships long after the show closes. The brands winning in 2026 are those treating social not as a broadcast channel, but as a living, shoppable community. The invisible influence is already at work, the question is whether your business is part of it. Visit: www.springfair.com
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