From Awareness to Checkout: Why Social Commerce and Retail Media Need One Strategy
A recent WARC piece made the point that social commerce and retail media are becoming two sides of the same coin. It’s a fair observation, and one we see play out often. The difficulty for many brands is that budgets are separated into neat little boxes, which makes it harder to see how different channels actually work together to move a customer from initial awareness, through to consideration, and eventually to purchase.
One of the clearest examples of this is the growing connection between TikTok and Amazon. When these two platforms work in tandem, they can create a full loop: spark interest through short-form video or broader social activity, then follow that up with more focused creative that explains what the product does or why it’s worth buying, and finally use lower-funnel formats such as Sponsored Ads or retargeting to finish the job. This is exactly the sort of joined-up thinking the WARC article touches on. The idea of not treating each channel as an isolated tactic, but understanding how they influence one another throughout the buying journey.
Another part that often gets overlooked is actual customer behaviour. Brands sometimes try very hard to steer people toward where they want them to shop, which makes sense from an efficiency or margin point of view, but doesn’t always match how people really buy. Amazon’s combination of convenience, pricing, delivery and trust means it’s usually the first place people look when they’re in “buying mode”. Some customers will browse on TikTok, Instagram or elsewhere, but the moment they decide they want the product, Amazon ends up being their default destination. Ignoring that risks missing a big slice of demand.
So instead of resisting it, brands should think about how Amazon fits into the broader picture and how to keep those shoppers loyal, whether they end up buying through Amazon or via a DTC site later down the line. If customers are already voting with their feet, strategy needs to meet them where they are.
Social media then becomes the glue that ties it all together. It can bring the product into everyday moments, show how it’s used, and gently point people to wherever the product is actually available. When done properly, social doesn’t just create buzz; it nudges people into the right channel at the right time and supports sales across all ecommerce touchpoints.
What the WARC article ultimately highlights and what we see in practice, is that social and retail media don’t compete with each other. They reinforce each other. The challenge is less about choosing one over the other, and more about organising budgets and teams in a way that reflects how customers genuinely move through the purchase journey.
