Consumers prioritise customer support from brands on social media over other activities, such as taking public stances on political issues or offering products for purchase directly on the platform. Social media platforms provide a familiar interface for engaging with brands and seek assistance. While brands are using  AI powered virtual assistance to offer 24/7 support, consumers still prefer to talk to a real person over an AI chatbot, highlighting the need to maintain access to human support as an available option.
Adverts on social media can feel intrusive and disruptive, with 36% of 25-34 year old brand followers preferring to pay a fee to remove them. Brands need to take a proactive approach and think beyond traditional advertising methods by utilising organic content, such as user and employee generated content, to maintain visibility.
Live-stream shopping is evolving from traditional shopping channels to social media platforms. 49% of social media brand followers have watched a live-stream shopping event on social media in the three months to February 2025. The interactive format gives brands a competitive edge in connecting with consumers by creating a more personalised shopping experience. It builds confidence in purchasing decisions by addressing audience questions and showcasing products through demonstrations and tutorials.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Social media usage trends show Facebook leading overall, while younger audiences gravitate toward short-form video platforms
- Trends in brand followers on major social media platforms, with younger age groups and high income households most engaged
- Types of brands people follow on social media, such as entertainment, food & drink, and fashion
- Expectations for how brands should act on social media, from providing customer support to addressing political issues
- Advertising preferences for how consumers prefer to discover a brand, the types of reviews or endorsements that resonate, and preference for interactive or static content
- Trust in brands, including how misinformation affects brand perception and how young people’s trust changes in a brand with a large following
Live-stream shopping on social media is on the rise, driven by young users’ preference for interactive content.
Nikita Shergill, Technology and Media Analyst
Market Definitions
Mintel defines social media platforms as any platform focused on facilitating users to upload/share content and interact with other people. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Google Hangouts are not a focus of this Report.
This Report examines how consumers interact with brands and advertising on social media. It does not focus on social media influencers/creators, which are explored in detail in Mintel’s Social Media: Content Creators – UK – 2025 Report.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for brands on social media
- Host live-stream shopping events with the faces behind the brand
- Adapt to ad-free social media subscriptions by boosting organic content
- Provide tools to help manage large volumes of comments
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Facebook is the most popular platform, but TikTok’s growth continues
- Graph 1: usage of top social media platforms in the last three months, 2019-25
- Despite privacy concerns, AI will shape how people interact with brands on social media
- What consumers want and why
- Make financial messaging practical and aspirational to boost social media followers
- Graph 2: categories of brands followed on social media, 2025
- Prioritise customer support over celebrity endorsement
- Younger age groups prefer brands that provide interactive content
- Graph 3: engagement with brands on social media, 2025
- Tackle deepfake adverts with educational and interactive content
- Graph 4: behaviours and attitudes towards social media advertising, 2025
- Repetitive ads put people off purchasing
- Tighten ad placement controls to ensure they don’t appear next to controversial content
- Graph 5: behaviours and attitutes towards trusting brands on social media, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- SocialAI app signals next step towards AI brand ambassadors
- Anthropologie office content boosts social media impressions
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market background
- Facebook remains the most used platform, but short-form video platforms are popular among younger audiences
- Graph 6: use of social media platforms in the last three months, 2025
- TikTok’s growth continues
- Graph 7: usage of top social media platforms in the last three months, 2019-25
- AI is still a concern for social media users
- Meta moves towards Community Notes
- Weaker moderation poses brand security questions on social media
- Market drivers
- AR shopping experiences will grow on social media platforms
- Live shopping on social media accelerates
- Autonomous AI agents drive customer service assistance on social media
- US TikTok ban highlights the need for platform diversification for brands
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Platforms used to follow brands on social media
- Consumers are increasingly following brands on social media
- Graph 8: social media platforms used to follow brands on social media, 2023-25
- Younger age groups overwhelmingly follow brands on social media
- Graph 9: social media users who follow brands, by age, 2025
- Luxury brands can attract high-income customers
- Graph 10: social media users who follow brands on social media, by household income, 2025
- Types of brands followed on social media
- Entertainment and food & drink brands are the most likely to be followed on social media
- Entertainment and visual inspiration drive brand following
- Graph 11: categories of brands followed on social media, 2025
- Tailor social media adverts to different genders
- Graph 12: categories of brands followed on social media, by gender, 2025
- Use social media to close the gender gap in financial services
- Design marketing visuals inspired by food & drink aesthetics
- Boost financial service recommendations on social media
- LinkedIn users are among the top followers of financial service brands
- Graph 13: proportion of consumers who follow financial service brands on social media, by social media platform usage, 2025
- Adapt messaging across social media platforms to broaden reach
- Technology brands most followed on conversational platforms
- Graph 14: proportion of consumers who follow technology brands on social media, by social media platform usage, 2025
- Brand expectations
- Consumers expect brands to be responsive on social media
- Graph 15: I expect brands on social media to…, 2025
- Customer service via social media still needs a human touch
- Respond to comments to improve public profile
- Build communities by offering advice and support
- Consumers want discovery and purchases to be seamless
- Boost brand reach with personalised discount messaging strategies
- Advertising preferences
- Personalisation enhances trust in advertisements for some younger users
- Graph 16: trust in adverts on social media, by age, 2025
- Organic discovery is the preferred trust builder
- Graph 17: how consumers prefer to discover new brands, 2025
- Reach social media users who avoid ads
- Graph 18: preference for seeing adverts on social media vs paying to not see them, 2025
- Customer reviews are more authentic and relatable
- Highlight customer reviews over expert endorsements
- Graph 19: preference for customer reviews or expert endorsements, 2025
- Media preferences vary across age groups
- Graph 20: preference for interactive content by brands on social media, by age, 2025
- Behaviours and attitudes towards social media advertising
- Seeing the same brands  on social media can lead to fatigue and annoyance
- Graph 21: behaviours and attitudes towards social media advertising, 2025
- Watching live-stream shopping on social media is most popular among younger age groups
- Live-stream shopping connects consumers with the faces behind a brand
- Build communities to reduce the need to moderate conversations
- Graph 22: agreement with the statement “I often read the comment section on social media posts/adverts made by brands”, by age, 2025
- Create interactive content to combat the harms of AI misuse
- Graph 23: agreement with the statement “I have seen an advert on social media where AI is used to impersonate a celebrity”, by social media platform usage, 2025
- Trust in brands on social media
- Misinformation next to an ad can harm brand reputation
- Graph 24: behaviours and attitutes towards trusting brands on social media, 2025
- Tap into employee-generated content to build trust
- Young adults seek brands with a large following
- Graph 25: agreement with the statement “I trust brands more if they have a large following on social media”, by age, 2025
- Lack of transparency holds back competitions and giveaways
- Graph 26: agreement with “I believe that real people win competitions/giveaways that brands promote on social media”, by generation, 2025
- Engagement with brands on social media
- Create interactive campaigns when targeting younger age groups on social media
- Connect with younger audiences through shareable and creative challenges
- AR filters create stronger brand connections
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Competitive strategies
- TikTok ads can now be placed next to popular and trending content
- Anthropologie’s employee-generated content creates a trustworthy, friend-recommended feel
- Reddit launches new engagement tools
- LinkedIn introduces video ad placement alongside creator content
- Launch activity and innovation
- New app SocialAI is a personal AI-powered social network
- Brands can now verify employee accounts on Bluesky
- Meta launches AI app, which has future potential to tap into predictive targeting
- X launched Grok-powered AI ads
- Pinterest simplifies discovering fashion styles with visual search
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
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