Consumers are using social media platforms like Instagram to search for new products and services. Forbes research found that 24% of people primarily use social media to search online (versus traditional methods like Google search). Furthermore, 44% of Gen Z actively discover new brands on social media every day. Your ideal customers are likely already searching for businesses like yours on Instagram. Show up where they are to give your small business the best chance to be discovered.
According to NIQ's State of Beauty 2025 report, online beauty sales are growing nine-times faster than in-store, up 21 percent in North America, 20 percent in the Asia-Pacific region and 10 percent in Europe. Brazil, India and Indonesia are also seeing significant, albeit more emerging, e-commerce growth. Total beauty spend is up, too, growing 10 percent globally during the last 12 months.
As retail chains scaled, the focus shifted to shelf space. The brands that occupied the most shelf space inside the store gained an immediate advantage. When shopping moved online, the fight shifted from real estate to clicks and traffic. Social commerce has fundamentally transformed the way people shop. Discovery and checkout are merging into a single cycle, creating both opportunities and chaos, which is precisely why brands need their own creator infrastructure.
Minimalist skin care brand Sonsie has named Kailey Bradt, formerly the founder of waterless hair care line Susteau, as chief executive officer. Sonsie is majority-owned by actress Pamela Anderson, who joined the 2023-founded line last year. Beauty manufacturer Solésence has tapped Kevin Cureton as president and CEO. Previously, Cureton served as chief operating officer of the Illinois-based manufacturer. He succeeds Jess Jankowski, who will retire from the company in November.
The TikTok challenger had just cracked the Apple App Store's top-five ranking. Downloads soared 855% month over month, Sensor Tower data showed, fueled by TikTok's imminent ban in the US. It was a dream scenario for an app that - with over $230 million in funding and a roughly $1.1 billion valuation - promised to reinvent social shopping through a mix of product reviews and entertaining videos.
