TikTok Shop converts at 3.4%. Instagram Shopping at 1.08%. But Instagram DMs close at 70%. If you’re making investment decisions based on surface-level averages, you’re seeing half the picture.
The conversion data floating around the internet is incomplete, outdated, or ripped out of context. Here are the actual numbers you need.
Part of a larger guide
This article is part of our full guide Which Social Media Platform Converts Best? 2026 Guide, where we compare every major platform with updated conversion, reach, and ROI data.
TikTok Shop: The Conversion Machine Nobody Saw Coming
TikTok stopped being a dance app a long time ago. In 2024, TikTok Shop in the US grew 400%. For 2025, projections range from $15.8 to $20 billion in GMV in that market alone.
Why? Purchase friction essentially disappeared. You see a product, tap, buy. No leaving the app, no opening another tab, no forgetting about it in an abandoned cart.
The real TikTok Shop numbers
- Average overall conversion: 3.4% (up from 2.7% in 2024)
- Shoppable videos: 2-8% (top performers exceed 10%)
- Influencer campaigns: up to 5%+
- Shoppable ads: 4.6%
- TikTok Ads average (non-shop): 0.46%
The gap between regular TikTok Ads (0.46%) and TikTok Shop (3.4%) is massive. Shopping context changes everything. When someone is already in product-discovery mode, the mental barrier to buying is completely different.
The most impressive stat
Black Friday 2024 in the US: over 30,000 livestreams and over $100 million in sales in a single day. Not a week. A day.
That’s not a passing trend. That’s a sales channel maturing at breakneck speed.
The metric few people mention
It takes roughly 5,000 views to generate 1 sale. Sounds like a lot, but consider that a viral TikTok video can rack up millions of organic views without a dollar in ad spend. The organic cost per acquisition can be absurdly low if you nail the content.
Instagram Shopping: Less Flashy, More Predictable
Instagram doesn’t generate the headlines TikTok generates. But it has something TikTok hasn’t mastered yet: consistency and established trust.
The real Instagram Shopping numbers
- Average overall conversion: 1.08% (some sources place it at 1-2%)
- Feed ads: 1.4%
- Stories ads (swipe-up): 0.7%
- Carousel ads: 72% higher conversion than single images
- Instagram Ads average: 1.85%
- DM conversations: 70% conversion
Read those numbers again. Instagram Shopping’s general conversion is 1.08%. DMs convert at 70%.
That gap isn’t a statistical anomaly. It’s the fundamental difference between passive selling and conversational selling.
Why Instagram DMs are the secret weapon
When someone sends you a DM asking about a product, they’ve already done three things: saw your content, got interested enough to act, and chose to communicate with you directly. The intent filter already happened.
The 70% DM conversion isn’t magic. It’s common sense. The person already self-qualified.
This changes the strategy entirely. Instead of optimizing only for buy-button clicks, smart brands are optimizing for conversations. Content that provokes questions. Posts that invite “DM me for more info.” Stories with polls that lead into private conversations.
Average order value matters
Instagram has an AOV (Average Order Value) of ~$65 versus TikTok’s ~$59. Six dollars doesn’t sound like much until you multiply it by thousands of transactions. At scale, that difference funds entire campaigns.
And there’s another key data point: 130 million users tap on shopping posts every month, and 81% use Instagram to research products before buying.
Instagram doesn’t close the sale as fast as TikTok Shop. But the sales it closes tend to be more deliberate.
The Surprise Nobody Wants to Talk About: Facebook Ads
While everyone debates TikTok vs Instagram, Facebook Ads is sitting at a 9.21% conversion rate.
Yes, nine point two one percent.
Why doesn’t anyone talk about this? Because Facebook isn’t cool. Nobody’s going to publish a case study titled “How We Tripled Sales With Facebook Ads” and expect it to go viral. It doesn’t generate excitement at conferences.
But Facebook’s targeting ecosystem has over a decade of maturation. The audience data is absurdly granular. The conversion pixel has been optimized with trillions of data points.
The lesson: don’t confuse the platform where you spend time with the platform where you should invest money. Those are different questions.
Global GMV: The Table That Puts Everything in Perspective
Want to see the real size of each social commerce ecosystem?
| Platform | Estimated GMV (Global) |
|---|---|
| Douyin (TikTok China) | ~$198.8B |
| ~$151.7B | |
| Meta (Facebook + Instagram) | ~$94B |
| TikTok (international) | ~$33.2B |
Douyin moves six times more than international TikTok. This matters because it shows where the global version is heading: the playbook already exists in China, and TikTok is replicating it market by market.
Meta combines Facebook and Instagram into a single ecosystem that triples international TikTok. The payments, targeting, and retargeting infrastructure has years of advantage.
International TikTok sits at $33.2B and growing aggressively. It’s the platform with the fastest growth rate, but it remains the smallest of the four.
When TikTok Wins vs When Instagram Wins
There’s no universal answer. It depends on what you sell, who you sell to, and which part of the funnel needs reinforcement.
TikTok wins when:
- Your product demonstrates visually in seconds. Makeup, gadgets, clothing. If the “before and after” or demo creates a “wow” moment, TikTok is your platform.
- Your price point is under $60. Impulse purchases dominate TikTok Shop. The average ticket is $59.
- Your audience is between 18 and 34. Not exclusive to that range, but that’s where the critical mass sits.
- You can produce content frequently. TikTok rewards volume. One video a week won’t move the needle.
- You have access to creators or influencers. Creator campaigns convert at 5%+.
Instagram wins when:
- Your product requires consideration. Furniture, professional services, premium products. Things people research before buying.
- Your average ticket is high. The $65 AOV and DM model favor consultative selling.
- You already have a built community. Instagram rewards relationships. If you’ve spent years building an audience there, starting from zero on TikTok carries a huge opportunity cost.
- Your strategy includes conversational selling. If you have the capacity to answer DMs quickly and well, that 70% conversion rate is available to you.
- Your audience is between 25 and 44. Instagram still dominates that range.
The Framework That Actually Matters: Awareness vs Conversion
Most platform comparisons ignore the fact that awareness and conversion are different jobs. Here’s the full picture:
| Awareness | Conversion | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Brand recognition | Immediate actions |
| CTAs | Soft (follow, share, save) | Direct (buy, sign up, book) |
| Key metrics | Reach, impressions, shares | CTR, conversion rate, ROI |
| Funnel position | Top-of-funnel | Bottom-of-funnel |
| TikTok | Excellent (massive organic reach) | Excellent (TikTok Shop, impulse) |
| Good (limited organic reach) | Excellent (DMs, carousels, community) |
Here’s what’s interesting: TikTok is strong at both extremes of the funnel. It generates massive awareness through organic reach and converts quickly through TikTok Shop. Where it falls short is in the middle: lead nurturing, relationship building, product education.
Instagram dominates exactly that middle space. The feed, stories, educational carousels, DMs. It’s the consideration platform.
The smart play isn’t choosing one. It’s using TikTok to attract and convert on impulse, and Instagram to nurture and convert deliberate decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TikTok or Instagram better for selling products in 2026?
It depends on the product type and price point. TikTok Shop converts at 3.4% on average and works best for impulse products under $60. Instagram Shopping converts at 1.08% overall, but its DMs hit 70% for consultative sales and higher-value products. Short answer: TikTok for fast volume, Instagram for higher tickets.
What is TikTok Shop’s conversion rate in 2026?
TikTok Shop’s average conversion rate is 3.4%, up from 2.7% in 2024. Shoppable videos convert at 2-8%, influencer campaigns exceed 5%, and shoppable ads reach 4.6%. Conversion varies significantly by product category and content quality.
How does Instagram Shopping compare to Facebook Ads in conversion?
Instagram Shopping has an average conversion rate of 1.08%, while Facebook Ads converts at 9.21%. The difference comes from Facebook’s mature targeting ecosystem with over a decade of audience data. However, Instagram compensates with DMs that convert at 70% and a higher AOV (~$65).
Why do Instagram DMs have a 70% conversion rate?
The 70% DM conversion on Instagram doesn’t mean any random message results in a sale. It reflects that people who send a DM asking about a product have already self-qualified: they saw the content, got interested, and decided to take action. It’s conversational selling with high purchase intent, not cold outreach.
Should I invest in TikTok Shop or Instagram Shopping for my e-commerce business?
It’s not an either/or decision. TikTok dominates the extremes of the funnel (massive awareness + impulse purchases) while Instagram dominates the middle (consideration, education, relationship). The optimal strategy uses TikTok to attract and convert impulse buys, and Instagram to nurture relationships and close higher-value sales through DMs and educational content.
This data moves fast
Social commerce conversion rates shift quarter to quarter. TikTok Shop grew 400% in a single year. The figures in this article reflect the most recent data available, but verify the benchmarks for your specific industry before making large investment decisions.
The data is clear: there is no single “winning” platform. There are platforms that serve specific objectives better. TikTok moves fast volume. Instagram closes deliberate sales. Facebook converts better than anyone wants to admit.
Your next step isn’t picking a side. It’s mapping your sales funnel, identifying where you’re losing customers, and putting your budget into the platform that fills that gap.
The numbers already told you where each opportunity lives. The decision is yours.