The Retail Industry Social Media Benchmark Report
In the latest TikTok, Instagram and YouTube benchmark reports, uncover which KPIs are critical to retail brands’ social strategies.
Download the Benchmarks
To win in today’s social media landscape, retail brands must understand what truly resonates with their audiences to maximize ROI and achieve lasting success. While metrics like follower count and growth rate remain essential, retail brands are focusing on metrics such as engagement, owned reach and posting cadence to gain a deeper understanding of how content is received.
Retail Industry Benchmarks and Statistics
Average Monthly Social Media Growth Rate for Followers/Subscribers
TikTok
4.0%
0.5%
Youtube
0.5%
* Follower growth rate data taken from the September 2024 Retail Industry Benchmarks. See the report for the full methodology.
The Average Monthly Growth Rate measures the rate at which a retail brand increases its follower count month-over-month. Brands can expect different growth trajectories per channel, with TikTok still seeing significant follower growth. Many brands in the retail industry have well-established Instagram presences, leading to a natural saturation in growth. YouTube has recently experienced growth as users increasingly shift from traditional media to social media for entertainment.
Retail Industry Highlights From Leading Brands
The retail industry is navigating a strategic shift towards blending entertainment with commerce. Opportunities on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube suggest a move towards more engaging video content could significantly enhance both reach and engagement.
Revolve receives a high TikTok engagement rate with its trendy, creator-led content that showcases the latest in fashion and lifestyle. Its TikToks are always topical, the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously, and its social team succeeds at keeping up with the demands of the TikTok algorithm, posting up to five times per day.
Revolve outperforms the retail industry by 65.3%.
ssense maintains a high Instagram engagement rate by featuring cutting-edge fashion and pop culture commentary, appealing to a cultured, fashion-forward audience. Its content is stylish, yet fun and relatable, inviting audience interaction and discussion.
ssense outperforms the retail industry by 133.3%.
DICK'S Sporting Goods leads in YouTube video views by offering a wide variety of sports-related content, from training tips to unboxing videos and reviews — particularly in the Shorts format. Its content is always always positive and affirmative, supporting and resonating with athletes at all levels.
DICK’S Sporting Goods outperforms the retail industry by 177%.
In this Retail Benchmarks Report you’ll learn:
- The potential for increased reach on Instagram through a pivot to more video content.
- Challenges and opportunities on TikTok for brands to better resonate with their audience with stronger engagement strategies.
- KPIs that indicate when retail brands should develop more personalized content strategies.
- A cross-platform opportunity for the retail sector to evolve its content strategy, focusing on entertainment to drive commerce.
For the 2H 2024 Social Media Benchmark Reports, Dash Hudson pulled a sample of global companies across TikTok (n=1,150), Instagram (n=2,956), and YouTube (n=631), analyzing their activity between January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024, to determine average performance against a predetermined set of KPIs. These benchmarks include handles with a minimum of 1K followers, from both customers and non-customers.