Social commerce is changing a basic part of how businesses sell in the UK.
The traditional online journey was easy to picture. A customer searched for a business, visited a website, browsed a product and entered checkout.
Today, the journey often starts somewhere else.
A customer may discover a product on Instagram, ask a question on WhatsApp, watch a demonstration on TikTok, receive a quote by email and complete the purchase without ever visiting a traditional online shop.
For independent businesses, that shift changes what a good payment experience needs to do.
Social media is part of everyday customer behaviour
Ofcom reported in December 2025 that UK adults spent an average of four and a half hours online each day.
It also found that WhatsApp and Facebook were among the most commonly used apps for adults.
In April 2026, Ofcom reported that 89% of adult internet users used at least one social media platform. Among people aged 16 to 34, the figure was 97%.
That level of use does not mean every business should chase every platform.
However, it does mean social media and messaging are normal places for commercial conversations to begin.
A customer may see a post, send a message and ask whether something is available.
For many small businesses, that conversation is the sales process.
The problem starts when payment lives somewhere else
Social commerce UK businesses often face a gap between discovery and payment.
The customer finds the business in one place, but the business then needs to move them into a completely different system.
- They may be asked to visit a website.
- They may receive bank details in a message.
- They may need to wait for an invoice.
- They may be sent a checkout link that looks unrelated to the business they were speaking with.
Every extra step gives the customer another chance to pause.
The issue is not that websites are unnecessary.
Websites remain important for trust, search visibility and structured selling.
The issue is that the website cannot be the only place where payment works.
Checkout needs to follow the customer journey.
Payment links are one response
Payment links have grown because they fit distributed selling.
Stripe and PayPal both offer tools that let businesses create a payment route and share it through email, social media, text or messaging.
A business can discuss the sale in one channel and send a direct route to payment in the same conversation.
That reduces the number of steps.
It also helps businesses that sell services or custom work rather than fixed products.
- A photographer can send a deposit link.
- A consultant can send a payment request.
- A beauty business can collect payment after confirming an appointment.
- A seller can share a link from a social post.
The payment journey becomes portable.
Brand consistency still matters
Portability creates another challenge.
Customers may trust the business profile they can see, but hesitate when a payment link takes them to a page with unfamiliar branding.
That is especially important in social commerce because scams and impersonation remain real concerns.
- The business needs to make the transition clear.
- The customer should know who they are paying.
- They should know what they are paying for.
- The amount should be clear.
- The payment page should use recognisable business information where possible.
- The confirmation should explain what happens next.
A good social commerce payment journey should reduce friction without removing reassurance.
The rise of direct payment choices
Social commerce is also exposing another payment question.
What happens when customers want more than cards.
Digital wallets already play a major role in online and mobile checkout. Open banking payments are growing. Stablecoin payment infrastructure is entering the wider business conversation.
A business that sells across social media, email and direct messages may eventually need to support several payment choices.
That creates a risk of fragmentation.
One link for cards.
Another for bank payments.
Another wallet.
Another provider.
Another customer journey.
The business may gain more payment methods but lose consistency.
That is the strategic problem worth solving.
Social selling is not only about retail
The term social commerce often brings to mind fashion, beauty and consumer products.
However, the same behaviour appears in service businesses.
A tradesperson may get a lead from a local Facebook group.
A freelance designer may receive an enquiry through LinkedIn.
A personal trainer may manage clients through Instagram and WhatsApp.
A caterer may take bookings through Facebook and email.
A local tour operator may answer questions through messages before sending payment details.
These are commercial journeys even when they do not look like ecommerce.
The common feature is that business happens across several places.
Payment needs to work across those places too.
What small businesses should do now
Start by mapping where customers actually speak to you.
Do not begin with the software you already have.
Look at the real journey.
Where does discovery happen.
Where do questions happen.
Where do quotes happen.
Where does payment happen.
Where do customers get stuck.
Then decide whether the payment experience matches the rest of the journey.
A simple payment link may be enough.
A QR code may help in person.
An invoice may need a clearer payment option.
A direct bank payment may suit some transactions.
The goal is not to add technology.
The goal is to remove unnecessary steps.
Why Paycilo is researching social commerce
Paycilo is being developed at proof of concept stage around a simple idea.
Businesses should be able to keep one consistent payment identity even when customers meet them in different places and choose different ways to pay.
Social commerce UK growth makes that question more relevant.
The customer journey is already distributed.
The payment journey needs to catch up without becoming fragmented.
We are speaking with independent businesses to understand where payment friction appears today.
The answer may differ by sector.
What matters is building around real behaviour rather than forcing every business into the same checkout model.
