There was a sudden shift of consumers moving more towards social media platforms when the pandemic began. Due to COVID-19, it was impossible to visit one of your favourite stores and buy what you liked there. With more audiences being engaged on social networks, brands and businesses started delivering more products and services via social media platforms. Brands started adopting e-commerce strategies to sell their products via Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and What's app. With more people spending their time on social media, e-commerce has seen a significant rise through such platforms. 
But a question arises: do users buy products while they surf on social media? 
Today there are several other ways through which a customer can buy a product. Although shopping via social media platforms is new to many, businesses looking for a way to enter the e-commerce world can prefer social media platforms as a great option. 

On which social media platforms consumers shop? 

Facebook Shops: 
Facebook Shop allows businesses to set up their online store on Facebook along with telling their brand story. When the user visits a particular brand's business page, he can directly purchase the item.  
Facebook Messenger: 
Users can directly message brands via messenger. An automated message is received by the end-user whenever they inquire about a specific product. In 2016-2019 businesses were permitted to send messages with a picture of a product, its description and a buy now button. 
Yes, many people buy through Facebook as it is the largest and the most expansive network. 
Instagram: 
Instagram Shops:
To sell your products on Instagram, you shall have admin access to a Facebook business page and Facebook Shops. It's necessary to link Facebook and Instagram pages and activate shop this way; your users will see the View Shop button. 
Instagram Shoppable Post: 
It's not necessary to have a Facebook Shop for launching Instagram Shoppable Post. The feed post and images are linked directly with the product checkout page. This feature is now available on Instagram reels, stories and lives. Instagram shoppable posts allow the visitors to explore the product and buy it immediately if they like it. 
Instagram is a great platform and allows you to sell your product mainly among millennials by creating engaging content. Instagram, when used effectively, helps in accelerating your sales. If you possess Facebook Shop and want to expand it over Instagram, it's super easy. 
Whatsapp: 
There is no specific platform for shopping on What's App. But it's entirely possible to chat with any of the brands, request brands for their business catalogue, purchase the product and pay in the message thread only. 
Compared to Facebook and Instagram, it is a bit of a lengthy process to purchase a product on What's App. As What's App business features continuously upgrade, it's a great platform to build community and accelerate your sales. Not only nationally but internationally, too, you can create an enormous empire via What's App. You will find a significant audience of Whatsapp in India and Brazil. 
Pinterest: 
It was possible from 2015-2018 for brands to generate buyable pins allowing any user to purchase from Pinterest directly. When the user clicked on the Save button, it instantly takes the user to the purchasing screen. 
Though it's not possible to purchase directly from Pinterest now, it is a great platform to market your product. Pinterest might not help directly in your business now, but later it might as Pinterest users are continuously growing, and it's a great platform to look for products. 

Which platform should you choose to sell? 

Though many people still haven't purchased a product from any social media platforms, this era will see a dramatic response in online shopping. If you decide to sell through social media, you shall find the right audience. For example, if your target audience is all age groups, then probably Facebook might be the right platform; if your audience is millennials, then Instagram shall be preferable. The best option would be to opt for the platform which already has your brand's attention. For example, if a large number of people are connected to you on the What's app without any second thought, choose What's app only. 
The best strategy that works is to determine where your target audience engages the most and take the decision accordingly.