Social media has always influenced shopping, but now it’s running the show. One viral TikTok and suddenly everyone is scrambling to buy the same Stanley cup, heatless curling set, or snail soap dispenser. Yup, that’s a real thing.
Social commerce - where people shop directly from platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook - is expected to be worth nearly $3 trillion by 2026. It’s fast, it’s trend-driven, and it turns casual scrollers into impulse buyers in seconds.
For brands, this creates huge opportunities, but also some serious logistical headaches. How do you handle demand spikes without overproducing? How do you ship fast enough to satisfy trend-driven buyers? And what happens when the hype dies? So. Many. Questions.
This article explores how brands can capitalise on viral trends while keeping fulfilment running smoothly. And breathe.
Gone are the days when brands dictated shopping trends. Now, social media decides what sells. Does it feel a tad dystopian? Probably. Do we love it? Absolutely.
Social commerce has exploded because it combines discovery, influence, and instant purchasing. A single video on TikTok’s For You Page can turn an unknown product into the next must-have item overnight.
Why is social commerce growing so fast?
This shift has changed the way brands operate. If they can’t move fast enough to keep up with trends, they risk losing out to competitors who can.
Unlike traditional retail, where demand patterns are more predictable, viral trends can send product sales skyrocketing overnight.
The problem? It’s impossible to predict exactly when, or if, a product will take off.
This creates two major risks:
Consumers aren’t just focused on cheap products and fast delivery; they want to participate in trends without impacting dramatically on Mother Nature. Large corporate retailers have a responsibility to their ESG efforts and, unfortunately, viral trends can have a substantial impact on this.
Adding to the challenge, social commerce buyers expect fast shipping. If they can’t get a product quickly, they’ll move on. Managing fulfilment for trend-driven products requires agility, speed, and a strategy that can scale up and down as needed.
While predicting virality may seem like a game of luck, data-driven forecasting can help brands stay one step ahead. With the right insights, businesses can make smarter decisions about inventory, fulfilment, and stock replenishment, ensuring they meet demand without overproducing.
Successful brands don’t just react to trends; they anticipate them. By analysing historical sales data, social media engagement, and emerging consumer trends, businesses can identify early signals of products gaining momentum before they go viral.
Key forecasting tools include:
The biggest mistake brands make when riding a viral trend is either underestimating demand or overestimating how long the hype will last.
To avoid stock shortages or excess inventory, brands should:
Having a clear demand planning strategy allows businesses to respond to trends confidently, without taking unnecessary financial risks.
Beyond forecasting sales, logistics insights play a crucial role in improving fulfilment operations for trend-driven products.
With the right fulfilment analytics, brands can track:
By continuously analysing fulfilment performance, businesses can refine their logistics operations, ensuring that when the next viral trend hits, they are ready to capitalise on demand efficiently.
As we just covered, the best time to prepare for a viral trend is before it peaks. Brands that monitor social listening tools, influencer activity, and trending hashtags can predict demand spikes and start preparing before they happen.
Checking TikTok’s trending product lists, monitoring Google Trends, and tracking engagement on influencer posts can help spot early signals of a product gaining momentum.
Traditional supply chains are not designed for the unpredictability of viral shopping habits. Brands need a fulfilment strategy that can scale quickly when demand surges.
A flexible fulfilment model should include:
Without this agility, brands risk either missing out on sales or dealing with excess stock when demand fades.
If a product is going viral faster than you can restock, don’t just put up an out-of-stock notice. Pre-orders allow you to capture demand without overproducing, while limited drops create exclusivity and keep hype levels high.
Instead of losing customers when stock runs out, a pre-order strategy ensures they still commit to the purchase, even if they have to wait a little longer.
Viral products don’t just need to be in stock; they need to be shipped fast. Many social commerce buyers expect next-day or even same-day delivery, and slow shipping can kill momentum.
To meet these expectations, brands should:
The faster the product reaches the customer, the more likely they are to recommend it and fuel the trend even further.
Not every viral trend lasts. One month, a product is everywhere; the next, it’s old news. Although we think the snail soap dispensers will last forever. Probably because they’re made entirely of plastic and won’t biodegrade.
To avoid being stuck with mountains of unsold inventory, brands need an exit strategy for when demand drops.
Some ways to clear excess stock include:
Having a strategy for clearing stock ensures businesses aren’t left with warehouses full of products no one wants.
Social commerce is not a short-term trend - and hasn’t been for a while. It’s changing the way people shop, the way they perceive brands, and the way they check out. Platforms are investing heavily in shopping features, AI-driven recommendations are making product discovery even more personalised, and consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable making purchases without ever leaving their social feeds.
For brands, this means viral trends will continue to shape eCommerce, and those that can adapt their fulfilment strategy to match will have the biggest opportunities for success.