The Retail Industry Social Media Benchmark Report
Find out how your brand stacks up against retail industry leaders.
Download the Benchmarks
To understand how your brand is doing on social, start by seeing what’s typical in the retail industry. Download the report to see retail industry averages across important metrics and platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Use these findings to set clear goals, sharpen your content plan, and grow your audience faster.
Key Takeaways: 2025 Retail Benchmark Report
TikTok reach is building. TikTok views are up 19% and Instagram reach has increased 10% over six months.
Instagram engagement is slipping. TikTok engagement rate is down to 2.7%, below the industry average.
Traditional YouTube is still on top. On-Demand videos average 386K views, far exceeding Shorts at 24K per post.
Retail Industry Benchmarks and Statistics
TikTok
175.7K
102.8K
YouTube
129.0K
* Video views are the total number of times a video is played, including repeat plays by the same viewer.
Dash Social Insight: Retail brands are gaining traction on reach and views. To stay competitive, focus on content that sparks interaction (especially comments and shares) to deepen engagement.
Retail Industry Highlights From Leading Brands
Leading retail brands are creating content that feels practical, timely, and shoppable. They show products in real-life settings to help audiences imagine them in their daily lives, lean into consistent content pillars like try-ons or tutorials, and post with seasonal or timely hooks that drive quick engagement.
Macy’s keeps engagement high with a focus on timely content, from seasonal shopping videos to energetic sales announcements. The brand uses TikTok’s fast-moving algorithm to its advantage by always keeping its content relevant.
Dick’s Sporting Goods keeps its content high-energy with a mix of athletic videos and shopping videos, with a focus on gear tips and the versatility of the brand’s products across different disciplines. It ensures that there is something for everyone in its content.
Etsy uses YouTube to share fun clips of artists at work, giving small glimpses of the process and story behind the items being featured.
Dash Social pulled a sample of global companies across TikTok (n=970), Instagram (n=2,967), and YouTube (n=630) analyzing their activity between January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 to determine average performance against a predetermined set of KPIs. These benchmarks include organic, boosted and promoted content but exclude paid ads. They apply to handles with at least 1K followers, covering both customers and non-customers.
