Retail Industry Social Media Benchmark Report
Find out how your brand stacks up against retail industry leaders.
Download the full retail industry benchmark report to see the latest averages, statistics, and key metrics across the industry. Use these findings to set clear goals, sharpen creative, and discover where you’re winning or have opportunities to grow.
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Key Takeaways: 2026 Retail Industry Benchmark Report
- TikTok is holding strong engagement. Video views are down 14%, but engagement rose from 5.0% to 5.3%.
- Instagram formats serve different goals. Views are up 25%, with single static posts driving reach and Reels leading on engagement.
- YouTube is growing, and retention is the next opportunity. Views are up 75% across On-Demand and Shorts, though viewers are watching about half of each video on average.
Retail Industry Benchmarks and Statistics
243K
153K
242K
What Top Retail Brands Are Doing Differently
Top retail brands blend entertainment, pop culture, and product-led visuals to stand out. They go beyond product promotion with original content series to put entertainment at the forefront, keeping viewers watching while naturally driving product interest.
Victoria’s Secret’s strong Total Social Impact (TSI) stems from original content series like its ‘Fitting Room Confidential’. The brand’s iconic fashion show anchors its content strategy, creating a consistent narrative while delivering diverse formats with creators, celebrity performances, and the enduring influence of the Victoria’s Secret Angels.
Footasylum proves that entertainment and a strong brand voice keep audiences engaged. Original content, like its Bad Bistro series, along with on-street interviews, and punchy snippets repurposed from its YouTube channel, let the clothes and footwear accessorize the content, not lead it.
Bloomingdale’s leads with hi-fi product-centric visuals strategically tied to seasonal peaks like New Year’s, summertime, and NYFW. The retailer leverages the strength of its brands to entice customers, using aspirational content to tease highly anticipated product releases.
How Have Retail Benchmarks Changed Since Our Last Report?
From Product-Led Content To Brand-Led Content
In our last report, strong product-led visuals drove performance. Recent top-performers are building original content series and personality-driven content where products play a supporting role.
What changed: A defined brand identity is a key engagement driver.
From Timely Promotion To Culture at the Forefront
Previously, top-performing brands focused mainly on timely posts tied to sales or seasons. Now, brands are blending these product-centric posts with broader cultural moments, from fashion trends to media tie-ins.
What changed: Timeliness still matters, but cultural relevance is becoming just as important to drive product interest.
From Broad Appeal To Niche Targeting
In 2025, retail brands targeted wide audiences with general messaging. In our latest report, more brands are creating content tailored to specific communities, interests, and subcultures.
What changed: Narrowing focus helps brands drive stronger engagement and relevance.
What’s a Good Engagement Rate for Retail Brands?
Retail brands should aim for an engagement rate between 2.5% and 3.0% on TikTok, and between 1-1.5% on Instagram.
What Types of Content Perform Best for Retail Industry Brands?
For retail brands, entertainment-led short-form video is driving the strongest results across platforms. On TikTok, brands like Footasylum achieve engagement rates above 7% by prioritizing original series and personality-driven content over product-first posts. On Instagram, Reels tied to pop culture and seasonal moments are boosting engagement, with standout content like Spirit Halloween reaching 55%. On YouTube, content connected to major cultural moments continues to expand reach, with top brands averaging over 800K views. Across platforms, content that blends storytelling, strong brand identity, and timely relevance performs best.
How Our Retail Industry Benchmarks Are Calculated
Dash Social pulled a sample of global companies across TikTok (n=1,361), Instagram (n=3,363), and YouTube (n=616) analyzing their activity between July 1, 2025 to December 31, 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.
Download the Full Retail Industry Report
Dash Social’s benchmark report takes you through the latest metrics behind discovery, viewership, and how leading brands stand out on social.
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Social Media Benchmark FAQs
What is the benchmark for video views or watch time in retail?
The average benchmark for video views or watch time varies by platform. On YouTube, retail brands average 242K views, 243K on TikTok, and 153K on Instagram.
Which platform performs best for retail?
TikTok performs best for retail brands when it comes to engagement, with an average cross-channel rate of 4.4%, outperforming Instagram and YouTube. Instagram drives higher shares and saves, while YouTube supports reach and longer-form content.
How often should retail brands post to match top performers?
On average, retail brands should post seven times weekly on TikTok, 8 times on Instagram, and 6 times on YouTube.