Social media and influencers drive sales for small businesses
Businesses are hiring extra staff and diversifying as social media and influencer marketing boost sales, worth £10bn a year to the UK economy.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Social media and influencer marketing have become a major driver of sales for small businesses, with new figures suggesting the boost is worth about £10 billion a year to the UK economy. The trend is so powerful that some firms are taking on extra staff to cope with demand generated by online posts.
A report found that more than ten million people visited an independent shop, cafe or restaurant last year because they saw it on TikTok. Most business owners who took part in the survey said promoting themselves online had boosted their sales, and some created jobs to handle the extra business. The economic value of this marketing boost is expected to surge by the end of the decade.
Examples include a bakery in Edinburgh that became so popular after appearing on TikTok that it hired a bouncer to manage the queue. The Binley Mega Chippy in Coventry went viral and briefly became, arguably, the world's most famous chippy, with the director saying they saw ten times the amount of customers at one stage. The Spud Bros jacket potato business grew from a small cart in Preston to a firm with sites across the country after gaining millions of followers.
The report also highlights how smaller traditional businesses are adapting. A father and son butcher shop in Lancashire is using social media to create a "digital shop window" and diversify into ready meals. The owner, Joe, said the trade has changed a lot, with challenges including rising minimum wage, national insurance, electricity and raw meat prices. He said: "You can't rely on people coming to your shop window anymore, so you've got to create a digital shop window, so to speak."
Younger customers are reportedly happy to make longer trips to buy a product or use a service they have seen online. Given that firms can create content with a relatively small budget, this potential is allowing many companies to compete with larger rivals.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Over ten million people visited an independent shop, cafe or restaurant last year after seeing it on TikTok. | |
| Social media marketing is worth about ten billion pounds a year to the UK economy. | |
| The Binley Mega Chippy saw ten times its usual number of customers at one point after going viral. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focuses on the tangible impact of social media on small businesses, using specific examples like bakeries, chippies and a butcher shop. It balances the positive sales boost with the challenges businesses face, such as rising costs, and highlights the need to innovate. The tone is upbeat but grounded, with a clear economic angle.
- “It might not be everyone's idea of a relaxing Saturday morning, queuing around the block for a pastry you've seen on TikTok, but that's the reality for lots of bakeries these days.”
- “You can't rely on people coming to your shop window anymore, so you've got to create a digital shop window, so to speak.”
Broadcast Timeline
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