South Africa, Feb. 3 -- With more than 5.4 billion people on social platforms and nearly 19 hours a week spent scrolling, social media has become far more than the top of the funnel.

It is now the arena in which discovery, trust-building, conversation and purchase coexist in a single motion; one uninterrupted swipe.

The Digitas Future Talks session on the future of social commerce demonstrated a profound shift: the strongest pathway to conversion is the community.

Default buying environment

Social commerce has matured into a default buying environment where influence, intent and transaction converge almost instantaneously.

The data speaks plainly: 76% of global social users say the content they consume directly affects what they buy,...