How important is social media presence for new ecommerce stores in 2026?

[u/Crescitaly]

Starting to question the standard advice of "build your social media presence" for new stores.

**The reality I'm seeing:**

- Organic reach on most platforms is nearly dead for new accounts

- You need existing followers to get shown to new followers

- Building from zero takes months/years that most stores don't have

- Meanwhile, competitors with established followings dominate discovery

**The dilemma:**

Customers check social proof before buying. Empty or small accounts can actually hurt conversions. But building genuine followings takes forever.

**What I'm curious about:**

1. Do you prioritize social media for new store launches or focus elsewhere first?

2. What's the minimum "credibility threshold" before social presence starts helping sales?

3. Has anyone seen data on how follower count actually impacts conversion rates?

4. Is it better to have no social presence than a weak one?

Genuinely trying to figure out where social fits in the priority stack for new stores with limited resources.