An American Express survey indicates that attracting customers and building loyalty have become major challenges for UK merchants, leading many of them to look to social media marketing as a possible answer.

Customer acquisition and retention, along with rising expenses and reducing cost-of-living constraints on consumer spending, were determined to be among the top three worries for the upcoming year among 500 British retailers surveyed. Among those surveyed, one-third said they wanted to use social media to build communities and brand loyalty.

Retailers’ top priority was marketing investment, with more than half of those who planned to make this type of investment saying they would use the money to increase social media participation. Although TikTok has become well-known for highlighting product trends, smaller vendors are less active on the video-sharing platform than their larger competitors.

As part of its Shop Small Accelerator programme, American Express announced that it has teamed with TikTok in an effort to support retailers’ social success. Retailers can access webinars revealing platform capabilities and suggestions, or they can attend free seminars in June led by TikTok professionals.

“Social media offers a vital conduit for reaching customers and nurturing brand relationships,” said Dan Edelman, UK Merchant Services chief at Amex.