EXCLUSIVE: Many consumers discover brands, shop on TikTok
New survey data exclusively released to Chain Store Age by Adobe Express reveals how consumers use TikTok for brand discovery and shopping activities.
The survey of 1,005 U.S. TikTok users reveals that 25% of respondents have adopted the platform specifically as a tool for seeking out new brands. This is especially true among surveyed women, who were more likely to look for new brands on TikTok (29%) than surveyed men (25%).
Respondents selected TikTok as their most commonly used platform for brand discovery, followed by YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Top reasons for using TikTok to discover brands were diversity of content (49%), shorter content (42%) and more effective algorithms (40%).
Two-in-three respondents who have found a brand they liked on TikTok have made a purchase. Of those, 56% bought from a third-party vendor and 44% directly from the TikTok Shop e-commerce platform.
Top reasons respondents gave for using TikTok Shop were convenience (53%) and competitive pricing (52%). Top reasons for not using the platform were trust issues (49%) and lack of familiarity (40%).
Gen X was the generation most likely to have bought something on TikTok Shop — 50% of respondents in this age range have done so compared to 43% of both millennials and Gen Z.
On average, respondents had spent $49 in the past month on purchases inspired by TikTok..The average spend on TikTok-inspired purchases varied by respondent generation:
- Millennials ($52)
- Gen Z ($47)
- Gen X ($44)
The survey also showed generational differences in using TikTok for brand discovery. Gen Z respondents led with 34% having searched for brands on the platform, followed by millennials at 29%, while Gen X users were less inclined at 18%.
Nine-in-10 respondents said they prefer to discover brands through regular TikTok posts on their “for you page” rather than specialized formats such as live videos or stories. Respondents also valued three key factors in brand-related TikTok content: relevance to the viewer, video length and perceived authenticity.
[READ MORE: The top social media platform for shopping is…]
The survey also revealed the following additional data points:
Top reasons respondents look for brands on TikTok
- Visual demonstrations (65%)
- Authentic reviews (58%)
- Hacks/tips for using a product (41%)
- Engaging content (35%)
- Comparative reviews (33%)
- Engaging content (32%)
Most important characteristics of a brand recommendation TikTok video
- Relevance to viewer (58%)
- Video length (42%)
- Level of authenticity (41%)
- Tone and delivery (31%)
- Quality of information (31%)
Other findings
- More than half (54%) of respondents said they're less likely to trust a brand using sponsored TikTok content, including 67% of Gen Z, 51% of millennials and 49% of Gen X respondents.
- One-in-four respondents said brands come across more favorably when collaborating with an influencer.
