Survey: Gen Z favors Instagram, TikTok over Google for product discovery
While older generations continue to find products by making a Google search, social media is the preferred option for Gen Z when it comes to product discovery.
A new report from influencer marketing software Grin reveals that among Gen Z respondents (age 18-27), Instagram (30.4%) and TikTok (23.2%) are the most commonly used platforms to discover products. Both social media platforms outrank Google (18.8%), while YouTube is a common choice as well at 14.5%.
According to Grin, Gen Z enjoys product discovery on Instagram and TikTok due to "easily digestable" short-form content that is both “organic and intentional.”
“It is intentional because of a powerful search function that pulls relevant posts by keyword — similar to how Google ranks content,” said Grin in the report. “That means rather than typing ‘best sushi in NYC’ into Google, Gen Z can take that query straight to TikTok for even better, more relevant results. TikTok discovery is organic because short-form product information blends seamlessly into users' For You Page. That makes its creators feel less like salespeople and more like a friend who just found the ‘coolest thing ever.’”
To varying degrees, older generations rely less on social media and more on Google. The search engine is the favorite choice for product discovery among millennials (42.4%), Gen X (41.1%) and baby boomers (55.9%). Millennials, perhaps unsurprisingly, also relied somewhat on Instagram (17.2%) and TikTok (11.1%) for discovery.
All three older generations utilized YouTube a fair amount as well. Gen X used it the most at 29.5%, followed by baby boomers (25.2%) and millennials (21.2%).
Despite using social media more for product discovery, Gen Z does not buy products as often through social media apps as millennials do. Forty-two percent of millennials buy through social apps at least once per week, compared to 38% of Gen Z. Thirty-five percent of millennials buy items at least once per month, compared to 31% of their younger counterparts reporting the same.
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The survey from Grin also revealed that Gen Z trusts influencers (60%) more than friends/family (40%) when it comes to making product recommendations. Across all generations, friends/family (53%) edges out influencers (47%), while millennials are even more split, as 51% trust influencers more than friends/family (49%).
When asked what makes an influencer trustworthy, a similar lifestyle was the top response at 45.6%, followed by expertise within a niche/industry at 42.7%, while similarity in appearance (30.7%) was also a top reason. Notably, follower count was the least-important factor in trustworthiness for influencers, with only 19.8% calling it important.
Grin’s survey included over 1,000 American consumers from the age of 18 to 65+.
