Fewer U.S. adults are beginning their product searches on TikTok than a year ago, according to a CivicScience study.
Why we care. This is the latest evidence that Amazon is a platform that retail brands must pay attention to. While TikTok intends to build a $20 billion ecommerce business, the U.S. won’t be a big factor yet – and may never be. Regardless, marketing and advertising budgets will continue to follow users. But ultimately it comes down to whether TikTok is an effective platform for your brand.
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Amazon and Google reign. Overall, the starting point for product searches among online shoppers is Amazon (49%, up from 46% in 2022), followed by Google (34%, down from 35% in 2022).
Amazon also increased its popularity among younger age groups, compared to last year:
- 18- to 24-year-olds: Up 45%
- 25- to 34-year-olds: Up 44%.
Additional context. These results are similar to another U.S. survey we reported on in Amazon beats Google as starting point for product search. That survey found 38% of shoppers began product searches on Amazon, while 35% started searching on Google.
TikTok’s YoY decline. After hitting a new high in 2022, CivicScience noted a “steep decline” for TikTok among younger generations this year:
- “Usage fell from 18% to 11% among Gen Z (18-24) and from 10% to 5% among young Millennials (25-34) from August 2022 to June 2023.”
Most people who start their product searches on TikTok, Instagram or Reddit are between the ages of 18-34, CivicScience noted.
About the study. The CivicScience study asked U.S. online shoppers: “When shopping for a product online, where do you typically start for product searches and research?” It then compared 5,638 responses received between June 6 and 26 to 4,643 responses from August 2022.
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