TikTok is emphasizing its role in product discovery, amidst uncertainties about its future due to U.S. Senators voting for its sale from its Chinese parent group. A study by Material, in collaboration with TikTok, reveals that 61% of TikTok users discover new brands and products on the platform, 1.5x more than users on other platforms.
TikTok is progressively becoming a habitual platform for driving product discovery. Users actively seek more related content, turning TikTok into their primary search destination. This trend is even acknowledged by Google, as TikTok is encroaching on its core search market.
Data from Material further highlights that:
- 41% of people find TikTok search entertaining compared to 32% on social media platforms and 16% on traditional search platforms.
- 28% of people perceive TikTok search as authentic, versus 25% on social media and video platforms and 21% on traditional search platforms.
- 25% of people consider TikTok search concise, compared to 19% on social media and video platforms and 15% on traditional search platforms.
Moreover, 91% of users who were inspired to take action due to a TikTok search followed through. TikTok's intuitive algorithms keep users engaged by showing them content tailored to their preferences, including products.
The potential sale of TikTok to a U.S. company would ideally include its algorithms. However, TikTok management has not confirmed if this would be considered while they continue to resist the U.S. sell-off bid. Without its matching system, TikTok's value could be significantly less.
