TikTok is introducing a new advertising tool called Engaged Session to track user behavior after they leave the app without relying on pixel technology. This tool targets users who spend at least 10 seconds on a website or retailer landing page after clicking a TikTok ad. It provides advertisers with engagement metrics such as Total Engaged Sessions and Cost per Engaged Session, which align with third-party analytics like Google and Adobe Analytics.
Purpose and Availability
Engaged Session aims to bring high-intent users to advertisers' websites, offering deeper insights into post-click behavior—a challenge for social media platforms due to privacy restrictions and the decline of pixel-based tracking. The tool is available under TikTok’s Traffic Objective, which helps advertisers reach users who visit their websites after seeing an ad. It can be enabled for all TikTok ad placements, including Search Ads. Initially, it will be piloted in the U.S.
Industry Context and Impact
This move follows similar efforts by Meta, which recently integrated Google Analytics to improve post-click user action insights. The timing is significant as Gen Z increasingly prefers TikTok over traditional search platforms like Google Search. According to Soci, 34% of Gen Z uses TikTok for search and discovery, and 40% of U.S. adults aged 18–24 use social networks like TikTok to find local business information.
Benefits and Early Results
Lauren Kramer, director of social media solutions at Basis Technologies, noted that the tool helps brands target users who stay longer on their websites, improving audience targeting and conversion potential. Early data shared by TikTok shows:
- A 46% decrease in cost per engaged session,
- A 62% increase in average session duration,
- A 13% decrease in bounce rate compared to traditional landing page view campaigns.
Additional Information
TikTok has not formally announced the feature publicly yet, and a representative mentioned that some experimental features may not become final products. The article also references TikTok extending Gen AI tools to WPP Open and Adobe Express, highlighting ongoing innovation in TikTok’s advertising capabilities.
This development reflects broader industry trends toward enhanced privacy-compliant tracking and a shift in how younger audiences discover and engage with content online.
