Each and every day, our community is discovering new products through TikTok, with over 64 billion views for #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. By offering an experience that blends community, entertainment and shopping all into one, TikTok is having a culture-defining impact on modern retail. As our global community continues to turn to TikTok for product discovery, the opportunity for brands small, large and in between to connect with their own unique audiences has never been greater.

Today, we’re unveiling our first-ever What’s Next: Shopping Trend Report, the latest in our What's Next series and a build on our annual trend report. This new report explores shifts in shopping behaviours and culture on TikTok and how brands can take on a more active role in community commerce. The report breaks down key community insights into actionable takeaways and trend analysis, supported by data and case studies, to equip businesses with the tools they need to engage with audiences on TikTok.

You can view the full ‘What’s Next: Shopping Trend Report’ here.

The findings of the What's Next: Shopping Trend Report is broken down into three key 'Layers of Love' that underpin shopping culture on TikTok, accompanied by the relevant 'Shopper Trend Signals' that show emerging behaviours and interests. The three key Layers of Love include:

  1. It's A Match
  2. Getting To Know You
  3. Growing Together


Its A Match

If brands want a spark from audiences, it's important for them to build and maintain user trust with unique, honest and authentic perspectives to create longer-form content, connections and partnerships, eventually leading to long-term loyalty from audiences. Here are the two key signals that reflect this:

  1. Trust the FYProcess: Being honest and sharing real experiences helps build trust and intrigue to try new products/services.
  2. Answered by TikTok: People use TikTok to start conversations in their community and find unique answers to satisfy their every curiosity.

Our research also shows that advertising on TikTok drives brand trust and loyalty.

  • When brands advertised on TikTok consistently over an extended period of time, there was a 41% increase in trust with viewers (1)
  • After seeing an ad on TikTok, Canadian viewers are 108% more likely to trust the brand and 31% more likely to be loyal to a brand, globally (1)


Getting to Know You

When brands tap into identity and community, they are able to unlock new pathways for audiences to learn more about them. Here are the three key signals that reflect this:

  1. Shoppable Community Aesthetics: TikTok communities are becoming integral to users' lifestyles, from how #cozygamers clean their seasonal setups to how #softgirls do their makeup.
  2. Little Luxe: The TikTok community highlights how they reward themselves at any budget level, making indulgence feel accessible and attainable for everyone.
  3. All Access Shopping: Our platform provides opportunities for brands, sellers and creators to meaningfully connect with their community and drive business results through a native shopping experience.

Our research shows that our community resonates with brands and products that drive community conversation and spark joy.

  • 32% of TikTok users buy to fit in with friends, community, or because everyone is talking about it (2)
  • 49% of  Canadian TikTok users are making purchases that spark joy (2)


    • Growing Together

    Whether they're looking to drive positive customer satisfaction, repeat purchases or organic word-of-mouth, brands can lean into unique TikTok features like AR, LIVE, TikTok Shop and Creators to allow consumers to feel closer to the products and brands they love. Here are the two key signals that reflect this:

    1. Try This at Home, Digitally: In-depth reviews and interactive AR filters make shopping feel more intimate and immersive, enabling brands to engage with customers from new perspectives, share in-depth product details and unlock new brand connections.
    2. Customer-to-Creator Pipeline: TikTok gives brands a chance to convert customers into passionate advocates by showcasing product features, sustainability practices and more.

    Our research shows that TikTok plays an important role in the product purchase journey and ultimately inspires the community to create content following their purchase.

  • TikTok users are 1.2x more likely to buy from the same retailer again when TikTok is part of the purchase journey (3)
  • 49% of TikTok users create a post about a product/brand they purchased from [2x more likely vs. other platform users] (2)


    • A note on What's Next Methodology

    TikTok For Business compiled comprehensive insights from a variety of sources to better understand small, medium and large-scale TikTok trends and what they can tell us about culture and creativity on the platform. This included commissioned third-party research as well as first-party data analyzing platform performance on TikTok between 2022 and 2023.

    Through the various categories included in the report, we provide a retrospective on shopping behaviours and trends on TikTok in 2022 and a perspective on the growth opportunities for 2023.

    Sources:

    (1): TikTok Drives Brand Trust Study 2022, commissioned by TikTok Marketing Science Global and executed by Edelman Data and Intelligence

    (2): TikTok Marketing Science Global Ecommerce Study 2022, conducted by Material

    (3): TikTok Marketing Science US eCommerce Vertical Research 2022, conducted by Material