TikTok shared the second part of its Path to Purchase report, a study showing TikTok’s impact on the consumer purchase journey – from discovery to consideration to post-purchase promotion.
The latest research offers brands some interesting insights into how they can use the platform to not only drive culturally relevant conversations, but also their sales. \
Additionally, the report shows how TikTok’s platform and community can drive impact beyond impulse buying.
Consumers tend to share happy content about big-ticket items like vacations and new cars, which in turn drives action from other consumers eager to engage in conversations on and off the platform.
Key highlights of the latest research include:
- TikTok has a strong and positive impact throughout the buying process. In fact, 50% of users report that they are more likely to be happy, excited or delighted with a product they purchased.
- TikTok has proven to be a word-of-mouth marketplace driven by post-purchase behavior. Users turn to brands, creators and trending topics to discover new products.
- 58% of TikTok users discover new brands and products on the platform.
- 44% Found something they immediately went out to buy.
- Discovery takes place on TikTok 1.1x than other platforms.
It’s also worth noting that what happens on TikTok doesn’t stay on TikTok.
- TikTok users are 56% It’s more likely to research new brands or products on this platform than on other platforms, even for buying commodities like cars and travel.
- However, these journeys that include TikTok also see:
- 65% of users conduct more online research.
- 57% of users seek more details on where to buy products.
- 54% of users also conducted face-to-face research.
TikTok’s unique pattern of discovery and strong engagement behavior during research also means satisfied customers amplify brands and products after purchasing.
- 58% of TikTok users persuade others to use a product
- 49% of TikTok users recommend products to those who buy them.
- 47% of TikTok users convince others to buy products they see on the platform,
Matt Southern, senior news writer for Search Engine Magazine, wrote in a February article titled “TikTok is a key part of the consumer path to purchase. “
The study found that the purchase path on TikTok looks more like an “infinite loop” than a traditional purchase path.
Screenshot of TikTok.com/business, February 2022In an article I wrote in December 2020 titled “The future of SEO lies in the ‘middle of the chaos’ of the buying journey,” research by Google’s UK-based consumer insights team also found that consumers cycle between exploring and evaluating available options until they’re ready to buy.
Screenshot from Thinkwithgoogle.com, July 2020I outline a similar looping process for discovering new videos and sharing engaging content in my book, YouTube and Video Marketing, published in November 2011. I was inspired to create this video search and sharing model by reading research I did before I was born.
In 1948, Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet published people’s Choice, a study of the 1940 US presidential election. They discovered a two-step communication process. The first step, from media sources to opinion leaders, is the transfer of information, but the second step, from opinion leaders to their followers, also involves interpersonal influence.
More than a decade ago, I used a two-step streaming model to explain how YouTube works. Using this insight, creators and marketers are able to harness YouTube’s unique power as the world’s largest video search engine and the world’s largest video sharing site.
So TikTok’s latest research is backed up by a series of similar findings over 80 years. This means that whether you want to build brand awareness, generate qualified leads, increase traffic or increase conversions, social video is more like word-of-mouth marketing than mass media marketing.
Recognizing this is key to developing a digital marketing strategy that leverages TikTok’s impact on the consumer buying journey—from discovery to consideration to post-purchase promotion.
