• by Colin Kirkland , November 22, 2024

As social media platforms compete for consumer attention -- especially during the holiday season -- a new survey by marketing agency MGH showcases TikTok's influence over users' shopping habits, as well as the importance of various in-app content strategies.

According to MGH, more than half of survey respondents said they have already discovered gift ideas for the holidays this year while scrolling through their TikTok feed, while 39% purposefully searched the social platform for holiday gift ideas.

The survey also shows TikTok users looking for gift ideas across a wide array of categories.

People who had already found or searched the platform for gift ideas by the time the survey was conducted (November 13), were looking for food and beverage gifts (45%), personalized gifts (42%), tech gadgets (41%), beauty and skincare products (39%), clothing and accessories (39%), DIY gifts (38%), home decor and lifestyle items (36%), experiences (36%), and toys and games for children (33%).

Respondents also made purchases on TikTok. According to the survey, almost half of respondents purchased items for themselves on the platform's ecommerce offering TikTok Shop, and 37% purchased items for others.

MGH says that in terms of persuasive TikTok content, videos of unboxings, user experiences and reviews “greatly impact purchasing decisions.”

Overall, 69% of respondents found videos containing these visual elements were important when deciding whether to purchase an item.

With TikTok setting a lofty goal to grow its U.S. Shop business tenfold -– $17.5 billion -- by the end of 2024, the ByteDance-owned company has implemented exclusive deals and sales from major brands, as well as celebrity-led shopping experiences, to bolster its livestream shopping initiatives.

In sparking heightened competition among other leading social platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Meta's family of apps, which are all building out their own social commerce offerings, TikTok has also recently filed two U.S. trademarks that could open its ad business up to new opportunities, including restaurants, retail, travel, and more.