The change is only one of many ways customers have changed their purchasing behaviors in response to inflation that has reached historic highs and rising interest rates.
A camping chair love seat for the couple that appreciates the outdoors; a refillable candle for your environmentally concerned relative; a cocktail infusion kit for the pal who enjoys mixology are just a few of the ideal gifts kept in Savannah Baron's extensive list.
She cannot use it. It is intended for her 189,000 TikTok fans.
The 27-year-old Baron finds some satisfaction in "finding those little items and modest brands" that are prone to being disregarded. However, her TikTok videos of handpicked gift suggestions appeal to a crucial and youthful audience: those who conduct all of their holiday shopping on social media, from finding ideas to making purchases.
According to research conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte, millennials (1981 to 1996) and Gen Z (born from 1997 to 2012) will each spend 60% of their holiday shopping budget on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other similar apps. Comparing such numbers to the 49 and 46% reported in 2021, respectively, is a huge increase. The study discovered that even Gen X and baby boomers were warming to the trend.
Additionally, social networking is a crucial place to start: According to a global survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value in collaboration with the National Retail Federation, 6 out of 10 consumers claim they obtain "inspiration and ideas" from the websites.
Logan Stenseng, 24, of Iola, Kan., a small town about 100 miles south of Kansas City, said, "Social media exposes us to so many more items that we would never have access to." He browses Facebook Marketplace for deals while also using Pinterest to find present ideas. You can't buy these items in local stores, but you can see what's fashionable elsewhere and things that are highly useful or practical and aid others.
According to Bobby Stephens, a partner at Deloitte who specializes in the retail and consumer products industry, the platforms enable a smooth browse-to-buy buying experience. Additionally, he anticipates that if consumers continue to choose product evaluations, choice lists, and unboxing videos, more businesses, brands, and platforms will follow suit.
According to Stephens, "I just think it's a more engaging and current experience for the end consumer." Additionally, "what you're seeing is marketers and stores bringing the content to them" as younger groups spend more time on the apps.
According to market research company Grand View Research, the market for influencer-branded content reached $10.4 billion last year and is projected to grow over the next years. According to the analysis, fashion and lifestyle companies account for the largest portion of the market, or over a third.
TikTok's internet-eating habits
The change is only one of many ways customers have changed their purchasing behaviors in response to inflation that has reached historic highs and rising interest rates.
In order to spread out spending over the holiday season, shoppers are more savvy, looking for deals, checking costs, and clipping coupons. They are also making earlier purchases. The National Retail Federation predicts that Christmas spending in November and December will be between $942.6 billion and $960.4 billion, up 6 to 8 percent from the previous year. Inflation is not taken into account in the numbers.
Retailers also had to change this year as a result of their profits being destroyed by piled-up inventory and growing labor expenses, prompting them to launch early deals and discount a wider range of goods.
However, they also realized that despite the fact that in-person purchasing had returned to its pre-pandemic levels, consumer expectations had changed. Service and comfort came first. Self-checkout, online ordering with in-store pickup, and curbside pickup have all become commonplace.
Because she spends the majority of her free time on social media, Allison Stackhouse, 24, finds herself purchasing there.
"My phone knows what I like and what I want because of all the tracking information that is integrated into it," she said. "You're just thinking about [a product], like. They shove it in your face, and you think, "Okay, I guess I'll just purchase it now.
The leading social media businesses in this trend are TikTok and Facebook parent company Meta. Instagram revealed a new purchasing tool for merchants to build digital storefronts in 2020, making it simpler for consumers to click and purchase. Now, the app's bottom toolbar has a "shop" tab as well.
TikTok is growing potential for marketers by providing tools and guidance to help advertisers manage their commercials and attract audiences. In just five years, TikTok became the most popular social media app among Gen Z. In Asian and British markets, the app also introduced a live shopping option. According to the Financial Times, the social media juggernaut is getting ready for a U.S. launch in the upcoming weeks.
However, there have been missteps. As a result of an overestimation of the e-commerce surge during the pandemic, Meta stated on Wednesday that it was firing 11,000 employees. After failing to meet expectations, Meta decided to shut down its live shopping service on Facebook three months ago.
Despite Meta's decision to leave the arena, Ryan Detert, the CEO of influencer marketing firm Influential, predicted that influencers and marketers will increasingly turn to live streaming. He claimed that the interaction between viewers and the performer was just an improved version of seeing someone evaluate a product in a video.
In the Asia-Pacific region, where "200 billion — with a B — is spent on live commerce every year," Detert emphasized the region's resounding success.
He continued, "It's a consumer behavior."
For those who currently purchase on social media and use applications like TikTok to research things, the change is a logical progression. Stenseng, a resident of Kansas, claimed that he uses the app as his primary search engine since it is replete with knowledge and offers frank product reviews, enabling users to make educated purchasing decisions.
A 24-year-old consultant from Boston named Liv Picarillo said she enjoys shopping on social media because of the extra ease.
She explained, "You're already reading through Instagram when you find something very cool you want. You can click three links and it will be at your door in two days.
However, young customers, who have a keen eye for false endorsements, care about how influencers market the products. An influencer post won't even be considered, according to Picarillo and Stackhouse, a marketing expert in New York, if it's obvious that the influencers wouldn't utilize the products themselves.