TikTok Overtakes Instagram: Get Ready for the Mobile Shopping Generation [5 Reading Tips]

TikTok Instagram Shop — Source: Unsplash/Olivier Bergeron

It was bound to happen. We all knew that the day was not too far away, but now the time has come. The Chinese short video app, the super social media portal, the digital teen dance video among social networks has made it: TikTok overtakes Instagram, the number one social media platform. But in which category? Usability? Number of users? Range of features? Almost. TikTok has become the opinion leader. Somehow.

TikTok as a Trend Channel for Online Shopping

In March 2021, a study conducted by Uswitch.com revealed how the shopping habits of the British public have changed in recent times. Okay, Great Britain is no longer part of the EU and you can say whatever you want about the prejudices against the British abroad, but the demographic average of the British population can be seen as representative of many other highly developed countries.

Uswitch.com surveyed 4,380 people who frequently shop online, asking them how their shopping habits have changed, what their preferences for online shopping are and, most importantly, where they shop. The study found that the majority uses the Chinese video app TikTok for information about online shopping trends. Although TikTok is considered a relatively new social network in the Western world, it is already changing a lot. 41 per cent of those surveyed use the app to look for the latest shopping trends and 37 per cent to be inspired by TikTok influencers.

Instagram is only ranked second in the study with 27 per cent. In this context, Facebook (two per cent) is the last platform that would come into question when looking for new shopping trends.

Source: Uswitch.com/Question: Which platform are you most likely to go to for shopping trends?

TikTok as an Appetiser for Shopping from Bed

It is so easy these days to buy products online using Face ID or fingerprint recognition. With apps like Apple Pay and PayPal, it is becoming faster and easier to spend money. The study also looked at the most popular locations for the British to shop online.

Source: Uswitch.com/Question: Where do you most frequently shop online?

Wow, humankind has become so lazy. In addition, Uswitch.com found that 60 per cent of those surveyed shop online while they are on the toilet. The most popular time of the month for online shopping was identified as well. The result comes as little surprise: almost two thirds of respondents shop online most frequently at the beginning of the month.

Perceiving TikTok and Online Shopping as the »New Normal«

… while particularly focusing on the mobile aspect. It is not only this study that has shown that shopping behaviour is becoming increasingly convenient, increasingly mobile and faster. Based on this information, the following shopping routine of an average, online-savvy, Central European person can be derived: on the video app TikTok (sometimes also on Instagram), the customer regularly gets inspiration from recurring Ads and popular influencers before finally ordering a product via smartphone at the beginning of the month. When making the purchase, the customer counts on PayPal being accepted and the checkout being quick and convenient. He/she also does not want to overexert him-/herself while lying in bed. After all, there is no other way: there is a pandemic going on outside.

In our »Success in Mobile Commerce« white paper, we show you how to prepare for mobile commerce, how to optimise the mobile checkout and how to create a modern mobile web design. There is no other area of commerce where people spend more money these days – and it will stay like this in the future. Get ready for shopping in the age of the smartphone. Download the white paper for free now. Have fun!