TikTok has shared some new data on the potential of its Search Ads, which place brand results into relevant search queries within the app.
TikTok added Search Ads back in 2023, which, as noted, will display your ads within related search queries in the app.
And with TikTok users conducting billions of searches in the app every day (TikTok says that total searches are up 40% year over year), that could present significant opportunity to get your promotions in front of the right people at the right time.
And according to new research from WARC, TikTok users are increasingly reliant on TikTok search for product insights.
The WARC team conducted a study of the search habits of over 1,000 U.S. consumers, and found that TikTok search is among the most valued tools for discovery.
As you can see in this overview, TikTok Search now rivals traditional Google discovery for younger consumers, which underlines the value of TikTok as a discovery tool for this audience.
Interestingly, TikTok also beats out AI search tools in this respect, though AI tools are only just taking hold, and are steadily gaining market share.
The study also looked at what specifically younger audiences are searching for in social apps, in variance to other discovery surfaces.
Beauty and fashion, entertainment, recipes, there’s a range of opportunities here that could help to guide your marketing approach, and ensure that you connect with your target consumers where they’re actively looking for answers.
The study also looked at TikTok specifically, and what people are coming to the app for:
Some key opportunities, which underline the potential of TikTok’s Search Ads as a means to connect with these shoppers, and reach them as they seek more information.
And TikTok’s also shared some performance data on Search Ads:
- TikTok activations that included dedicated search campaigns drove 2.0x higher purchase lift compared to initiatives without.
- For enterprise advertisers, the impact of TikTok search campaigns grew even larger, achieving a 2.2x purchase lift versus initiatives without search campaigns.
- For enterprise retail specifically, dedicated search campaigns delivered a 1.9x purchase lift versus campaigns without, and notably higher incremental ROAS compared to non-search counterparts.
It could be worth adding TikTok Search Ads into your holiday marketing plan, and testing them out as a means to see whether you can drive more interest from TikTok queries.
Another consideration either way, with a lot of search activity happening in the app.
You can check out the full WARC study here.
