Samantha Gonda
Samantha Gonda

Six years ago TikTok launched, thus forever changing the lucrative and fast-paced game of social media marketing.

While many were quick to laugh at the latest social platform, with over 3.5 billion downloads as of January 2021 and US users spending an average of 38 minutes on the app daily, exactly no one is laughing now.

So we’ve established that TikTok is incredibly popular, but does it lead to sales? The short answer is yes, and if you don’t want to take our word for it, we’ll dive into some of the specifics below.

20.6% of TikTok shoppers noted that they bought goods on TikTok “all the time.” This is higher than any other social platform, with Youtube coming in second at 16.6%.

Additionally, 67% of users stated that TikTok inspired them to shop even when they weren’t previously looking to do so. This same survey from TikTok also found that 73% of users felt a deeper connection with brands they interact with on TikTok compared to other platforms.

Tik Tok user

And most importantly, 37% of TikTok users have discovered something on TikTok and immediately went to buy it.

Alright, now we know that TikTok is definitely a place to make sales and develop loyalty and a sense of community among consumers. But move fast! TikTok trends shift daily and weekly and it’s up for debate how long TikTok will remain the top social platform.

Now, let’s dive into who the consumers are on TikTok. Is it your audience?

Who is on TikTok

While TikTok users are often stereotyped to be entirely Gen Z, the following statistics on TikTok users from DataReportal indicate that millions of people from all different age groups use the app.

  • 18 to 24: 386.6 million (43.7 percent)
  • 25 to 34: 282 million (31.9 percent)
  • 35 to 44: 115.5 million users (13 percent)
  • 45 to 54: 57.1 million users (6.4 percent)
  • 55 and above: 30.5 million users (3.4 percent)

Moreover, 57% of TikTok users identify as female whereas 43% identify as male.

Although women 18-24 are the most prominent demographic on the app, brands targeting other age groups and/or genders are likely to still benefit from marketing on TikTok. For example, the men’s dress shirt brand Collars & Co was able to boost daily sales and generate a strong following after only one month on TikTok. While this brand’s key demographic is not 18-24 year old women, Collars & Co was able to drive sales and brand awareness by creating ‘helpful tips’ styled content and engaging behind the scenes clips on their own page.

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Samantha Gonda is an account executive at RED PR.