In recent years, the fastest-growing application, TikTok, has gained immense popularity, especially among Gen Z, inspiring competing social media platforms to offer short-video features in their own apps. TikTok has truly become a dark horse in the social media platform market.
And now, TikTok is becoming more than just a social media competitor. According to a Google report, over 40% of Gen Z use TikTok, including Instagram, for search instead of Google Search and Google Maps.
Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President of Google, confirmed that TikTok's short video format is changing the internet search behavior of young people, especially when looking for delicious food places.
Because young internet users often don't type keywords in their searches, but instead look for content in new and more engaging formats.
How does searching for information on Google differ from searching on TikTok?
Comparing restaurant searches on TikTok and Instagram, the search results page is filled with tempting menu posts, restaurant reviews, and restaurant accounts. In contrast, searching on Google yields directions to the restaurant and other information from the restaurant's main website.
This may be because the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in search trends. Searches shifted from text-based searches with images or videos interspersed, similar to the video, music, and entertainment offerings of the Google, which became more appealing to a wider audience.
Planning for new feature changes and preparing for the Google update.
While older internet users may not be able to imagine using video apps and social media platforms to search for information, the growing younger user base could significantly impact Google's core search business. This data suggests that all the work Google has done over the years to gather information and recommend businesses may be lost to this younger user group.
Therefore, Google plans to prepare for this by adjusting its search and map features in an attempt to attract Gen Z users to spend more time on the SERP (Search Engine Result Page). This involves developing a system that incorporates AR (Augmented Reality) search, where users can use their camera to move around areas and objects, instantly revealing insightful information.
Furthermore, Google has begun leveraging AI to analyze web videos and guide users to more complete search results. For example, if you search for "how to change a tire" on Google, when displaying video results, Google will use AI to analyze different parts of the video, allowing users to accurately skip to the minute that explains how to loosen the nut.
In fact, tech giant Google has been riding this clearly changing search trend since last fall, securing deals that will allow it to index TikTok and Instagram videos on certain search results pages. For example, if you search for a primary keyword followed by “TikTok,” Google will display a row of TikTok video results before you see any standard web pages.
TikTok not only wiped out the Google Search industry, but also affected YouTube!
According to a report by Insider Intelligence, a leading global research firm, advertising revenue for the YouTube platform is projected to surpass that of TikTok by 2024.
In 2022, TikTok successfully surpassed YouTube in terms of platform usage time among Gen Z and Gen Alpha users. On average, these users spent 21% more time on the TikTok app, reaching 91 minutes per day, while their time on the YouTube app decreased by 12.5% to 56 minutes per day.
Although other age groups spend more average time on YouTube, the release of the new YouTube Shorts short video clip feature means that YouTube is adapting to maintain its position as the number one video platform and retain its user base.
Marketing, branding, and businesses must adapt and move quickly to embrace the era of short-form video platforms.
Consumer behavior has changed, and people are spending more and more time on short video platforms.
Marketers therefore need to plan and adapt their strategies to cope with the evolving customer journey, from searching for brand information, purchasing products and using brand services, to writing reviews and recommending them to others on social media platforms.
Especially if the brand's target audience is Gen Z, this is a great opportunity to start exploring channels on the TikTok application for proactive marketing, using short TikTok videos as a guide along the customer journey to obtain more information.
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