While it may not be surprising that younger generations of users are far more likely to use social platforms to find products than older users, it's interesting to know what specifically people are searching for within social platforms and what they turn to Google for when they need it.
That's exactly what the team at Forbes Advisor set out to find out in their latest study, which partnered with Talker Research to survey 2,000 U.S. internet users to gain insight into evolving discovery behavior.
A key finding is that young people are increasingly using social apps for business discovery, particularly TikTok and Instagram.
Again, this isn’t surprising, as even Google has highlighted the shift to TikTok and IG in search as a potential threat to its business.
So the question becomes: what does generative AI bring to this trend?
Google recently added C.hatGPT-like responses in searchesis a feature that automatically provides summaries for specific queries, but if this type of conversational search is going to be a game changer, as many are predicting, will it bring more users back to Google?
Similarly, TikTok is experimenting with its own AI chatbot, and Meta has added an AI assistant tool to all of its apps (except Threads), meaning both companies are looking to offer similar options, and it will be interesting to see how advances in these AI tools change discovery, or not.
But what's more interesting about the Forbes Advisor study is that it looks at what people are searching for on social apps and in Google search.
As you can see from this chart, Gen Z users primarily turn to social apps for information about trends in fashion, beauty, food, and crafts, especially self-care, health, and DIY projects, while turning to Google for big purchases, places to go, and professional services.
Again, this isn't too surprising, but it's interesting to think about where people are looking and how that relates to your own marketing efforts.
So the first point is that it really depends on the audience you’re trying to reach. If you’re looking to connect with an older audience, Google is still a key pipeline and it’s worth considering the language you use to this audience.
However, the number of young people searching on social is on the rise, which can also help guide your creative and how you work with each platform.
So while it may seem relatively obvious based on the broader trends, it's worth looking at the details and how they relate to your promotion.
The full research report can be found here.
