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Interview with Charli & Dixie D'Amelio, Internet's New Family Empire

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15/jul/2020 - This is the story of how two sisters became the cultural pioneers of their generation overnight (almost). Interview with Charli & Dixie here.

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TikTok has had a big impact on fashion retail in the past 12 months, with brands increasingly using the platform to both determine trends and drive sales. If you are of a certain demographic or a regular online shopper - it is likely that fashion brands often fill your FYP ('for you page'), and that viral videos tempt you to buy the next 'must-have' product.

Here's how fashion brands are getting involved with TikTok and how the platform could impact the future of online fashion retail - as well as drive social commerce.

A platform for unfiltered creative expression

Unlike Instagram, where fashion content tends to be highly filtered and aspirational, fashion on TikTok is rooted in unfiltered reality. This is largely because the majority of content is created by regular users, and TikTok is overall seen as a platform for authentic creative expression.

Fashion content on TikTok tends to be more accessible and ultimately more influential - hence why fashion videos (and the products featured) often go viral. From a pair of Aerie leggings to Zara jeans, many fashion items are hard to come by or, in some cases, sold out due to this phenomenon, also known as 'TikTok made me buy it'. Gap has even started re-manufacturing a vintage hoodie after it started appearing on resale sites for more than $200 (on the back of a single viral video).

Social Media Platforms Trends Report

Of course, this type of exposure - and subsequent sales boost - is hard to orchestrate, as many videos are created by regular and unbiased consumers. However, brands are able to capitalise on the hashtags that shoppers on the platform use and search under when seeking out new trends. The hashtag #TikTokfashion, for example, now has more than 17 billion views. Other, more niche, hashtags also generate plenty of interest; #cottagecorefashion has over 14.6m views.

Brands are tapping into hashtag challenges on the platform, and re-purposing user generated videos for content on their own channels. Take the 'Gucci Model Challenge', a viral trend which saw users pitch themselves in an unofficial Gucci model casting. As it stands, the hashtag #guccimodelchallenge has had 261.5m views, with the luxury brand itself jumping on the trend to reach TikTok's Gen-Z user base.

@tayhage
Trying the #guccimodelchallenge @gucci #tiktokfashionmonth

♬ original sound - Gucci

Indeed, it is this demographic (and their spending power) that is driving most of the traction for fashion brands on TikTok. More than 60% of platform users are Generation Z, and with a spending power of over $150 billion, brands are naturally keen to further connections with this target audience.

Viviane Paxinos, General Manager at student network UNiDAYS, told Econsultancy that she believes the success of the platform stems from an algorithm that drives content to these young users based on their unique interests - not just people that they follow (like on Instagram). This content, says Paxinos, is "driven by meme culture, unfiltered and authentic videos from real people, entertainment and humour from creators, and bite-sized 'life hack' advice."

Paxinos also cites a recent UNiDAYS study of 20 million Gen Z student members as further proof of TikTok's potential for brands in fashion. The survey found that fashion purchases made by 49% of respondents were influenced by brands they see on social media. As such, she says, "TikTok is a growth opportunity for fashion retail marketers looking to drive brand awareness and social commerce."

Capitalising on influencer reach

Another way that brands are reaching young consumers on TikTok is based around big events and the influencers that drive interest in them.

As Glossy reports, Olympic sponsor brands are currently gaining exposure from influencers on TikTok who are giving users behind-the-scenes insight - while wearing said brands. Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley has been wearing his sponsor Adidas in TikTok videos throughout the Games, while surfer Caroline Marks has been representing Ralph Lauren, who designed the uniform for Team USA.

Brand sponsors usually gain exposure through TV coverage and in-person spectators, however, with the latter reduced this year, and overall, more consumers watching less TV and spending more time on social media - TikTok is a proving to be an effective marketing channel.

Indeed, influencer partnerships are a natural choice for many fashion brands on the platform, with some using this strategy alongside paid ads to generate both awareness and sales. One brand that successfully does this is Shein - a Chinese retailer that became the most talked-about brand on TikTok in 2020. This was achieved through a combination of influencer partnerships, with both micro and macro-influencers participating in 'Shein hauls', as well as paid advertising.

Interestingly, Shein is also tapping into the desire many users have to become influencers themselves, with many people (often with low amounts of followers) creating their own Shein hauls in the hope of being noticed and featured by the brand, as well as to earn money via its popular affiliate programme. Shein's low price point means that this is easily attainable, thereby feeding into Shein's marketing engine.

@shein_official
Loving the fits from this haul✨ @nanalee2908

♬ DlCK by starboi x doja cat - Ben Chatonda-Oikawa

This strategy aligns with TikTok's early advice for marketers using the platform - "Don't make ads. Make TikToks'. Indeed, UNiDAYS' Viviane Paxinos told Econsultancy that "half of Gen Z (56%) say they don't follow fashion brands on social." Consequently, she suggests "brands that collaborate with creators - particularly those which resonate with Gen Z consumers - are gaining organic reach in a way that feels more authentically tailored to the TikTok experience."

Live-streaming runway shows and events

With Covid impacting in-person events during the pandemic, many luxury and designer fashion brands chose to live-stream runway shows instead, with this activity culminating in TikTok's first ever virtual fashion month last September. #TikTokFashionMonth saw the platform live-stream two events a week for brands including Saint Lauren and Louis Vuitton. The final show, TikTok Runway Odyssey, also saw TikTok creators being featured on the runway, and exclusive collections being put on sale for TikTok users to buy.

According to TikTok, the live streams generated over three million views altogether. And while this doesn't sound like a huge number (considering the amount of views that some individual videos can get) - it is ground-breaking for luxury retail brands who tend to struggle on the platform in comparison to cheaper fast fashion brands. It has also enabled a younger demographic - who would otherwise be unable to access runway shows - the chance to have a front seat via the platform they use the most, thereby giving luxury brands a chance to connect.

Live-streaming on TikTok isn't only dedicated to runway shows. Interestingly, TikTok is also experimenting with a new live-stream shopping experience, enabling users to interact and directly buy from brands and creators during live videos. Walmart was the first retail brand to get involved, initially back in December 2020 and once again in March of this year. According to Walmart, while it did not disclose sales figures, the first live stream generated seven times more views than expected and grew the brand's TikTok followers by 25%.

Of course, live commerce is big business in China, where more than 100 million consumers are said to watch a live online video event every month. And while it might not reach this level, with TikTok now serious about investing in the concept, we could certainly see it gain traction in western markets in the coming months.

More shopping features (and opportunities for emerging fashion brands)

Live streaming isn't the only commerce feature that TikTok is testing. Back in May, Bloomberg reported that TikTok was trialling an in-app shopping feature that will enable users to directly buy from the platform. Bloomberg states that streetwear label Hype was part of the test, and that "the label's storefront under its TikTok account displays a range of merchandise with product images and prices, according to a screen grab provided to Bloomberg News."

This comes on the back of TikTok's partnership with Shopify to allow merchants to access core functions of the ' TikTok For Business Ads Manager' directly from the Shopify dashboard. In other words, this easily enables them to create In-Feed shoppable video ads, as well as connect tools to track conversions.

Despite these developments in social commerce, Viviane Paxinos offers a word of caution to youth-focused fashion retail brands getting involved. This is because, according to UNiDAYS' survey, 75% of Generation Z do not trust shopping directly from social media. As a result, "how [Gen Z] consume culture and advertising is often at odds," says Paxinos. "When one platform loses its appeal because of too much advertising and brand messaging, they switch to another. Fashion marketers need to bear this mind when it comes to TikTok, or any other platform."

More importantly, suggests Paxinos, is that brands need to consider the 'value exchange', something that is increasingly important to Gen Z - a demographic that is "the definition of thrifty, practical, and determined," she says.

So, with TikTok increasingly becoming a discovery platform for consumers, new brands are grabbing the opportunity to reach audiences by delving into specific and value-driven interests, with some even originating on TikTok itself. One example of this is Vintage Stock Reserve, a small and sustainable fashion brand that up-cycles vintage clothing.

As Vogue Business explains, the company was borne out of the creators' passion for DIY fashion, with the page starting out as a place to share designs alongside an ethical message. Now with 1.9 million followers, Vintage Stock Reserve sells select pieces on their own website, with the aim of continuing the cycle of thrifted and sustainable fashion.

@vintagestockreserve
Reply to @brittanystoll Repurposed Harley Davidson Bucket Hat♻️ Collection drop is on May 21st! #harleydavidson #fashion #upcycledfashion #summer

♬ original sound - VSR

As TikTok continues to invest in social commerce, it is likely that more fashion brands will jump on board. However, as Viviane Paxinos says, "fashion brands also need to be looking at ecommerce and social commerce as part of wider omnichannel retail strategies, driving consumers in-store for those brands where bricks and mortar still plays an important role in delivering sales."

But, another note of caution - it is vital that fashion brands do not lose sight of the reasons why the platform resonates so deeply with users (particularly Generation Z) in the first place - hint: it's not brand involvement. In contrast, those that are able to embrace the fun, authentic, and often random side of the platform are the brands that are most likely to find success (and drive sales).

Social Media Platforms Trends Report

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'TikTok made me buy it': How the video-sharing platform is influencing fashion retail

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TikTok has had a big impact on fashion retail, with brands increasingly using the platform to both determine trends and drive sales. Here's how fashion brands are getting involved, along with further insight into how the platform could impact the future of online fashion retail and drive social commerce.

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"The fashion community on TikTok is one that is quickly growing'

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TikTok's modernity makes way for new j-fashion community members. But it can have unforeseen effects and consequences. Sean Chong-Umeda, the patron saint of unicorns, discusses their experiences with the blossoming community on TikTok.

Follow Sean here!:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/seannyboy808/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@seannyboy808
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/seannyboy808
Twitter - https://twitter.com/seannyboy808/

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episode 47 - j-fashion tiktok w/ sean chong-umeda

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‎O-Kei!! Podcast: Episode 47 - J-Fashion TikTok w/ Sean Chong-Umeda on Apple Podcasts

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TikTok's modernity makes way for new j-fashion community members. But it can have unforeseen effects and consequences. Sean Chong-Umeda, the patron saint of unicorns, discusses their experiences with the blossoming community on TikTok. Follow Sean here!:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/seannyboy808/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@seannyboy808Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/seannyboy808Twitter - https://twitter.com/seannyboy808/ -------------------- Get 15% off your Holley Tea Time order by going to https://holleyteatime.shop/discount/O-kei!!PodcastKamilah's brand: www.harddecora.comHayden's brand: www.princedorkface-designs.company.site -------------------- Follow O-kei!!

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Dixie & Charlie D'Amelio - TikTok Stars

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TikTok took social media by storm when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as millions across the country were in quarantine and spending more time than usual on their devices. Dance videos, pranks, recipes and creative hacks infiltrated the internet and provided a community like no other.

By August 2020, the platform saw an 800% increase in users compared to January 2018. TikTok's authentic nature has indelibly changed the social media landscape by providing individuals with the opportunity to go viral in a more organic way. Loyal users and creators encountered a roadblock in August of 2020, when then-President Trump announced his plans to ban the beloved app. As TikTok users scrambled, Instagram's copycat-Reels-was born. Fast-forward six months and the TikTok ban has been shelved and Reels has become more formidable than initially anticipated.

Our team at Markerly couldn't help but wonder which app performs better, by how much, and in what capacities. We gathered user and post metrics (followers, likes, comments, shares, and views) from 80 influencers and 10 brands across both Reels and TikTok. We also looked closely at instances of cross-posting the same content on both platforms, to draw a true comparison wherever possible. Our data indicated that engagement rates on TikTok were significantly higher than Reels for individual users, particularly influencers and celebrities. However, when analyzing brand pages, Reels received higher engagements and impressions, which we believe is due to the presences they have established on Instagram.
TikTok vs. Reels
Since TikTok was born out of authentic, light-hearted and creative content led by individuals, it's no wonder that these users and creators appear to outperform brands on the app.

For instance, Justin Bieber posted the same dance challenge on both platforms. On Reels he garnered roughly 4.8M likes, translating to a 3% engagement rate. On TikTok he received 9.5M likes for a 49% engagement rate. Kylie Jenner generated an 89% impression rate with 23.5M views on TikTok in one post. The same content on Reels received over 1M views but, with Jenner's significantly larger Instagram following, this amounted to an impression rate of just 0.5%.

TikTok's standalone product has the unique ability to drive organic engagement and visibility that has never been seen before, particularly among users with smaller followings. On the other hand, Reels has the advantage of being built on Instagram, meaning a stronger presence from brand pages and an already captive audience, which increases visibility.

We calculated the impression rate (views/followers) for six pieces of cross-posted content from brands including Sephora, Burger King, and DSW. Based on this relatively small sample size, we found average impression rates for brands on Reels to be higher than those on TikTok. On Reels, the cross-posted brand content we analyzed received an average 12% impression rate, compared to a 5% average impression rate for the same content on TikTok. Those already immersed in Instagram and following these brands could check out Reels without downloading a completely different app.

Reels reaches people where they already are, and our data indicates that this is an effective strategy for brands.
The takeaways For brands and influencers:
When it comes to seeing brand content, many are tired of the typical sponsored post and respond better to a more humorous, engaging tone. This tone is hard to achieve with a brand account alone, which may be why we found many brand accounts underperforming on TikTok, where feeds are dominated by authentic personalities. Utilizing influencers for this type of content can improve a brand's visibility on TikTok, while also opening up more opportunities for honest and necessary feedback and conversations between creators and like-minded followers.
For cross-posting:
To meet your audiences where they are and get in front of more users along the way, cross-posting is essential and the results of our study support this point. With TikTok and Reels, where the format is similar and followings may overlap, cross-posting can be tremendously valuable. Each platform holds unique value, depending on the user. Our data showed that TikTok is the best venue to drive high engagements on influencer content while Reels offers the same potential for brand accounts. However, it's worth mentioning that Instagram recently announced that its algorithm will not promote Reels that have TikTok's watermark. Marketers and brands maintaining a presence on both platforms through cross-posting might need to alter their campaign approaches to share similar, but not identical content across these channels.
For the future of TikTok and Reels:
TikTok was built off of a powerful foundation and it's no secret that Instagram is trying to compete more directly with the introduction of Reels. The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri even believes that TikTok is ahead and his team still has a long way to go but maybe not as much as originally anticipated. With this study, we hoped to reveal differentiators and benefits of TikTok vs. Reels. While we speculated that influencers perform better on TikTok, what's overlooked is just how well brands can perform on Reels.

What we do know for sure is that influencers and brands should take advantage of these respective channels and maximize the unique benefits to meet their audiences where they are.

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Research shows that TikTok has an edge over Instagram's Reels - PR Daily

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Brand content performed better on Reels, while TikTok validates the success of influencer pages. Editor's note: This article is a re-run as part of our countdown of top stories from the past year. TikTok took social media by storm when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as millions across the country were in quarantine and spending more [...]

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How Fashion Influencers are Adapting to TikTok

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How Fashion Influencers are Adapting to TikTok

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After building a major presence during the peak era of blogging, influencers began taking over front rows at fashion week in 2009. While this sent a shockwave through traditional sectors of the industry, no one could ignore the new guard—their honest, relatable, and unfiltered viewpoint (at the time) ensured their voices were worth a listen.

In no time, fashion influencers ascended from attending shows to scoring campaigns with some of the most remarkable brands in the world—evolving into celebrities in their own right. While the consumer has seen their journey, we have also become accustomed to the regimented, filtered, and static content that sits across their platforms, even as they largely transitioned from blog entries to Instagram posts. That is, until TikTok.

While TikTok has been available internationally since taking over Musical.ly in 2018, the video content sharing platform really made headway in 2020, when the pandemic led many searching for entertainment. It started with dance videos from Gen-Z creators, some of which are now major celebrities, but has fast become a generalist viral platform that cultivates exciting creations across every niche under the sun. With over a billion users, and over 200 million downloads in the U.S. alone, TikTok has created a new, inclusive space for creators to push trends, highlight topics, and breed engaging conversation.

Trading Instagram's #ootd for #personalstyle, #fashionhacks, and #fyp, #tiktokfashion (with 16.2 billion views and counting) is where the new generation of fashion influencers reside. The unfiltered energy is intimate and open, with many videos feeling like one-on-one conversations, making the TikTok fashion community more attainable than the glossy world of Instagram. And thanks to the hyper-personalized nature of the platform's algorithm, there's more room than ever for a fashion aficionado with any background, talent, or interest to become a breakout star. With Zahraa's hijab styling and demure outfit tutorials; Keri Fay's styling hacks, hauls, and impromptu cooking tutorials; and Ms Kristine's look recreations that fit all body types, TikTok fashion influencers use their profiles in educational, versatile ways—a strategy that proves to draw in the masses.

TikTok influencers have achieved a level of community-building and organic growth not seen at this level in a while (if ever), even catching the attention of leading luxury brands. Prada made headlines in February 2020 for inviting TikTok dance star Charli D'Amelio to attend and create content at its runway show. The brand joined the likes of Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent in live-streaming fashion week shows on TikTok last September, bringing over three million views on the platform alone. With social media relevance and a booming mobile scene, the global stage has pivoted through the phone, and the TikTok fashion community exemplifies the power of this reach.

It isn’t to say that the fashion influencer no longer holds weight on other platforms, but TikTok has created a space for existing fashion influencers to rebrand themselves and new voices to find their audience. Showcasing unique content creation that more easily reaches its intended audiences, the TikTok fashion influencer is able to engage in wider interests and say what's really on their mind.

While many of TikTok's most exciting fashion influencers are a new crop, some OG icons have used the platform to take their status to the next level. One of these is Bryanboy—with over 500,000 followers on Instagram, over a decade in the blogging sphere, and clients such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Prada, his influence is global. While the world may be long familiar with his curated feed of globetrotting luxury fashion content, it isn’t until you get lost in his TikTok profile that you’re able to see his comedy sketches and lighthearted humor. With 1.3 million followers, 36.3 million likes, and an average of 300,000 likes per video, the full scope of Bryanboy's personality comes alive on the platform, giving him freedom for reinvention.

It’s examples like Bryanboy's that show how TikTok allows for more creative fashion content than ever, enhancing the experiences of fans, existing powerhouses, and the third wave of fashion influencers. While only time will tell how the platform's relationship to the fashion industry will evolve as live events and other aspects of normal life return, it's clear that TikTok has made its mark and is here to stay for quite some time.

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How Fashion Influencers Are Adapting to TikTok

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First blogs, then Instagram, and now TikTok: fashion influencers continue to evolve with the media landscape and have now found their new Gen-Z niche. Read all about it inside.

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TikTok Fashion Influencer Subculture Trend

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TikTok Fashion Influencer Subculture Trend

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The year was 2012. Then-teenage blogger Tavi Gevinson sat in the front row at the Dior show in Paris wearing an enormous bow on top of her head, baffling many fashion insiders who couldn't understand why a 13-year-old had been invited to cover a fashion show (let alone block views of the runway). At the time, before there were influencers, fashion bloggers were the ones donning eccentric looks to fashion shows and commenting on industry happenings and trends with the confidence of a career critic.

The blogger moment hardly had a chance. Influencers quickly replaced the indie scribes' hot fashion takes. A cohort of tastemakers that was supposed to democratise fashion gave way to a wave of mini marketers who were open to branded partnerships. By the end of the 2010s, Gevinson shut down Rookie. Leandra Medine's Man Repeller turned into Repeller, only to close months later. And Bryanboy, one of the original fashion influencers, left his witty blogging for the shinier shores of Instagram.

Now, almost a decade later, TikTok is becoming a space where creators are stepping into a time machine that ferries them back to the era of independent commentators. While some might write off the platform as a melting pot of memes and dance-off videos, its spirit is more old-fashioned than some might think. It brims with conversations on sustainability, ethics, trends, fashion history, and design that are often excluded from the traditional influencer landscape that mostly relies on curated images. They've traded #ootd for #trendcycle and #personalstyle, inviting their audiences to engage with their content beyond the likes.

Sure, TikTok is also full of fashion creators pushing trends, displaying hauls, and sharing their latest press trips. But a different archetype of influencer - less of a vessel, more of a critic, if you will - is also emerging on the platform, where personality moves the algorithm more than a pretty filter or sponsorships ever will.

"It reminds me of the time before influencers, when the people who were influential were people who had other jobs but they had something to say," says Alexandra Hildreth, a TikTok fashion commentator who goes by @guyfieri.superfan.

Hildreth works full-time as a project manager at Beyond The Mag, a fashion consulting and creative firm, and lives in Brooklyn. She first downloaded TikTok in January 2020 - when, according to her, it was "embarrassing to have TikTok" - and only decided to start commenting on fashion a year later. Since then, her videos filled with unfiltered opinions on designer collections, trends, sustainability, and style have garnered her 1.4 million likes and nearly 44,000 followers. "I always joke that I can't believe people follow me because every single one of my TikToks is like me in my pyjamas at seven in the morning," says Hildreth, whose nom de TikTok is based on a Halloween costume of the platinum-haired chef she wore during her time as an undergraduate at the University of St. Andrews (yes, the Scottish institution where Prince William met Kate Middleton).

The unfiltered energy on TikTok is nothing like the hyper-studied still life that is Instagram. Most of the videos feel like one-on-one conversations with a fashion-obsessed bestie. Fashion content on the app is less aspirational and polished than other platforms, which helps creators focus on substance rather than curated fluff, and facilitates the growth of niche communities, like #Cottagecore, which has over 6.6 billion views, and #Altgirl, which has over 1.5 billion views.

"Something I'm really excited about is the rise of subcultures," says Agustina Panzoni, an Argentinian TikTok creator who goes by @thealgorythm on the platform. "There are no mainstream trends, but rather smaller trends happening in different subcultures."

Panzoni would know. Last year, after losing her work visa, she transitioned from working at WGSN, an American trend forecasting company, to making TikTok videos. Panzoni studied economics in college, and later ventured into forecasting after learning about this field during a trip to Australia Fashion Week. But after losing her job, she's found a space to pontificate on fashion trends that works on her own terms. "If I can't do it professionally," she told herself, "I'll do it somewhere else."

The magic formula has been to bring her behind-the-scenes knowledge of trend forecasting to the app through video series helping people navigate fashion trends and their cultural significance. Here TikTok's motto is "I find things you like." The pay-off is big for Panzoni, who has garnered over 190,000 followers and over 1 million likes in seven months, watching her follower count grow to 100,000 in her first week.

Even with such a robust following, Panzoni is not trying to make a living out of it: "Influencer marketing is so saturated that at this point we are using this as a platform to push us professionally." Instead, what animates her to keep uploading videos is the TikTokerati's appetite for raw, opinionated, often funny content.

Currently, the independence that these creators maintain from brands or affiliate marketing platforms separates them from the bulk of fashion creators out there. "Listen, if a brand I really loved like Prada or Marc Jacobs reached out to me, obviously you're not going to say no," says Hildreth. "But as far as becoming a full-time influencer, who makes a living off sponsorships and placement promotion, that is not something I have an interest in."

AJ Krakovsky agrees. If you've ever scrolled through his @mizft TikTok channel, the phrase "Don't be mad at me, these are just my opinions" may sound familiar. Krakovsky starts each video with this line, then segues into his raw opinions about everything, from the Kardashians to why Anna Wintour and American Vogue "get on my nerves" and why Selena Gomez is "underrated." Krakovsky started on TikTok in November 2020, after sharing videos of his bad experiences working as a model. Since then, he's grown over 120,000 followers on the platform and over 5.2 million likes.

Prior to joining TikTok, though, he was already a fan of fashion critics, especially people like Luke Meagher from the YouTube channel Haute LeMode, who have disrupted the traditional critic format. "I'm drawn toward people who 100% keep it real," he says. "People who know they might get in trouble for doing something but do it anyway."

Even though he could easily monetise his audience, Krakovsky says he's not interested in filtering his opinions in order to work with brands. In fact, he's already tried to work with some fashion companies, but has been rejected because "they find my content to be controversial."

In an industry ruled by access and connections, creators have the talent and unabashed confidence to say what they want, and TikTok is giving them a space to do it. After all, if they have nothing to gain, they have nothing to lose. For now.

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How TikTok Became Home To A New Kind Of Fashion Influencer

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The year was 2012. Then-teenage blogger Tavi Gevinson sat in the front row at the Dior show in Paris wearing an enormous bow on top of her head, baffling many fashion insiders who couldn't understand why a 13-year-old had been invited to cover a fashion show (let alone block views of the runway).

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TikTok's Influence on the Fashion Industry |

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When thinking about fashion inspiration and finding the newest trends, Instagram is probably the first platform that comes to mind. After years of influencers, discount codes, and hashtags, Instagram has risen to the top of the most influential and memorable social media platforms. Especially when it comes to the fashion world.

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Is TikTok the New Instagram for the Fashion Industry?

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Is TikTok the New Instagram for the Fashion Industry?

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Gen Z is the new moderator of fashion. Behavior of young consumers are shaping how brands are communicating with their clients. With Instagram being at the height of the social media strategy in fashion, TikTok is coming in with a blast.

U sing hashtag challenges, many brands in the fashion and beauty industry are generating billions of views via the TikTok app. The mobile video platform which is used to create entertaining video content inspired by hashtags and pop-culture themes, is recently on the radar of the fashion industry. With 40% of the audience being among ages 16-24, TikTok is having a moment for connecting to the younger consumers. Having videos that are shorter than 60 seconds, TikTok is a powerful tool to give clear and concise messages to the target customers.

Brands like Ralph Lauren, M.A.C Cosmetics and Uniqlo have jumped into the hyped social media app developed by the Chinese tech giant Bytedance which is valued at $75 billion!

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Is TikTok the new Instagram for the fashion industry? | BRANDCARED

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Gen Z is the new moderator of fashion. Behavior of young consumers are shaping how brands are communicating with their clients. With Instagram being at the height of the social media strategy in fashion, TikTok is coming in with a blast.

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Instagram started as a platform that offered users the opportunity to curate a series of images that built a virtual version of themselves but has TikTok emerged to be the new, better, healthier version of this? Where does your brand fit in the ecosystem and where should you put your spend?

Instagram has long been a place to ‘live your best life’ with glossy pictures and clever captions. However, users and audiences are living their best authentic life on TikTok too.

Instagram versus reality has long been a discussion point, with both voices of influence and ordinary users having felt the pressure to fit in with the aesthetics of the platform. What started as a place for users to try their hand at photography and editing, and curating a series of images that built a virtual version of themselves, has now become a new way for marketers to approach consumers.

Instagram has been the dominant platform for both influencer and branded content but with the rising demand for a sense of reality on social media, it’s no surprise new platforms are appearing.

Hitting the global market in 2018, TikTok is the newest platform to enter the online marketing game. An infant compared to Instagram – which has been one of the most popular apps on our phones for a decade – this new social media platform has taken the public by a surprising storm. Whilst video content on social media continues to expand, TikTok has taken it one step further. Highly addictive and entertaining, TikTok has filled the hole left by Vine and rebranded video content.

Unlike Instagram, users on TikTok are free from convention and have made the platform their own. Full of real people sharing glimpses of their everyday life, TikTok is emerging to be a serious contender in the online advertising industry. But is it fair to compare TikTok and Instagram against each other?

TikTok real life

For audiences and creators, the appeal of TikTok lies in its freedom. Though trends play a role on the app, the platform is free from the limits of tradition: every video is a new take on a trend, every creator is unique, every feed is different. Due to its age and simplicity, there is a sense of reality on TikTok that other platforms have lost. Authenticity is an adland word we’re all tired of hearing, yet it is the intrinsic authenticity of TikTok that questions if and how branded partnerships would be successful on the app.

Scrolling along through your For You Page is an algorithmic Rolodex of content. One minute you’ll be watching a creator make Mamma Mia on toast, the next a home cook is creating a gourmet meal for their cat with an ASMR type quality, then a lip sync video, followed by a mock trailer of what could be a new Netflix series. The creativity and idiosyncrasies on TikTok are endless – it’s real people doing fun things other people also enjoy.

Importantly, the app has allowed audiences and creators to discover and exhibit the fun and everyday parts of themselves other social media platforms haven’t, and this plays a crucial role when considering partnerships.

While the real-life of TikTok is the appeal brands want to tap into, as soon as this type of content becomes branded the ‘realness’ can be lost. Traditional and basic product placement with a brand-approved script or caption will be an automatic turn off for audiences. And while tapping into the popular challenge format on TikTok and retrofitting it to your brand can work, it can also be cringe.

For the real-life of TikTok to work for creator partnerships, the products and offerings of a campaign need to be seamlessly integrated into the content. We’re well versed in the scrutiny influencer marketing can face and despite cash for comment content being a dying practice, the prominence and format of TikTok mean audiences won’t be afraid to call out the brands and creators infiltrating their FYP (For You Page) with products and partnerships that aren’t well thought-out or legitimate. Success lies in thorough audience and creator research beyond simple demographics and segmentation with close attention to why audiences like the creators they do on TikTok.

Crucially, collaboration between brand and creator is a must. If their audience is the one you want to speak to, listen to the people who know how to speak to them as well as how to leverage the features of the app.

Instagram aesthetic

As much as we love real life and seeing it in marketing, there is still a desire for polished aesthetics. As a platform, Instagram is a place to mould and demonstrate taste and style virtually. There is an element of curation on the platform that both users and creators pride themselves in; a collection of images that shows the different facets of their identity.

Partnerships work – we’ve seen them grow from copy and paste #AD to strategic campaigns. Importantly, this evolution has recognised that Story and Grid Posts only have a small space to be both credible to the influencer as well as to land the right message for the campaign. A picture can say a thousand words, but it might not be able to land a CTA in just the right way alone.

Over time, influencer marketing on Instagram has adjusted to become strategic in choice but simple in messaging, and this works especially well for brands who have an ownable aesthetic and design. Instagram as a platform has also grown to understand this and has built innovations like the Paid Partnership tool and most recently the Instagram Shop to help create a frictionless journey.

Audiences are smart. They have come to recognise their own behaviour and practices on Instagram, understanding there is a place for advertising on the app which works to their advantage just as much as does the marketers.

As the opportunities in influencer marketing on the app have moved away from being transactional, brands and creators have worked together to build an online identity and image which extends brand values and humanises marketing using visual aesthetics. But brands first need to have an aesthetic ownable to them.

It’s important to remember, despite being a marketer you’re also part of the audience yourself. What you go to TikTok for is very different from what you like on Instagram; both platforms have different offerings, and audiences will continue to go to both.

Social media platforms will continue to learn from each other too, Instagram saw Snapchat’s offering and created their Story feature, and most recently the app is taking note of the USP and authenticity of TikTok launching their own attempt at the video content format called Reels. But only time can decide whether the feature will entice the same type of content and effect on audiences.

For a successful partnership on either platform, there needs to be a careful consideration for the audience you want to reach, and what types of creators speak to them in the right way for your brand and its tone of voice. In the past, it has been difficult for certain products and industries to use creative partners online, but with the potential of TikTok, we may begin to see more industries embrace this mode of marketing.

The easiest way to delineate what will work and what won’t is to look at what each app offers audiences. TikTok lends itself to the audience’s personalities and humour, the content is less polished and real. Instagram’s format focuses on how audiences like to see themselves, the content is stylised with an aspirational feel. Ask yourself where your brand fits into this ecosystem and that’s where you should put your spend.

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TikTok Reality vs. Instagram Aesthetic: Where Should You Spend?

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Instagram started as a platform that offered users the opportunity to curate a series of images that built a virtual version of themselves but has TikTok emerged to be the new, better, healthier version of this? Where does your brand fit in the ecosystem and where should you put your spend?

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Whether you use TikTok or not, the global social media app has become one of the most influential platforms for the fashion industry. With the hashtag #FashionTikTok trending with over seven billion views, this massive community is only continuing to grow.

The British Fashion Council recently announced TikTok as the principal partner for The Fashion Awards 2021. Aiming to evolve the awards into a worldwide entertainment platform, the partnership will help to celebrate fashion through global streaming and bespoke content creation.

So, if you didn't think TikTok was that influential in the fashion industry before, this massive partnership certainly emphasises it now.

Fashion trends dominate TikTok's fashion content. These appear on a users' FYP (for you page) and can feature anything from a clothing haul to styling inspiration. TikTok provides an accessible platform for creators, which is why these fashion trends and the products included often go viral.

From videos such as 'outfits inspired by zodiac signs' to 'items ordered on Amazon vs how they turned out', TikTok is home to a plethora of creative content. In particular, the 'TikTok made me buy it trend' was highly influential in getting users to purchase different products after viewing them via this viral trend.

Cassandra Russell, Head of Fashion, Luxury, Beauty and Retail Brand Partnerships (EMEA) at TikTok, said: "The impact the TikTok community has made on the fashion industry this year has been incredible, from driving new fashion trends like , to bringing back old ones like or . TikTok has fast become a home for fashion creators, designers and stylists to find their voice, collaborate, share their unique style and create the next big fashion trend.

"TikTok is all about creativity and self-expression, which has huge synergies with the fashion industry. As the community continues to creatively interpret trends in new ways, conventional style rules are challenged and real originality is born on the platform."

@laurenwolfe
Clothes I ordered on amazon vs. how they turned out #amazonfavorites #founditonamazon #fashiontiktok #summerstyle

♬ need to know x goosebumps DJ Lilli - DJ Lilli

As retail opportunities increase on the app, many fashion brands have joined in on the action. TikTok allows brands to reach consumers through the influencers that interest them. Influencer partnerships are a popular marketing strategy for fashion brands on the platform, as these paid adverts can generate both brand awareness and sales.

John Mooney, Global Brand Creative Lead at ASOS, said: "TikTok is a creative and very fun platform, so it gives us license to play with that in a way that's engaging for our customers.

"We're always evolving our content, social media strategy and channel focus to ensure we're staying relevant to our fashion-loving 20-something customers. When TikTok exploded in popularity during lockdown, we knew we had to be part of that exciting journey."

@asos
The Black Panther Party. Nino Brown. Michael Jordan 🤝 Just some of fashion's major Black influences ✊ From the iconic @MrSchnack #asostiktakeover #fashioninspo #styletips

♬ original sound - asos

Fanbytes is a UK social media and influencer marketing organisation, that helps brands to engage with Gen Z audiences in interactive ways. Previously working with brands including Boohoo and Converse, Fanbytes helps to generate content that is part of the fashion community on TikTok.

Sophie Freeman, Fashion and Beauty Director at Fanbytes, said: "If fashion brands aren't already on TikTok, then they are trying to get on it and work out how to do so. TikTok has brought about a new way of creating and communicating to the customer, in a way that brings a brand's persona to life.

"People can get to know a brand on TikTok in a way that feels as though they are getting to know a real person. The brand story comes alive and the ability to see how a product goes from ideation to reality can be communicated to the customer through beautiful and often hilarious content."

Another way fashion retailers have used the app is through streaming fashion industry events. In September, TikTok hosted its first virtual fashion month. TikTok Fashion Month saw the platform live-stream two events a week for brands including Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Lauren .

This is hugely influential on fashion retail, as the platform makes fashion events accessible and interactive. They pull interest into the industry and the brands creating this content.

Cassandra Russell emphasises how these events help the platform to support the growth of fashion talent. She said: "We partnered with the British Fashion Council on NEWGEN, to help nurture the next generation of emerging designers, while also giving our TikTok community access to the life and vibrancy of London Fashion Week.

"We're also now the principal partner for The Fashion Awards 2021 on 29 November. We'll be presenting from the red carpet ceremony, before the show and through a live broadcast, with more exciting activations planned with a host of creators."

@bfcnewgen
Behind the scenes at @eftychia.co SS22 #LFW show. Which look is your favourite? #TikTokFashionMonth #BFCNEWGEN

♬ original sound - BFCNEWGEN

However, live-streaming isn't only limited to events. TikTok has recently launched its new live shopping experience. This aims to offer solutions, features and advertising tools to allow businesses to engage with customers. Along with maximising TikTok's ecommerce potential.

TikTok Shopping provides a retail experience on the platform. It allows brands to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profile and tag products directly in videos.

Sportswear brand Ellesse has begun using these new features in unique and creative ways. The brand's #BeBold campaign , which has racked up over 3.7 billion views, saw Ellesse team up with TikTok for the first shoppable livestream concert hosted by a fashion brand with a music artist.

Commenting on TikTok's shopping features, Cassandra Russell, said: "With an ever-growing number of UK shoppers turning to digital platforms for both inspiration and product discovery, there's a huge amount to be excited about when it comes to ecommerce. Our community is constantly trading tips and advice on the latest products and doing so in creative ways on the platform."

Since the app launched in 2016, TikTok's influence on the fashion industry has grown quickly. Whether that's style trends or shopping on the app, the platform plays a huge role in fashion industry and will likely continue to do so for some time.

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How TikTok is influencing fashion retail - TheIndustry.fashion

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Whether you use TikTok or not, the global social media app has become one of the most influential platforms for the fashion industry. With the hashtag #FashionTikTok trending with over seven billion views, this massive community is only continuing to grow. The British Fashion Council recently announced TikTok as the principal partner for The Fashion Awards 2021.

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TikTok Styling is Changing the Way we Consume Fashion

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TikTok Styling is Changing the Way we Consume Fashion

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Digital media has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact. This is not a controversial statement. More interesting is the way it does so and with increasing frequency with the emergence of each new medium. Every time a new social media platform rises, it brings with it a cultural revolution in which our modes of speaking, looking and [self-]expressing completely transform. This was as true for long lost relics like AIM and MSN Messenger as it is for Instagram, Twitter and Emoji.

In this regard, TikTok is no exception. In fact, the video-based social media platform, which launched in 2016 and rose to international prominence two years later, has been so all-encompassing in its optical takeover that even traditional media has been left with no choice but to try and get in on the action.

With its immersive, audio-visual mode that’s designed to takeover your entire phone screen, as well as your ears, TikTok has proven to be a rich ground for the cultivation of personas, characters, memes and visual signatures which users of all ages then reproduce and replicate, over and over. In fact, while ‘Old Town Road’ singer Lil Nas X might now be an international superstar grabbing headlines with his provocative award shows and media-savvy trolling, it’s possible he might never have hit the big time without the TikTok dance trend the aforementioned song inspired, sending the track pinging around on speakers and screens throughout 2019.

Again, this is not necessarily a new phenomenon. Lots of social media platforms have their sub-cultural stereotypes: Tumblr has Tumblr Teens; Instagram has sad boyz, IG vixens and pumpkin spice latte girls; Twitter has the community known as “Weird Twitter”, best represented by the likes of Dril and Pixelated Boat. What makes TikTok comparatively unique is the all-encompassing manner in which its audio-visual language completely encompasses the person, and persona, being presented. It’s not just a voice, a look, a face or a soundtrack; it’s all of those things, right down to minute facial expressions.

Like the platforms before it, this comprehensive sonic and optic vocabulary is transforming the way people discover, engage with and consume fashion. And it’s doing so in a comparatively comprehensive manner.

First of all, TikTok’s combination of the dynamic, live-action feel of video with the carefully crafted aesthetics of social media blends two of the fashion industry’s favoured visual modes – the runway and the glossy advertisement. It provides an opportunity to see models (both professional and amateur) in immaculate outfits, in motion, in real-life situations in a way that has never quite been possible before. And, of course, that so much of this content is being produced by amateur enthusiasts adds a layer of authenticity to even the most carefully-crafted shots. It’s been so influential that TikTok influencers like Wisdom Kaye are now signing contracts with major modelling agencies.

On another note, it’s impossible not to note the theatricality to TikTok, and how this has influenced style created and propagated on the platform. With TikTok stars using every aspect of their videos to construct personas, from make-up and hair to their outfits and facial gestures, it’s interesting to note how movie stars, music subcultures, and even many of the forgotten style tribes that have fallen by the wayside in recent years, have been revived on TikTok has characters for creators to “step into”.

Again, Lil Nas X’s example is instructive. The artist’s ironic embrace of country music aesthetics, when combined with TikTok’s natural cultivation of memetic spread, led to a real world revival of cowboy fashion aesthetics. This same hyper-real incorporation of storytelling and narrative into simple fashion items can be observed in numerous other trends and the names they acquire in popular discourse, such as “Cottage Dresses” (traditional dress styles with pastoral elements like lace, floral patterns and rustic fabrics), “Chill AF Denim” (washed out, loose-fitting jeans as opposed to more prevalent skinny-fit styles), “Cool Girl Sneakers” and “Dad Hats” (hopefully these two speak for themselves). It’s not just about the way the clothes look, but a comprehensive backstory they construct around the wearer. Of course, this has often been the case when discussing high-fashion adverts in glossy magazines, but the manner in which these narratives are being crafted and propagated by regular people feels like a marked shift on the consumer side.

On top of the narratives contained within the clothes themselves, TikTok has also proven popular as a space for critical discussions on a range of issues, many of which have directly impacted the fashion industry. Alongside the irreverent dance challenges, reaction videos and absurd comedy sketches, young people have embraced TikTok as a medium that’s primed for the dissemination of educational and informative content in digestible, minute-long videos. The types of videos made possible by the format have proven so striking and shareable, it’s likely you’ve encountered them on numerous occasions, no matter what your own social media platform of choice is.

At their base, these videos come packaged with titles like “Things you probably didn’t know about X”, and provide condensed information and statistics about various subject matter. In the fashion world, this has included educational videos about the wastefulness of particular fashion business practices. Others, like Denise Mercedes Marte and Maria Castellanos, have cleverly leveraged TikTok’s informal and visual medium to provoke deeper consideration of body inclusivity in fashion, posing alongside each other in the same outfits to show how different body types can style the same clothes. It’s a trend that’s run throughout social media in the 2010s and onwards: Now that regular people have greater access to mass communication and international audiences, they’re using that power to push conversations in directions that might have taken much longer if left in the hands of the old guard.

The aggregated result of all these trends and shifts has been as diverse and varied as the content that has provoked them. It would be naive to suggest that many of the predominant trends and tendencies in fashion have ebbed away. TikTok, like Instagram and YouTube before it, has generated a plethora of micro-celebrities (as well as out-and-out celebrities) with millions of followers, and with that kind of visibility inevitably comes the big brand partnerships and celebrity wardrobe du jour.

French fashion houses and fast-fashion behemoths alike remain as prevalent as ever on TikTok, and the platform’s conscious provision of advertising, click-through and “shop now” features indicate that both TikTok and brands alike are enthusiastically embracing the platform’s ability to convert wildfire social media trends into cash purchases. It’s a business, like any other, just one with an often diverse, thoughtful and considerate base of creators.

Nonetheless, there’s something undeniable about the way TikTok propagates different forms and modes of content, boosted by its interest-led content curation method, which shows users content based on their tastes and previous interactions, rather than simply who they follow. Because browsing TikTok feels more like flicking through a rack of cultural curiosities rather than a feed of familiar faces, you’re that little bit more likely to stumble upon something unexpected, or discover a lifestyle, trend, or styling technique you might not have otherwise seen.

TikTok takes all those elements of the strange and unexpected that take us by surprise during a typical walk through the streets, jumbles them up in a bag, and fires them at you in a chaotic (but considered) manner that’s intended to take you by surprise. It’s why you’re just as likely to find a video teaching you how to resew a button, mend a pair of jeans or revive an old shirt as a video about the trendiest designer sunglasses or best new sneaker releases.

Attempts to characterise any digital revolution or cultural shift as “the great leveller” always feel somewhat hyperbolic. This case is no different. There are ways in which TikTok has transformed, and is transforming the way we view, think about and consume fashion, and there are ways in which it has simply adapted enduring trends for contemporary audiences. Nonetheless, there is a way in which the platform has “flattened” so many of the distinctions and barriers between different groups, creating a richer terrain for interaction and cross-pollination. The luxury fashionistas and fast-fashion kids might be the same as always, but if they’re using TikTok, they’re probably seeing and engaging more in meaningful discussions about what it means when we use and abuse clothes, the kinds of people those clothes are designed for, and what our fashion choices really say about us. That’s something that simply wasn’t happening a few decades ago. Where it will ultimately lead, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Date: August 13, 2021

Words by Gregk Foley.

Where culture meets commerce.
Straight to your inbox.

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How TikTok Styling is Changing the Way We Consume Fashion

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TikTok has transformed, and is transforming the way we view, think about and consume fashion Here’s how.

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Astonishing TikTok Statistics and Figures you Need to Know [Infographic]

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Jul 28, 2020 - Considering adding TikTok as part of your marketing strategy? Major brands and businesses are jumping in. Here are some astonishing TikTok Statistics.

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Florence Simpson TikTok

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Flo (@florence.simpsonn) TikTok | Watch Flo’s Newest TikTok Videos

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Flo (@florence.simpsonn) on TikTok | 32.7M Likes. 589.9K Fans. love the skin you’re in x alan@spotlight-management.com

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Matilda Djerf
Screenshots from TikTok

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Log in to follow creators, like videos, and view comments.

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Matilda Djerf (@matildadjerf) Official TikTok | Watch Matilda Djerf's Newest TikTok Videos

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Matilda Djerf (@matildadjerf) on TikTok | 13.7M Likes. 901.6K Fans. @matildadjerf @djerfavenue Watch the latest video from Matilda Djerf (@matildadjerf).

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Last updated: January 5, 2024

TikTok is available in over 160 countries, has over 1.1 billion users, and has been downloaded over 220 million times in the United States alone. If your brand's target audience includes anyone between the age 13 and 60, you should be on TikTok right now. Need inspiration on launching your TikTok strategy? Click here for amazing TikTok examples from brands. Want to know how the TikTok algorithm works? Click here. Without further ado, here are the most important TikTok statistics (we will continuously refresh this article as new data becomes available - some data is directly from our TikTok contacts).

1. Monthly Active Users - TikTok officially has over 1 billion monthly active users. For reference - active users of other social platforms: Facebook - 2.9B, YouTube - 2.2B, Instagram - 1.4B, TikTok - 1.0B, Snapchat - 750M, Pinterest - 480M, Twitter - 300M.

2. Total App Downloads - The TikTok app has been downloaded over 2.7 billion times worldwide, as reported by Sensor Tower in December, 2020. In January 2021, TikTok had 62 million downloads. In Q1 of 2020, the app had 315 million downloads, which is the best quarter by any app, ever. 500 million of those come from India, 180 million from China, and 130 million from the U.S. In June of 2020 TikTok was downloaded 87 million times worldwide (with 7.5 million of those coming from the U.S.).

3. Monthly Active Users in the United States - TikTok now has over 150 active users in the U.S, according to their CEO.

4. Monthly Active Business Users - It was also recently reported that over 5 million businesses actively use TikTok in the U.S.

5. Among U.S. over 18, TikTok brought in 22.2 million mobile unique visitors in January, 23.2 million in February and 28.8 million in March. In April, that number jumped to 39.2 million-three times the 12.6 million who used the app last April, according to the most recent Comscore data provided to Adweek (note - Comscore only tracks users over 18).

6. The percentage of U.S.-based TikTok users by age: 10-19 - 32.5%, 20-29 - 29.5%, 30-39 - 16.4%, 40-49 - 13.9%, 50+ - 7.1%. This means that the TikTok userbase is aging up (so get on it now!). All data via Comscore.

7. Average Minutes Per User - TikTok users love the app. They spend an average of a WHOPPING 95 minutes per day (over 1.5 hours) in the platform.

8. Opens - A user opens the TikTok app 8 times per day.

9. Creation - 83% of TikTok users have posted a video.

10. U.S. Audience - As we mentioned, we estimate that TikTok has about 80 million monthly active users in the United States. 60% are female, 40% are male. 60% are between the ages of 16-24. 26% are between the ages 25-44. 80% are between the ages 16-34. This data comes straight from TikTok.

11. Gen Z - 60% of TikTok users are Gen Zers. Gen Zers are trendsetters. Next year, 74 million people in the U.S. will be part of "Gen Z", which will make it the largest generation of all.

12. Revenue - TikTok is estimated to pull in $500 Million in revenue from the U.S. alone in 2020 (source).

13. Countries - TikTok is now available in 154 countries worldwide (and 75 different languages).

14. TikTok Vs. The Facebook Empire - Facebook's "Lasso" (it's TikTok clone), has 250,000 downloads in the U.S. since last November. TikTok has 41.3 Million in that timeframe.

15. $500 - the amount TikTok is reportedly paying influencers to join the app and start creating content. It's working well though. The platform is growing like crazy.

16. According to Sensor Tower, TikTok was the second most downloaded app in the U.S. in November with 4 million downloads (trailing only Disney+).

17. According to TechCrunch/Apptopia, TikTok's Q4 2019 revenue grew over 300% from the same period a year earlier.

18. Douyin, aka TikTok in mainland China, just hit 400 million daily active users there (and the most active dance video creators are over 60 years old!).

19. A top trending song is typically a top trending song Spotify, as well. Illustrates the true influence of the platform.

20. The TikTok Creator Marketplace is a platform run by TikTok that houses thousands of profiles of TikTok creators. Brands can search the marketplace for creators whose audiences best fit the target market of their campaign (need access? We have it!).

21. TikTok had 104 million downloads just last month (an increase of 46% from the year ago period).

22. Engagement - it's hard to quantify this. But the engagement on TikTok is incredible. Case in point: Jennifer Lopez recently posted the same video on Twitter and TikTok. She has 45 million followers on Twitter and 5 million followers on TikTok. The video on Twitter got 2 million views (off 45 million followers). The video on TikTok got 71 million views (off 5 million followers). So start using TikTok now! They recently started nightly programming which is undoubtedly training Gen Z to tune in at certain times a la appointment TV viewing of days past. Engagement has increased dramatically over the past few months. The New York Times reports that TikTok usage has been skyrocketing since Coronavirus began.

23. TikTok has recently created a $1 Billion Creator Fund. This money will be paid by TikTok directly to its creators in an effort to further solidify its relationships with influencers. TikTok has many competitors, large and small (Facebook's Reels, YouTube's Shorts, former Vine creator's Byte, and Triller, among others). This fund should prove to be very effective for the platform.

24. Forbes put out a report on the highest-earning TikTok stars. Addison Rae comes in at number one making $5 Million, Charli D'Amelio is number two at $4 Million, and her sister Dixie is number three at $2.9 Million.

25. TikTok Top 100 Influencers - this list shows the top 100 most-followed TikTok accounts.

26. There are six creators who have at least 50 million followers: Charlie D'Amelio, Addison Rae, Zach King, Spencer X, Loren Gray, and Bella Poarch

27. TikTok released the Top 100 of 2020

28. TikTok just increased the max video length from 3 minutes to 10 minutes (it was originally 1 minute)

29. TikTok screen time per user is crushing its competitors - it's currently at 26 hours per month.

30. 29% of consumers that have TikTok installed on their phone use it every day - second only to Instagram at 39%.

31. 67% of teens use TikTok (second only to YouTube according to a new Pew research poll)

32. Nearly half of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram for search instead of Google, according to Google's own internal data.

33. Click here to see the most followed and highest earning TikTok accounts.

34. 33% of TikTok users say they regularly get their news from the app, according to Pew Research.

35. According to the Wall Street Journal, users currently spend 17.6 million hours per day on Instagram Reels , versus 197.8 million hours per day on TikTok.

36. TikTok is beta testing live shopping in the wild now.

37. TikTok SEO is huge (with tens of millions of searches per day), and something you need to be working on right now.

38. Mr. Beast was the fastest growing TikTok account of 2022, adding almost 36 million followers (crazily enough, he was also the fastest growing YouTube account as well, adding 38 million subscribers)

39. Consumers in China spent over $200B on TikTok's eCommerce offerings last year.

40. The Top 1000 advertisers are drastically increasing their spend on TikTok. Ad impressions there cost 50% less than on Instagram Reels, 33% less than on Twitter, and 62% less than on Snapchat.

41. Average time spent per day by U.S. adults is 53.8 minutes, according to Insider Intelligence in a June 2023 study.

Here's a quick rundown of some marketing and advertising related statistics:

1. Brand takeover ads cost anywhere between $20,000 - $200,000 (Digiday, 2019)

2. Hashtag Challenges cost brands $100,000+ (Adweek, 2019)

3. Advertising campaigns start at just $50/day now with no long-term commitment (contact us today if you want to launch a TikTok advertising campaign!)

4. TikTok recommends an additional $100,000 - $200,000 in ad spend within TikTok to promote a hashtag challenge (Adweek, 2019)

5. TikTok influencers with 2.5 million followers or more charge around $600-1000 per post compared to $100-$200 for every 10,000-20,000 followers on Instagram (Telegraph, 2019)

6. TikTok ads can send users to your website, an app page in the app store, or promote your hashtag challenge on the platform (TikTok, 2019)

7. Brands are able to create branded AR lenses, filters, and stickers for TikTok users to insert into their video content. (TikTok, 2019)

8. TikTok is working on a new augmented reality ad format that should be available soon (Digiday, 2020)

9. Self-serve ads are now available! It's a unique platform though, so we recommend working with an expert agency if you want to launch there (contact us if so!).

10. TikTok is now offering ad credits for new brands advertising on the platform. There is a $300 ad credit and a $2000 ad credit. Contact us if you want these applied to your account!

11. TikTok's global ad revenue has already passed Twitter and Snapchat combined.

12. TikTok ad spend as a percentage of Facebook ad spend has reached 40%, per Varos. It goes up every month.

13. Avg revenue per post: $0.71 per 1,000 followers (86% lower than Instagram!)

14. Top 50 median follower count 41m

15. Top 50 median price per post of $28,670

16. According to Triple Whale, TikTok is the most valuable advertising/influencer platform for DTC brands.

17. TikTok added a Talent Manager Portal so managers can negotiate brand deals for clients.

18. TikTok is quietly testing an in-app checkout system. Would be huge for eCommerce brands.

19. TikTok ranks #1 in "ad equity" according to a recent report by Kantar.

20. 33 million people in the U.S. have purchased through a TikTok Shop this year! See image below for more details.

21. Per PM by ST data, ad spend on TikTok in the U.S. increased 27% YoY in 2023, officially becoming the fastest growing social media advertising channel.

22. Also from ST, U.S. mobile users through Q4, 2023 spent more than 2.2B hours/wk on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok combined (aka short form video is dominating).

23. TikTok is targeting $17B in U.S. ecommerce volume for 2024, according to a recent report.

Some other quick hits:

Have questions? Email me personally at brandon at wallaroomedia dot com. Want to get a TikTok strategy going of your own? (You should!). Contact us today by clicking here! Or fill out the form below!

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TikTok Statistics - Everything You Need to Know [Jan 2024 Update]

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TikTok is the hottest social network right now. Here are all the TikTok stats you need, in one place. Last updated - Jan 2024.

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TikTok Logo on black background. Download a free preview or high-quality Adobe Illustrator (ai), EPS, PDF vectors and high-res JPEG and PNG images.