Social media is a must for young Americans during holiday shopping season

A recent SimplicityDX survey of U.S. shoppers under the age of 25 found that 80% of respondents plan to use social media to find holiday gifts this year, with 41% planning to do most or all of their holiday shopping through social platforms.

In the "Gen Z's View on the 2022 Holiday Shopping Season" report, 93% of respondents use social media as part of the purchasing process, 51% of respondents learn about new products through social media, and more than 22% of respondents purchase new products through social media.

However, 74% of respondents would rather buy on a brand’s website than on a social platform, with Instagram and TikTok leading the way for 60% of respondents’ shopping activity.

Gen Z attitudes on social media, influencers

Another recent survey by Oracle and CRM Essentials found that Gen Z consumers are increasingly turning to social media influencers and online communities to decide what to buy from brands. For example, Gen Z respondents are most likely to discover products and brands through influencer recommendations (32%). In addition, 84% of Gen Z respondents have purchased a product directly because of social media content.

The survey revealed that while 37% of respondents of all ages trust social media influencers over brands, Gen Z and Millennial respondents are twice as likely to trust influencers as Baby Boomers.

Gen Z respondents were the most likely to discover products and brands through influencers (32%), compared to 28% of respondents overall and just 13% of baby boomers surveyed.

When it comes to following influencers, YouTube is the most popular channel overall, with 21% of respondents following influencers on YouTube. However, Gen Z respondents prefer TikTok (25%), followed by YouTube (23%) and Instagram (22%), while baby boomers surveyed prefer Facebook (23%), YouTube (15%) and TikTok (5%).

Gen Z has a social media trust issue

Despite social media’s popularity among Gen Z consumers, the survey shows that trust remains a big issue, with 61% of respondents saying they either don’t trust social media or believe it is misusing their personal data.

While Gen Z is keen on discovering and seeking out products based on influencer recommendations, when it comes to purchasing, 36% of respondents believe influencers are less trustworthy, while 59% prefer to buy directly from a brand’s website rather than from an influencer.

“Most next-generation consumers start their search on social media and then make their purchase on the brand’s website,” said Charles Nicholls, co-founder and chief strategy officer of SimplicityDX.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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