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Netflix versus TikTok is the battle to watch in 2023.

鈥淐onsumer acquisition costs have gone up. Data is harder and harder to access. It鈥檚 trickier to figure out how to target our consumer in the right way.鈥� That鈥檚 Kendra Scott鈥檚 CMO Michelle Peterson, summarizing the state of marketing right now. The jeweler has found success both online and in-store by leveraging its D2C roots, pushing a viral TikTok presence, and working with the right influencers.

Among Gen Zers in the US, those who watch both digital video and linear TV spend 13.1 hours per week with TikTok videos and other user-generated content, per Hub Research.

TikTok often gets all the attention, with headlines trumpeting it as Gen Z鈥檚 new search engine. But the reality is more nuanced.

Gen Z spends the most time on social media. Gen Zers ages 18 to 24 spend more time on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat than any other age group, according to our forecast. These platforms become community spaces where they interact beyond simple messaging: They share memes and new interests, video chat, and collaborate on content.

TikTok is extending its video content to an array of public screens, including those at airports, gas stations, and movie rental machines. The expansion into out-of-home (OOH) advertising marks TikTok鈥檚 ambitions to go beyond its roots as a mobile app.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss in what instances Gen Zers prefer TikTok over Instagram, Snapchat's relevance for young folks, and how much we anticipate young people will soon pull back from social media. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Minda Smiley.

TikTok and Amazon join the ranks of Google (and to a lesser degree Microsoft) as places where consumers start their searches. Meanwhile, audience-based targeting is becoming a more privacy-compliant way to reach consumers. And of course, generative AI will change search as we know it, though no one can be sure of how鈥攜et.

Gen Zers make up about 20% of the US population, and they鈥檙e growing up. The digitally native generation has unique shopping habits after going through the pandemic during their formative years. From TikTok to the creator economy to payments trends, here鈥檚 how our analysts predict Gen Z will change shopping.

US Influencer marketing spending will pass $2 billion on Instagram in 2024, while spending on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook will each pass $1 billion, per our forecast.

Meta is one of the two most successful ad publishers in history (along with its duopoly rival, Google), but its ad dominance does not come in tandem with an equally dominant hold over consumers鈥� time. In fact, Meta鈥檚 share of ad revenues is surprisingly out of step with how much time people actually spend on its platforms, particularly when compared with competitors like YouTube and TikTok

Sales are quickly approaching $100 billion. Gen Z鈥檚 influence on social media habits, new commerce technologies from TikTok, and rising annual spending by buyers are the main factors driving growth. And with users now spending just shy of 2 hours on social media per day, there is plenty of room for brands and users to squeeze more sales.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how creators are evolving; why YouTube is white space for many marketers; and how marketers, social platforms, and media companies should shift their strategies. "In Other News," we talk about what freedom of speech actually means on social media and why TikTok and Pinterest are taking different approaches to social commerce. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

US livestreaming commerce sales could reach $50 billion in 2023 and potentially account for more than 5% of total ecommerce in the country by 2026, per Coresight Research as cited by CNBC. With help from platforms like TikTok Shop, TalkShopLive, and Firework, brands should start experimenting with livestream commerce as adoption grows, especially among younger consumers.

Amazon is the latest company to copy TikTok: The retailer is adding a continuous, shoppable feed to its app to enhance product discovery and grow sales.

It鈥檚 hard to deny social media鈥檚 influence on how consumers discover and even sometimes purchase products. But there are other platforms out there besides Instagram and TikTok that can help brands engage with consumers, especially when it comes to fashion.

Amazon is on track for its first-ever $100 billion holiday season, boosted by its unbeatable delivery speeds, while click and collect gives Walmart an omnichannel edge, and Temu draws in price-conscious consumers. Plus, TikTok and mobile apps help retailers connect with consumers and stand out among the competition.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the opportunity for China-based companies like Shein, Temu, and TikTok in the US, and how they can compete with Amazon. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us some spicy predictions about how fashion retail will change in the US as a direct result of Chinese manufacturers. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and researcher and Asia-Pacific lead Man-Chung Cheung.

Instagram鈥檚 Threads updates after dwindling usage, X delays payouts amid other debts, and TikTok modifies its EU algorithm due to the Digital Services Act.

TikTok sister app Douyin is a livestream behemoth in China, where nearly 40% of internet users also engage in livestream shopping, according to our forecast. But in the US, the format hasn鈥檛 caught on in the same way.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why livestream shopping hasn't caught on in the US and the UK the same way it has in China, what TikTok is doing to make the US鈥檚 launch more successful than the UK's, and what shoppers are looking for from a livestream. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top four brands that have done livestream shopping well. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Carina Perkins.

Just over 80% of US Gen Zers ages 15 to 26 use YouTube monthly, and almost the same percentage use Instagram or TikTok, per our July 2023 survey. More than half still visit Facebook. And though BeReal was the trendy app last year, only 15.1% of Gen Z respondents use it.

Social media newcomer Lemon8 racked up about 64,000 US downloads per day, on average, in recent weeks, according to Apptopia. The platform, which comes from TikTok owner ByteDance, capitalizes on the shopability of photos and short videos with its Pinterest-meets-Instagram format.

Facebook was the leading social platform among US teens and adults in January, used by 61% of those in an Edison Research survey. Instagram came in second (44%), followed by TikTok (33%) and Pinterest (31%). Twitter and Snapchat tied for fifth, at 27%.

Marketers need a vertical video ad strategy for YouTube Shorts to reach the 164.5 million US viewers that will use the platform this year, per our forecast. Much of what works on TikTok will work on Shorts because the platforms are so similar. But because a lot of YouTube creators are used to longform, they may need some guidance. Here are some of YouTube鈥檚 own best practices for Shorts ads from its ABCDs of effective video ads guide.