Picture this: A highly-effective social media platform with billions of users, strong engagement rates, and tons of discovery opportunities for your business to connect with potential customers. Sounds like a dream, right?
On TikTok, that dream is a reality. TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, both from a user standpoint as well as from a marketing and advertising lens. Users are turning to TikTok versus other social media apps to be entertained by short-form videos, and businesses have succeeded in connecting with customers via TikTok that they previously might not have reached otherwise.
Data shows that TikTok is a platform fit for any business looking to promote products or services. So, if it’s not yet a major part of your marketing and advertising strategy, you’ll quickly see below why that should change. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top TikTok stats that put tangible numbers behind the platform’s positive impact on small business marketing and advertising.
Contents
- TikTok stats: Our top picks
- What types of audiences are on TikTok?
- How are people using TikTok?
- How effective is TikTok advertising?
- Even more TikTok statistics
TikTok stats: Our top picks
Here are the top TikTok stats small business marketers and advertisers need to know this year.
1. 73% of small businesses say TikTok has connected them to new customers.
If you think TikTok won’t bring your business new leads, think again. Nearly three-quarters of SMBs have found the platform to be effective in connecting them with new customers.
This means that TikTok is an excellent marketing channel when you’re trying to expand your reach, or feel your current markets or customer lists have been exhausted. Getting new leads and customers was the second-most popular challenge SMBs say they’ll be facing in 2026, so using TikTok can help you stay ahead of that.
💡 Want more marketing stats and facts about TikTok and other platforms? Download our free Small Business Marketing Trends Report filled with exclusive data from over 300 real small businesses!
2. Over a third of US adults use TikTok.
TikTok is often assumed to be a platform best suited for teens, but that’s not the case. About 4-in-10 adults in America are using TikTok, and that number continues to increase year over year.
3. One of the most effective TikTok strategies is a hashtag challenge campaign.
Brands that execute two to three hashtag challenge campaigns a year see 20% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) than brands that only execute one or don’t use this tactic at all. Hashtags have been known to be a powerful tool across social media platforms for a while now, but they can be particularly effective on TikTok, since users can scroll through videos (and click to create videos) based on hashtags.
A hashtag challenge TikTok campaign is one where your business initiates a custom hashtag paired with a type of video, and challenges other users to recreate the trend. Here’s a quick list of a few types of TikTok hashtag challenges you could create to increase your marketing ROI.
- Challenges based on community engagement, user-generated content, or viral questions or trends.
- Lip Sync challenges based on popular songs or dialogues.
- Choreographed dances challenges to popular songs.
- Food challenges, such as eating or cooking tasks.
- Transformation challenges that showcase dramatic changes, such as makeup transformations or style changes.
4. 71% of TikTok users said they are likely to take an off-platform action to research a business they initially found in the app.
It’s no secret that upkeeping your business’s social media accounts will have an overall positive impact on your online presence. However, this TikTok stat proves that your business’s TikTok account could lead to impactful actions beyond the app, like website visits, phone calls, and more.
5. 2 in 5 users who discover a product on TikTok opt to visit physical stores to make purchases.
If your business has physical store or office locations, you might find your TikTok marketing and advertising efforts lead to offline conversions and increased foot traffic.
What types of audiences are on TikTok?
Wondering who’s on TikTok? Likely your customers, according to these TikTok audience statistics.
👀 See if your target audience is on TikTok with our free guide on how to find your target audience in six steps!
6. TikTok has 1.6 billion monthly active users.
With a user base this large, odds are, your target audience is probably on TikTok.
7. 40% of TikTok users are 25-34 years old, making this the largest age group on the platform.
Here’s a breakdown of TikTok’s audience by age.
8. 54% of TikTok users are female, 46% are male.
When you first think of TikTok, you might picture short-form videos traditionally geared towards women from beauty influencers or pop stars. But there’s a wide variety of content aside from that that caters to all genders and interests. That’s why there’s a pretty even spread between female and male TikTok users.
9. 1 in 3 Gen X TikTok users turn to TikTok for discovery, consideration, or post-purchase engagements in their buyer’s journey.
While you might be happy to hear that your specific audience demographic, such as Gen X, is on TikTok, perhaps you’re worried they’re on the app simply for entertainment and not interested in seeing your brand. In reality, a third of Gen X TikTokers are on the app purposely to find and interact with businesses they’d like to buy from.
How are people using TikTok?
Every TikToker’s user journey will be slightly different, but here are the trends so far for how people are interacting with the app.
10. People spend over 95 minutes per day on TikTok.
In fact, over 425 million TikTok videos are being watched every minute. This makes it one of the leading social media platforms in terms of user activity.
11. 50% of users purchase directly on TikTok Shop.
TikTok makes it easier for interested users to make in-app purchases via TikTok Shop. In comparison, only 42% of Instagram users purchase from the Instagram Shop.
TikTok Shop allows your business to list products that customers can add to their cart and check out without having to leave the TikTok app.
12. Nearly 40% of Gen Zers prefer searching on TikTok versus search engines (like Google).
Platforms like TikTok or Instagram have evolved into a new search option for certain demographics. With Gen Z loving short-form video, they’re more likely to now search questions and queries on TikTok to get their answers in what they view as a digestible and trustworthy format.
To show up when it matters most on TikTok, see this resource on TikTok SEO strategies to maximize your reach.
13. 71% of TikTok users have discovered new products on the platform.
TikTok’s algorithm is set up to show users content based on their activity or interest, regardless of whether they actually follow the content’s creator or not. This turns TikTok into the perfect product discovery lever when your business is trying to reach new customers.
14. 43% of TikTok users agree that they trust the recommendations of TikTok creators.
TikTok creators tend to share videos that are authentic and relatable, which makes TikTok viewers feel the information is credible and trustworthy.
15. 56% of users say that they spend time on TikTok to discover something new or interesting.
Whether their time on TikTok is purchase-driven or not, over half of TikTok users agree that they’re on the app to learn something new or interesting. Your business could focus on informational short-form video content, like “how to” or “behind the scenes” videos, to benefit from this TikTok stat.
How effective is TikTok advertising?
How much marketing budget should you be putting behind your TikTok advertising? The data below shows that TikTok advertising can be well worth any budget you put behind it.
16. 83% of TikTok users find TikTok ads entertaining.
TikTok ads can be much more enriching for viewers versus a standard text ad out on a search engine results page. The majority of TikTokers are finding TikTok ads to be not only tolerable but also entertaining to watch.
@ebay Saving this video for when we need a pick me up 😌 #sneakers #ebayfinds ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy
17. TikTok ads reach increased by nearly 18% YOY.
TikTok ads are known to reach broad and wide audiences, and that has only increased since TikTok ads rolled out several years ago.
18. TikTok users 85% more likely to discover products from TikTok ads.
Aside from organic TikTok videos, TikTok ads are even more effective at driving product discovery rates for brands.
19. Ads that are “lo-fi” or unpolished see 33% stronger consideration.
Not only are TikTok ads extremely effective in promoting your business, but creating an impactful TikTok ad is easier than you think. Contrary to popular belief, a highly polished TikTok ad isn’t always necessary. In fact, if you focus on your ad’s message, rather than your video production, you’ll still see increased consideration from potential customers.
@venmo And that’s on having siblings 🙃💗 @Jenny Mtz ♬ original sound – Venmo
This TikTok ad example is simple without super high video quality, but it has an interesting and entertaining concept to keep viewers hooked.
Even more TikTok statistics
Looking for even more TikTok data? We’ve got you covered with these additional TikTok stats and facts.
- TikTok makes 77% of its revenue from advertising, with the rest coming from commerce and in-app purchases.
- Roughly 23% of all TikTok visits come from the US. That’s more than double the visits from any other nation.
- TikTok has surpassed 5 billion app downloads—making it the seventh-most downloaded app of the decade.
- TikTok is used by 23% of global internet users aged 16 to 64.
- 50% of Gen X TikTok users are open to purchasing directly on TikTok Live.
- Gen Z TikTokers are 2X more likely to join a TikTok Live to buy something promoted by a creator or influencer.
- Interactive TikTok video add-ons, such as a poll vote or promotion sticker, have nearly double the impact on a video’s performance compared to other video features.
- When TikTok is used for planning or celebrating the holidays, 78% of users buy gifts for others.
- 55% of users agree that TikTok creators help them feel connected to brands.
- 30% of users say that they spend time on TikTok to learn something specific and relevant.
- 82% of users say that they spend time on TikTok to be entertained.
- TikTok users are 15% more likely to skip an ad that doesn’t have any sound.
What these TikTok statistics mean for your business
These TikTok stats prove that you simply can’t ignore this powerful platform when working on your business’s marketing and advertising strategy. Its users are highly engaged, and there’s strong data to back up the product discovery power behind TikTok content. Whether you’re already using TikTok or totally new to the platform, there’s no time like the present to start expanding your short-form video horizons with this channel.
For more help with TikTok from a TikTok Marketing Partner, see how our solutions can maximize your success on the platform.
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