February 28, 2025
Survey: Americans Averaged Over $700 in TikTok Shop Purchases in the Last Year
Consumer Survey Finds Nearly Half of Purchases on TikTok Shop Due to Influencers
The wildly popular social media platform TikTok, a source of entertainment and diversion for millions of Americans launched its ecommerce platform, TikTok Shop, in late 2023. This platform has changed the relationship between social media and shopping – but just how many Americans use the shop?
We launched a consumer survey of Americans under the age of 60 to see how many of them have purchased from TikTok Shop, and how the short-lived “ban” affected their usage.
37% of Americans Under 60 Have Purchased Something on TikTok Shop, Averaging $59 Per Purchase
Since its launch, TikTok Shop has been very successful, and our survey statistics back this up. Over 1 in 3 Americans under the age of 60 have purchased at least 1 item on TikTok Shop, and they averaged 12 purchases in the last year, spending roughly $59 per purchase. This amounts to over $700 over the course of the year!
The most popular purchases on TikTok Shop are personal accessories, acquired by 46% of respondents, followed by household items (43%), fashion items and/or clothing (40%), cosmetics (33%), and technology (27%). Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) found the item they purchased by browsing TikTok Shop, and 25% found the item they purchased through an ad on TikTok.
Most consumers use TikTok Shop because it’s easy to purchase on, followed by the low price of many items, as well as frequent sales.
Nearly 1 in 4 also admit the purchase they made was impulsive.This might be why 23% said they regretted at least one purchase from TikTok Shop; top regrets include that the item was a cheap quality, it was an impulse purchase, and the item was not as advertised.
Influencers are Driving Purchases on TikTok Shop
A major consumer trend is embracing the influencer: 63% of Americans under 60 take advice or suggestions from influencers, and nearly half of the purchases they made on TikTok Shop were from influencer posts.
Top suggestions Americans value from influencers include product recommendations (50%), recipes (41%), DIY and/or home hacks (31%), workout routines (26%), and even health advice (23%). The trust runs deep: when asked how much they would spend on a product recommended by their most-trusted influencer, responses averaged $95.
How the “Ban” Affected TikTok Usage and Perception
TikTok is a widely used social media platform; 89% of Americans under 60 use TikTok, and of them, over half use it daily. Unsurprisingly, Gen Zers use TikTok the most, while just over 1 in 3 Gen Xers use the platform daily.
Interestingly, 56% said they would feel better about using TikTok if ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) divested from the platform and it became American-owned. This distrust follows through in the shopping habits of a few, in that 1 in 5 found an item they discovered on TikTok but chose to purchase somewhere else.
In fact, nearly half of consumers are hesitant to spend money on TikTok Shop, with Gen X being the most skeptical, while Gen Z is the most trusting – as 60% feel confident spending money on TikTok Shop.
Many users report an increase in ads, especially “live” ads featuring influencers or users selling products on a livestream. This technique isn’t necessarily a good tactic as 76% would use TikTok if it had fewer ads; users seem to value authenticity more.
The TikTok “Ban” and Its Effects: 1 in 5 Feel App is Less Authentic
Our statistics show 99% of our respondents were using TikTok when it was temporarily banned in late January; so how did the ban affect usage trends? Among those we asked, 12% said they use the platform more currently, the majority use it the same amount; roughly 1 in 3 (32%) say they now use the social media app less.
A further 32% fully quit TikTok for at least a short period during its ban, but have since returned.
Over 2 in 5 say TikTok has changed since its ban, but it seems that users are conflicted as to exactly how it has changed. 29% say it “just feels different,” while 23% claim that their algorithm changed in some way. Roughly 1 in 5 notice more ads or sponsored content, and a similar amount claim that the app feels less authentic to them. Interestingly,17% of users noticed more political content on their feeds, while the same amount said that they saw less political content.
Gen Z, Influencers, and TikTok
Unsurprisingly, 95% of our Gen Z respondents use TikTok. Most (61%) use it daily, and about 19% use it a few times a week.
Since the ban, 15% of Gen Z users say they spend more time on the app, even if 44% of them claim that the platform has changed.
Gen Z is in many ways the first generation that fully embraced influencers; it follows that 72% say they take advice from influencers. Gen Zers take this advice to their wallets, as well: 71% purchased an item discovered on TikTok, and of them, 47% purchased on TikTok Shop.
Nearly 1 in 3 Gen Zers discovered the products they purchased through influencer posts; they spend an average of $55 per purchase.
While there’s still stirrings of the return of a TikTok ban, it’s clear that Americans are embracing TikTok and using it to shop. Influencers are a great channel to leverage, particularly to capture the interest, trust, and attention of Gen Z– not to mention their wallets.
If you’d like to speak to someone at PartnerCentric about effective relationship-building with your most powerful influencers, get in touch.
H2 Methodology & Fair Use
In February 2025, we surveyed 1,002 Americans aged 18-60 and under on their opinions and use patterns of TikTok. 50% were men, 49% women, and 1% were nonbinary or did not disclose.
For media inquiries, please contact media@digitalthirdcoast.net
Fair use
When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing PartnerCentric.com.
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