Amid negative news about Facebook and social media in general, it’s not uncommon to hear people claiming they will sharply reduce their social usage. In reality, though, social media has achieved a “too big to fail” aura in adults’ lives. Most would find it hard to dispense with a medium so engrained in daily life.

A September 2019 GlobalWebIndex survey found that 20% of millennials and 22% of Gen Zers in the US and UK have been inspired to make a purchase based on an influencer or celebrity recommendation. Social networks that integrate creators and shopping ads can bring influencers further down the funnel. TikTok, however, differs from other platforms that have social commerce.

After years of steady increases, time spent on social media by US social network users fell last year. Those figures will flatten as the intensity of Facebook usage starts to moderate and activities such as digital video and video games draw more time and attention.

In 2012, when smartphone penetration was much lower and social media was newer, just 51% reported daily social usage. Such averages mask variations by ethnicity in amount of usage. A January 2018 survey by the Culture Marketing Council detected these when it asked internet users whether they use social media “constantly.”

Millennials and Gen Zers spend 54% of video time per day on social apps, according to a May 2018 multinational study by VidMob. YouTube accounted for 25% of that share. And consumers have confirmed that video can influence their purchase behavior.

Gen Z is a tough generation for retailers to figure out. They grew up on the internet, but don't like to be targeted with ads there, and crave authenticity in all of their interactions. We parsed the research to help retailers figure it out.

Email is the most popular method for internet users worldwide to stay in touch with retailers, according to a January 2019 survey from omnichannel retail management company iVend Retail. This tops the number of respondents who say they want brands to communicate with them on apps or through social media.

The media’s obsession with Gen Z and TikTok is ever-present, but whether or not penetration levels are as high as the frenzy would indicate is debatable. Three charts paint a clearer picture of what usage and popularity currently looks like among Gen Zers.

For brands looking to reach Gen Z, figuring out how to use TikTok now is a smart move. “For the brands that are targeting the Gen Z audience, we need to be where they are, and I think there's no doubt that they will be on TikTok,” said Alysha Yuille, vice president of content at media agency Carat USA.

Millennials and Gen Z show an affinity for social commerce

Part of those efforts included bringing on Chris Brandt as CMO last year, who helped the company embrace digital as part of its efforts to reach Gen Z and millennials. For our upcoming report on the future of the CMO, we spoke to Brandt about making Chipotle more visible and relevant to its customers through telling stories about the company's fresh-food values.

While kids are not likely to own a smartphone or have a large social media presence, video dominates their digital activity.