The infamous 2020 has been TikTok’s year. After titles of the most downloaded app in the past year and 2 billion downloads worldwide, the short-video sharing platform is on track for reaching 1.2 billion active users by the end of 2021.
The pandemic that has made last year so notorious was a key factor in the success of the app! During the lockdowns, many people turned to their phones as an exit of boredom and TikTok was at the right spot at the right time. Thanks to this, TikTok no longer needs a lengthy introduction, unless you spent the past year under the rock.
What was once considered a Gen-Z-Only place, now sees steady growth in older groups as more and more users decide to jump on the TikTok bandwagon. Although Gen Z still rules the place with over 70% of the users aged under 24, it’s the place to be right now no matter the age. With all that happened in 2020, many would say that making predictions is a tough job, but there are some pretty certain trends in 2021 that will hit TikTok. Let’s take a sneak peak at some of the major things waiting in the months ahead of us.
The rise of social commerce
Many people still question the commerce potential that lies in TikTok, mostly because Gen-Zers are the primary user group. But, with $143 billion of spending power, it’s clear that almost every retailer and brand should invest in researching how the new generation on the rise shops and how to create a personalized experience for them, especially on the web.
TikTok itself has been steadily ramping up its tool for merchants and other social shopping features in order to compete with the efforts from Facebook and its family of social apps. Recently, a short-video sharing app allowed some users to attach links to e-commerce sites to their profile biography and send viewers to the website directly via video, as well. Let’s not forget the feature called Hashtag Challenge Plus that adds a shoping component to the hashtag, allowing purchases within TikTok.
The latest addition to TikTok’s social commerce arsenal was a partnership with Shopify. With more people becoming digital savvy every day, online shopping is no longer reserved only for younger ones. It’s the matter of the moment in 2021 when TikTok will take the next big step in this direction with its app.
Influencers, influencers, influencers!
We can definitely call it the most popular job of the new age. The first thing that pops in your mind when you hear the word „influencers“ would probably be Instagram or Youtube. Recently, with the rise of the popularity of TikTok, both established influencers and regular people managed to turn themselves into TikTok stars.
Following their success more and more stars from other networks and public life are deciding to go with the flow and pivot their focus on the fastest-growing social media at the moment in order to reach new audiences and fans.
With this flood of well-known faces to TikTok, many brands are deciding to use the influencers’ potential of TikTok in a totally different way. Businesses from all areas are trying to turn their employees into small-time influencers and brand ambassadors on TikTok. These new tactics can take brands a long way because with the right incentive employees can become the front-face of the brand and so desired influencers. Social media managers, beware!
The hub for education
While the majority of the content on Tiktok is related to challenges, dancing, and lip-syncing, TikTok is starting to move in a more mature and educational direction. During the pandemic, the platform partnered with the World Health Organization in order to prevent „fake news“ around COVID-19.
The app also launched a #LearnOnTikTok program, a partnership with over 800 public figures, media, institutions and experts to bring learning material to TikTok during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The program included exercise routines, tips for healthy sleep, finance and language content, and many other fields of expertise of partners included.
TikTok is also dedicated to providing tools and insights on how to create the best content for TikTok through short tutorial series. Many Gen-Zers embraced the initiative and started opening subjects on political activism, LGBTQ+ problems, mental health and education. The platform is slowly turning into a hub for serious discussions and topics concerning its largest audience and this trend will continue to grow in 2021. Many brands and individuals will have a great opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in the future. Thanks to the open nature of the app, many „taboos“ regarding touchy subjects like sexuality, racism, mental health and other issues will be opened and discussed with the support of TikTok.
Conclusion
What lies in front of us during the 2021 is still under the cloud of uncertainty. But, in terms of TikTok Trends for 2021, there are some major changes coming up and they are coming strong! So, if you want to catch a big wave of the next big thing going your way and ride it with your social media strategy, consider hiring a specialized TikTok agency. With the help of GrowMojo, you will always be on top of every trend that pops up. If you want to tame the winds of 2021 on TikTok together, feel free to contact our team anytime! Let’s make you and your business the next big thing!
