Deloitte Digital Germany and Spain, together with TikTok, present new research exploring how discovery, search, and shopping now operate as one connected behavior across platforms.
The whitepaper draws on recent research to examine the growing intersection of search and commerce, and how TikTok sparks product interest, delivers creator‑driven validation, and influences where and how consumers decide to buy. It highlights how shoppers move fluidly between social content, AI tools, search engines, and retailer environments – often within minutes – and how these behaviors collapse the traditional separation between inspiration, evaluation, and purchase. The report outlines what these shifts mean for brands and how they can activate across the full discovery‑to‑decision journey.
The Intersection of Search & Commerce is available for download with the button below.
83
%
Among people who use TikTok for inspiration, 83% say it ultimately led to a purchase
57
%
Among TikTok users, 57% say they passively discover products on the platform
44
%
When people use TikTok for research, 44% of their motivations are grounded in authenticity: real reviews or experiences
41
%
When TikTok users use the platform to figure out where to buy a product, 41% complete the purchase directly on TikTok
Unlocking TikTok’s Search‑to‑Commerce Potential: Strategies for Driving Conversion, Confidence, and Growth
From a marketer’s perspective, the research shows a clear shift in how people move from interest to action. Search, discovery, and shopping are no longer separate steps – they form one connected behavior that unfolds across platforms and moments. TikTok plays a central role in this journey by turning exploration into confidence and confidence into conversion.
When people use TikTok to research products or seek inspiration, those moments increasingly lead directly to purchase. This is not simply a matter of exposure. Creator proof, cultural relevance, and short‑form content help people understand products in context, validate choices through real experiences, and decide faster.
As Jenny Fernandez, TikTok Head of Research & Insights for Europe and Israel, puts it:
“TikTok turns the entire digital ecosystem into a storefront by collapsing the gap between a spark of interest and a completed transaction. When friction is removed, commerce follows where confidence is highest.”
Combining large‑scale consumer research with insights from marketing leaders, this whitepaper explores how TikTok shapes discovery, research, and purchase decisions – and how AI- and creator-led validation strengthen these effects. It outlines four strategic imperatives for brands: showing up when intent forms, pairing AI efficiency with human proof, activating across multi‑touchpoint journeys, and designing for both immediate conversion and long‑term brand impact.
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Virginie Briand
Virginie Briand is a Partner with Deloitte and a passionate communicator. For over 20 years, she has supported companies, brands, and people in communicating major transformations. She helps executives, organizations, and teams evolve and successfully position themselves in complex market environments. Her focus areas include internal and external storytelling and stakeholder management, the communicative support of major transformation processes, as well as executive messaging and profiling. After holding leadership positions in the automotive industry, she successfully founded and ran her own communications consultancy. What drives her? A mindset characterized by entrepreneurship and creativity. Powerful communication that creates value, moves people, opens up new business opportunities, and enables change. Her motto? "Lead the conversation - to influence change."