UK users spend more time with TikTok than Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat

The trend: The UK’s Parliament may have closed its TikTok account amid worries that sensitive data may be passed to the Chinese government, but the country’s adult population continues to tune in, spending more time on the app than any other platform.

• TikTok has overtaken Snapchat as the third most popular social network in the UK, per our forecast, and that gap will widen as it continues to grow.
• By 2026, 21.1 million people–nearly a third of the UK population and more than half of mobile social network users, will be regular TikTok devotees.

Ad revenue goes up and up: With TikTok commanding more of adults’ time–this year, those ages 18 and up will spend an average of 49 minutes daily on the app–its share of UK ad revenues will climb. This year, those revenues will rise 190.2% with double-digit increases continuing through 2024.

Sights on social commerce: As TikTok takes on social commerce, using social media to buy and sell goods, it could find traction in the UK, which is one of the world’s leaders in ecommerce but hasn’t fared as well in social commerce.

• The UK trails only China in ecommerce. This year, 35.9% of total retail sales in the UK will be ecommerce sales, compared with 45.3% for China.
• In social commerce, the UK is a laggard. During Black Friday 2021, less than 5% of UK digital shoppers used social channels, according to a study by Wunderman Thompson and Censuswide.

Go further: For more on TikTok’s UK opportunities and tips for marketers, read our report, UK TikTok Marketing 2022.