Seismic shift in search as Gen Z consumers no longer ‘Google it’

While acknowledging that many people use multiple search engines, the study shows Instagram is most popular for search, followed by TikTok. Google is in third. 

“Google is in for an intense fight to retain its relevance in search with younger users,” says Damian Rollison, Director of Market Insights at SOCI. 

“The old guard of search engines is being challenged as younger shoppers turn to Instagram and TikTok for search and discovery. For businesses, a robust presence on these platforms isn’t just beneficial – it’s critical to winning market share with younger consumers.” 

Gen Z’s search habits may change over time 

However, Forbes business magazine cautions: “That may be true. But we’ll have to see how Gen Z’s search habits change over time, and if they age out of Instagram and TikTok just a bit as they get older.” 

When looking at the search habits of consumers in all age groups, the SOCI study finds that the traditional status quo still holds true. 

“Across all demographic groups, social media platforms are rising in the ranks as tools for search,” SOCI says. “While Google Search and Google Maps still dominate, Facebook makes a strong third-place showing.” 

Comments Forbes: “Not only is social search on the rise, but generative AI is threatening to disrupt Google’s search cash-cow, which is why Microsoft has partnered with GPT-4 maker OpenAI to inject generative results into Bing.  

“That partnership may help Microsoft win, but it’s taking time: Bing still only has about 3.3% of global search volume.”