Industry KPIs: TikTok, Facebook bolster US apparel engagement

The news: TikTok and Facebook lead social platforms in driving awareness and engagement for US apparel brands, according to our Industry KPI data from Sensor Tower.

The two platforms had the highest share of voice (SOV) for clothing brands in Q2 2024, with TikTok at 14.4% and Facebook at 14.2%. Among other platforms, Instagram’s SOV came to 11.0% and YouTube was 3.5%.

The Industry KPI data illustrates the importance of TikTok to clothing brands as uncertainty clouds the app’s future in the US. President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week halting enforcement of a US ban on the popular app for 75 days, though it is still unavailable on US app stores.

Why it matters: SOV indicates where consumers are most engaged with apparel content. For apparel brands that value creativity, visual expression, and driving trend appeal, strong SOV on social media helps stand out from the competition.

• That means the strength of TikTok and Facebook likely justifies higher brand investments to spur consumer purchases.
• TikTok’s lead points to the effectiveness of short-form video content in connecting with clothing shoppers.

Becoming fashionable: Among apparel brands, TikTok has become a key platform to reach young audiences. Gucci, for example, leaned on TikTok’s popularity to achieve 5.1 million followers and a 32% rise in engagement YoY, as noted in a September 2024 article in WWD.

Market appeal: TikTok and Facebook are outperformers in social commerce, with both drawing the attention of key age groups.

• TikTok is favored among Gen Z social buyers, with 67.1% making a purchase on the platform in the past year, per a March 2024 EMARKETER survey. TikTok can also have the opposite effect, with a recent survey showing 3 in 5 Gen Zers being influenced by an “underconsumption” trend on TikTok.
• However, Facebook is most popular for making buys among millennials, baby boomers, and Gen X social buyers.

The US had over 100 million social buyers as of 2024, according to our forecast. TikTok Shop, which debuted in the US in September 2023, is a hefty contributor to the nation’s commerce sales and buyer growth.

Our take: TikTok’s edge in SOV positions it as a crucial channel for conversion and discovery and provides yet another data point proving its value to advertisers and marketers. For clothing brands that depend on the app, the current limbo period will determine whether they should stick with the platform.

Go further: Want more share of voice benchmarking data? PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. Click here for more information.