TikTok booming in the lead-up to Christmas
TikTok is predicted to have its biggest Christmas retail period ever as the combination of the volume of TikTok Shops more than doubles and ad spend rockets.
There are now 200,000 active businesses on TikTok Shop in the UK, which has doubled at this time last year.
A TikTok Shop offers brands a chance to sell directly to customers via the app. Sometimes fronted by influencers or in-house shopper marketing teams. On average, there are 5,000 TikTok Shop Lives each day.
As more brands climb onboard, brands looking to create a presence on TikTok Shop will need to work hard to stand out in an increasingly saturated market.
Read more here.
Bluesky website rapidly overtakes Threads
The platform Bluesky has dominated conversations throughout November, as Musk’s involvement in the outcome of the US Election was the catalyst for the surge away from X.
Bluesky’s growth over Threads follows Zuckerburg’s decision to reduce the prominence of political content on Meta.
Threads has made updates to liken the platform to Bluesky in an attempt to prevent users from switching platforms. Whilst Bluesky’s website usage trumps Threads, the latter still has more active app users.
Read more here.
Snapchat rolls out first Sponsored Snap
Following the announcement of Sponsored Snaps in September, the platform has used the launch of ‘Wicked’ to test the feature.
A Snapchat has been sent to the personal inbox of all US users over the age of 18 to promote the film. The video features actor Jonathan Bailey urging users to watch the film at the cinema, with a CTA to buy tickets.
Will Sponsored Snaps be a welcome addition? Chances are that users will find it disruptive and intrusive, but the loyal Snapchat userbase are unlikely to stop using the app because of it.
Read more here.
Beauty filters to be blocked from teens on TikTok
Following the crescendo of concerned parents and healthcare professionals about teen anxiety and self-esteem issues, TikTok is restricting the use of beauty filters to those under 18.
Teenagers will not be able to use popular filters such as “Bold Glamour” and others, which make the eyes bigger, smooth skin and plump lips. Comic filters will still be available to use.
For this update to have an effect, the platform is relying on users to be honest about their age. This comes as the platform is also tightening the system to block under 13s.
Read more here.
YouTube helps creators to make the most of connected TV viewing
More viewers are connecting their YouTube to the big screen, opting to watch videos on their television. The platform reported earlier this year that one billion hours of YouTube is being watched on TV sets each day.
To help creators make the most of this, YouTube has provided five tips to maximise content reach and engagement. This includes creating videos for higher-quality playback, episodic content and using analytics to track TV viewing.
Content that works well on the TV screen will need to be more immersive and professional-looking than typical vlog-style videos.
Read more here.