Social Ads Drive Half of Gen Z Consumers to Purchase

"Key stat: Half (50%) of Gen Z consumers have been driven to purchase by a social media ad, per an August YouGov report. 58.8% of Gen Z used TikTok for search, much higher than Millennials (38.8%), Gen X (21.2%), and Boomers (7.6%), according to an April EMARKETER report. Consumer packaged goods (CPGs) lead all categories with the highest percentage (34.7%) of US digital ad spend committed to social media, according to an August EMARKETER forecast."

"Use this chart: Marketers can compare the data across demographics to their social media campaign targets and see if performance meets expectations. Generally, younger groups are more primed to buy through social ads. Related EMARKETER reports: Methodology: Data is from an August 2025 YouGov analysis as cited in company blog. Approximately 1,000 US adults ages 18+ were surveyed on July 17, 2025."

Gen Z shows high purchase responsiveness to social media ads, with half (50%) reporting being driven to purchase by such ads. TikTok is a dominant search platform for Gen Z, used by 58.8%, outpacing Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. Consumer packaged goods command the largest share of US digital ad spend on social media at 34.7%. Marketers can benchmark campaign performance across demographics to determine whether results meet expectations. Data are based on an August 2025 YouGov analysis of about 1,000 US adults surveyed on July 17, 2025.

Read at EMARKETER