Black Friday Google searches dip as social media sales opportunities soar

TikTok provided brands with the biggest opportunity for sales during this year’s Black Friday sales, say search intelligence experts at Found & its proprietary search platform Luminr 

Google accounted for less than one in five online searches for Black Friday bargains this year, according to search intelligence experts at Found.

It illustrates a massive switch away from the world’s biggest search engine as Gen Z shoppers, in particular, turn to social media platforms to look for purchases.

The latest data, provided by analysts at Found & its proprietary tech Luminr, shows that while 110,000 searches were conducted on Google for “best Black Friday deals” this year, TikTok provided the biggest opportunity for brands on social media, with more than 70,300 searches on the platform for the hashtag #blackfridaydeals.

James Rigby, Head of Paid Performance at Found, said: “Times have changed. Shopping habits have changed. Online searching methods have changed and that means every brand needs to adapt its thinking.

“Around 40% of Gen Z consumers use social media for their searches, and this year’s Black Friday opportunities illustrate that starkly. If you’re a brand that wasn’t on TikTok, Instagram or even YouTube, you were unnecessarily missing out on sales, because that’s where many shoppers looked for bargains.”

X, formerly known as Twitter, saw more than 54,000 searches during the Black Friday period. There was also significant engagement on Instagram, where more than 45,000 searches for the same hashtag were conducted, highlighting it as a critical arena for viral marketing.

Not surprisingly, e-commerce platform Amazon holds the highest share of all channels, seeing 145,000 searches for #blackfridaydeals, while content generation platform YouTube, with its unique influence on consumers, registered 103,000 searches.

Natalie Patel, Managing Director at Found, said: “In this evolving landscape, adapting as a priority is crucial for brands. Christmas and the New Year sales are looming. So, my advice would be to find out what we know and let us help you maximise your performance across every searchable platform. It’s essential for brands to avoid excessive dependence on a single channel.

“Now is the opportune moment to adopt a more diverse strategy, ensuring you reach your audience at the right time and on the right platform.”

Between November 2021 and November 2022, searches for “best Black Friday deals” on Google in the UK dipped by 19%.