Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Chinese EVs are good for the world. Biden says they’re bad for America. 

Why the Solomon Islands election matters to China and the U.S.

Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ like China, Russia, at campaign event

Wait, what is Stephen A. Smith talking about? Find out with our quiz.

Stephen A. Smith would like even more of your attention

Local sports networks go dark mid-game amid dispute with Comcast 

NASA moon capsule suffered extensive damage during 2022 test flight

Russian state media ramping up English, Spanish presence on TikTok, study finds

Apple is behind in AI and killed its self-driving car project. What’s next?

The 6 best things to do with kids in the D.C. area this weekend 

The 33 best things to do in D.C. this weekend and next week

Trevor Williams’s escape act helps Nationals blank Rangers 

Miss Manners: Offering my bedroom to guests

Ask Amy: My wife’s sister confessed her feelings for me

Carolyn Hax: Will request for a postnup offend much younger wife?

Young Georgians want to be part of Europe. Their government is in the way.

On Press Freedom Day, little to celebrate for Hong Kong’s journalists

Taxes are inevitable. Paying to prepare them doesn’t have to be.

This masterpiece ‘Birth of Venus’ probably isn’t of Venus at all

The beginner’s illustrated guide to watching an F1 race

Cat climbed into Amazon return box, found alive 630 miles away

Brave Little Hunter is free: Baby orca escapes lagoon for open seas

I learned to heal my sadness by cradling dying chickens 

That time football legend, rig-driving eligible bachelor Biden was arrested

Trump and allies say Biden pays rent for ‘illegals’ in Michigan. Not true.

Eighty percent of Ukraine-Israel bill will be spent in U.S. or by U.S. military

What’s the best bus to New York? We tested 5 for comfort and value.

You asked: Do I need a passport for my cruise?

Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive

World Press Freedom Day, 2024

How Trump convinces Republicans to adopt extreme views

Campuses are grappling with the Gaza war. So are our columnists.

Trump hush money trial live updates: Hope Hicks takes the stand

Millennials plan to use social media for holiday shopping

Washington Post illustration; iStock 

Savannah Baron keeps an exhaustive spreadsheet of perfect gifts: a <a href="https://www.kelty.com/loveseat/">camping chair love seat</a> for the couple who enjoys the outdoors; a<a href="https://notescandle.com/"> refillable candle</a> for your eco-conscious cousin; a<a href="https://drinkmixy.com/"> cocktail infusion kit</a> for the friend who’s into mixology.

It’s not for her. It’s for her 189,000 <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@savvbaron?lang=en" target=_blank>TikTok</a> followers.

Baron, 27, derives a certain satisfaction in “finding those little things and little brands” that could easily be overlooked. But her TikTok videos of curated gift ideas tap into a crucial and increasingly younger audience: People who do their holiday shopping — from inspiration to purchase — on social media.

Research shows 60 percent of Gen Z (born from 1997 to 2012) and 56 percent of millennials (1981 to 1996) will do at least some holiday shopping on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and similar apps, according to the consulting firm <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/holiday-retail-sales-consumer-survey.html#retail-key-findings">Deloitte</a>. That’s a significant leap from the 49 and 46 percent, respectively, recorded in 2021. Even Gen X and boomers have warmed up to the trend, the study found.

What’s more, social media is a key starting point: 6 in 10 shoppers say they get “inspiration and ideas” from the sites, according to a <a href="https://nrf.com/research/consumers-want-it-all" target=_blank>global survey</a> by the IBM Institute for Business Value, in association with the National Retail Federation.

“Social media provides exposure to so many more products that we would never have access to,” said Logan Stenseng, 24, of Iola, Kan., a small town about 100 miles southwest of Kansas City. He uses Pinterest for gift ideas but also hunts for bargains on Facebook Marketplace. “You also see what’s trendy in other places, and things that are very useful or practical that are helping other people that you can’t find in stores here.”

The platforms allow for a seamless browse-to-buy shopping experience, said Bobby Stephens, a partner at Deloitte who focuses on the retail and consumer products sector. And he expects more companies, brands and platforms to move in that direction as consumers continue to gravitate to product reviews, pick lists and unboxing videos.

“I think it’s just a more engaging and modern experience for the end consumer,” Stephens said. And with younger demographics spending an increasing amount of time on the apps, “what you’re seeing is brands and retailers bringing the content to them.”

The market for influencer-branded content hit $10.4 billion last year, according to <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/influencer-marketing-platform-market" target="_blank">Grand View Research</a>, a market research firm, and is expected to swell in the next several years. Fashion and lifestyle brands represent the largest slice — nearly a third — of the market, the analysis found.

The shift is among the many ways consumers have altered their buying habits in the face of decades-high inflation and rising interest rates. Shoppers are savvier — hunting for bargains, comparing prices, clipping coupons — and buying earlier, in part to spread out spending over the season. The <a href="https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-predicts-healthy-holiday-sales-consumers-navigate-economic" target=_blank>National Retail Federation projects</a> holiday spending will range from $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion in November and December, which is 6 to 8 percent higher than last year. The figures do not account for inflation.

Retailers also had to adapt this year as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/10/discounts-inventory-excess-retailers-economy/?itid=ap_abhabhattarai" target=_blank>stockpiled inventory</a> and rising labor costs torched their margins, forcing them to roll out <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/22/target-walmart-holiday-hiring/" target=_blank>early sales</a> and discount a broader array of merchandise. But they also recognized that consumer expectations had shifted, even after in-person shopping returned to pre-pandemic levels. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/28/curbside-pickup-shopping/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F37c53a9%2F630b8ca61930ae1d206a9d6e%2F5f16f48c9bbc0f3a7896c68d%2F29%2F72%2F630b8ca61930ae1d206a9d6e&wp_cu=35721459f1cc71e0dbf232cc1fd11b6a%7CAAF50446EBD11F44E0530100007F6544" target=_blank>Convenience and service took priority</a>. Curbside pickup, buying online and picking up in-store, and self-checkout became standard.

Allison Stackhouse, 24, finds herself shopping on social media because it’s where she spends most of her free time.

“All of the tracking information that is built into my phone — it knows what I like, it knows what I want,” she said. “It’s just like, you’re thinking about [a product]. They throw it in your face and you’re like, ‘Okay, well, now I’m going to buy it.’ ”

TikTok and Facebook parent Meta have led the trend among social media companies. In 2020, Instagram announced a new shopping feature for retailers to create virtual storefronts, making it easier for users to click and buy. Now, the app also has a “shop” tab on the bottom toolbar.

TikTok, which in five years became the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2022/tiktok-popularity/" target=_blank>dominant social media app </a>among Gen Z, is expanding opportunities for brands, offering tools and guides to best draw in an audience and manage ads. The app also rolled out a live shopping feature in the United Kingdom and in Asian markets. The social media giant is gearing up for a U.S. launch in the coming weeks, the Financial Times <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/479cd8da-c416-456d-a2a2-533af8a5b7bb" target=_blank>reported</a>.

But there have been stumbles. On Wednesday, Meta <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/09/facebook-layoffs/" target="_blank">announced</a> it was laying off 11,000 employees, attributing it in part to an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/10/meta-ecommerce-boom-stalls/" target="_blank">overestimation of the e-commerce boom</a> during the pandemic. The decision came three months after Meta announced it was <a href="https://www.retaildive.com/news/facebook-meta-shut-down-live-shopping-feature/628795/" target="_blank">shutting down </a>its live shopping feature on Facebook after it underperformed.

Ryan Detert, the chief executive of Influential, an influencer marketing company, said that despite Meta’s move away from the arena, he expects influencers and brands to lean into live-streaming. The experience is just an enhanced version of watching someone review a product in a video, he said, but now viewers can interact with the talent and ask questions.

Detert pointed to the overwhelming success in the Asia-Pacific region, where “200 billion — with a B — is spent on live commerce every year.”

“It’s a consumer behavior,” he added.

The shift is a natural extension for people who already shop on social media and turn to apps such as TikTok to research products. Stenseng, from Kansas, said he uses the app as his search engine because it’s rife with information and honest reviews of products, allowing people to be informed consumers, he said.

Liv Picarillo, a 24-year-old consultant in Boston, said she likes shopping on social media because of the added convenience.

“You’re already scrolling through Instagram and you see this really cool thing you like, and you can click three links and then it’s at your door in two days,” she said.

But how influencers present the products is important to young consumers, who have a radar for insincere endorsements. Both Picarillo and Stackhouse, a marketing professional in New York, said they won’t even entertain a post if it’s clear the influencers wouldn’t use the products themselves.

This is something TikTok creator <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@naomiheartsxo?lang=en" target=_blank>Naomi Hearts</a>, 24, considers every time she’s approached by a brand. As a plus-size trans Latina with more than 918,000 followers and 62.7 million likes, Hearts feels a responsibility to make sure the companies she recommends are inclusive and align with her principles. She gives careful consideration to each product to ensure it is right for her followers.

“I think going on social media to sell a product is a good investment,” Hearts said, adding that followers are “going to buy what you’re selling because they love you and they want to support you.”

Amazon was an early adopter, establishing an influencer program in 2017 and developing “Influencer Storefronts” where creators can include links to items they talk about on their feeds. If a follower buys the item through that link, the influencer gets a commission. Walmart recently <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2022/10/18/walmart-launches-new-content-creator-platform" target=_blank>announced</a> a creator platform where influencers can host live shopping experiences and link to products.

Retailers’ stockpiles mean deep holiday discounts starting now

Full-time influencer and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@quesoscorpio?_t=8X5COxKdE5L&_r=1" target=_blank>content creator</a> Claire Wenrick has been working with Amazon since she was in college. About 40 percent of her income comes from affiliate marketing, she said, another 40 percent through brand deals and the last 20 percent through her <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@claireliz_" target=_blank>creator coaching </a>business. On a good month, the 23-year-old living in New York makes about $5,000 from her Amazon storefront.

Amazon doesn’t pay Wenrick to promote items, she said; rather, it incentivizes her to link products she talks about in her TikToks to her storefront. If she hits a certain number of sales for the month, the company sends her a gift card that she can then use to order more products to review on her social media.

Now, Wenrick is beginning to prepare her holiday shopping content. With sales stretching well before Black Friday and Cyber Monday, she will start promoting her affiliate links early. She also plans to do her “favorites of 2022,” she said, a series that performed well for her last year.

“I think sharing products that I’ve been using and I’ve been loving the entire year helps people actually purchase the product rather than me just kind of throwing something random in their face that I don’t have or I know that I like,” Wenrick said. “People love the reviews.”

For Baron, who posts gift guides around the holidays and works full time at a consulting firm in Newport Beach, Calif., the TikToks are her side hustle. In a good month, she can make as much as $5,000 from affiliate link and brand deals. But making money off her videos was not her initial intention, she said. In November last year, she had about 300 items on her spreadsheet and realized there was no use in gatekeeping her unique finds.

“It is nice for people to hear either, ‘I have gifted this year before,’ ‘I have received this as a gift before,’ or ‘This is something that I personally would like,’ ” Baron said. “Having that personal touch and knowing that it’s something that somebody else would enjoy, I think it’s so beneficial when you’re actually shopping for gifts.”

Goucher College, BA in American Studies, BA in Communications and Media Studies

Columbia University, MS in Journalism

Jaclyn Peiser covers retail for The Washington Post. She previously worked overnight on The Post's Morning Mix team and covered the media industry for the New York Times. 

Jaclyn Peiser

Gen Z and millennials turn to social media to holiday shop

the-washington-post

The Washington Post

Washington Post illustration; iStock

Social media shopping

TikTok and Instagram are the new destinations for holiday shopping

name

washpost

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/business_information/strategy_and_marketing

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/business_information/human_resources/management

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/mass_media

iptc-media/religion_and_belief/religious_event

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economy

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/consumer_goods/retail

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/business_information/strategy_and_marketing/merger_or_acquisition

iptc-media/religion_and_belief

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/business_information/human_resources

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/mass_media/online_media

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/consumer_goods

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/media

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economy/macro_economics

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/media/advertising

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/business_information

iptc-media/science_and_technology

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/consumer_goods/wholesale

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economy/macro_economics/consumers

iptc-media/science_and_technology/technology_and_engineering

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economy/macro_economics/prices

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance

client-blocklists/Client List: Becton Dickinson KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CLIENT LIST: Nomura KWs 2021 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Johnson & Johnson KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Tito's KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/P+ The Offer KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Bed Bath & Beyond KWs - INCLUDE ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: USAA KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: T. Rowe Price KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Microsoft KWs 2 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Google PG KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Discover Card KWs – EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/T. Rowe Price KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/B2_Agriculture/Food Production_legacyaux_PI3

advertising/Workday Persona: CFO

advertising/B2_Apple Content_legacyaux_wxg

advertising/B2_Apps and Software_legacyaux_pb9

advertising/B2_Artificial Intelligence_legacyaux_jzm

client-blocklists/HBO KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Ford/Lincoln KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Kyndryl KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Amazon Custom 2.7.22 (BDM + EDM Content)

advertising/European Content

client-blocklists/Louis Vuitton KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs 2 - EXCLUDES ALL - 12.23.20

client-blocklists/Client List: Mercedes EQS KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/United Airlines KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Diageo - Johnnie Walker KWs - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/Flu, Sickness & Virus Content

client-blocklists/Boeing KWs 2021 - EXCLUDE ALL 

client-blocklists/FlexForm KW List - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Apple Marcom KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Mercedes KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Morgan Stanley KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Organon KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Verizon KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Facebook KWs - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/Gen Z & Social Media & Internet

client-blocklists/WaPo: Combined Disaster Keyword List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Amex KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Optum KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Hulu KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CLIENT LIST: GOLDMAN SACHS SEC KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Mastercard KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Beto for Texas KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/LV Queen 2022 Neg KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: AT&T KWs 2022 - INCLUDES ANY - NEW

client-blocklists/Synchrony Financial KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/WaPo: Natural Disaster Keyword List - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Content About Unbanked Households

client-blocklists/Client List: Ukraine-Russia (Apple News) KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: SAP 2022 KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Content About Metaverse

client-blocklists/Client List: Hermes KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Content About Underserved Communities

client-blocklists/Client List: AstraZeneca KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Showtime KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: ExxonMobil KWs - INCLUDES ANY Q4 2022

client-blocklists/Client List: GM Energy KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Office Depot Segments Q4 2022

client-blocklists/Client List: Apple TV+ KW – INCLUDES ANY

advertising/B2_Business_legacyaux_hws

client-blocklists/Client Neg KW List: Omega KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Ronald McDonald House KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/P+ Halo KW List - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Cultivate Labs Q4 2022 Segment - Forecasting

client-blocklists/Safeway KW List Commanders Q4 2022 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/PMI KWs 2021 - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Marcus Goldman Sachs Neg KW List - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/B2_Companies_legacyaux_ieb

advertising/B2_Consumer goods and services_legacyaux_wbz

client-blocklists/GEICO KWs - INCLUDES ANY_4.26.21

client-blocklists/Client List: Morgan Stanley KWs - INCLUDES ANY Q4 2022

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs Q4 2022 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/UVA KW List Q4 2022 - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/B2_Corporate Responsibility_legacyaux_FTM

client-blocklists/Client List: IBM KWs ALTERNATE Watson - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/B2_Cyber Security & Intelligence Community_legacyaux_E8X

advertising/B2_Data Center Buyer_legacyaux_80A

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/business&limit=20

Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend.

Business

The source for business news and analysis. Covering economic policy, business policy, financial news, economic issues, stock market data, local business, technology and more.