Social search has landed, and is here to stay. Marketers who fail to stay abreast of this evolving consumer behaviour risk falling behind, as the conventional funnel is upended.
Customers are now demonstrating search intent in more diverse places than they used too, as discovery-driven commerce grows, creating new competitive advantages for brands that can seamlessly blend entertainment, validation, and transaction in social ecosystems.
The trend is only heading in one direction, with the 2025 GWI Social Media Report revealing that nearly half of 16-34 year olds cited searching for products as one of the main reasons they use social media. They’re not just changing platforms they use for search, they’re rejecting the premise that discovery and purchase should be separate experiences.
The traditional funnel stages haven’t vanished; they’ve collapsed into micro-moments of social discovery. Brands must act fast to adapt to this fundamental shift.
So, what is Social Search?
Prior to this evolution, if a consumer was looking for answers such as ‘best restaurant in London’ or ‘healthiest dog food,’ there was only one place they turned, Google (sorry Bing). But users are now turning to their social media platforms to answer these questions, using the platform search functionalities to find answers.
But why the shift?
Anyone that has worked in traditional Paid Search knows that the greatest signal a user can give you is their intent. The unique power of this channel is an immediate, in moment response to direct requests from consumers. This is not the place for educating users about a brand’s product or generating demand, but social platforms can unlock this opportunity. Here’s why:
The Authenticity Economy – when on TikTok or Reddit, consumers know their queries are being answered by a real person on the other side of the screen, not a business with a big SEM budget or a carefully crafted article full of keywords. There’s a level of trust that comes from this. These public forums invite criticism and discussion so the recommendations and answers are perceived as genuine – whether they are or not…
A Visual Medium – Most platforms are natively built around images and videos, so when looking for answers on ‘best gochujang recipes’ or ‘where to stay on the Amalfi coast,’ why wouldn’t you prefer to see what the final recipe looks like or what the view is like on a beach in Italy?
Speed and Seamlessness – a couple of years ago a study was conducted that found Brits scrolled more than 3x of the length of the Eiffel Tower per day. Platforms like TikTok, Reddit and Instagram are easy to navigate, and serve multiple functions such as entertainment, inspiration, networking, commerce or shopping, and search capabilities. Because of this, users are less likely than ever to leave the app.
Forward-thinking brands are already reorganizing around integrated teams that think in terms of social ecosystems rather than channel silos. These teams don’t just optimise campaigns; they cultivate communities that blend entertainment, education, and commerce. Tech platforms are supporting this by adapting their Search functionality to be simple and ingrained in the user experience.
How are big tech platforms adapting to this change ?
TikTok is on the front foot here, developing their Search Ads campaigns, with keyword search term targeting expected to roll out widely in H2 2025. Reddit and Pinterest likewise are gaining momentum – as their platforms have always had search principles integrated into their audience and placement offering.
Interestingly the dominant forces in the industry are slower to move in actionable ways, Meta has not identified this as a priority within their ad buying tools. Instead they are focusing on automation of existing functionalities and monetising Threads/Whatsapp over investment in keyword bidding functionalities. Similarly, it will be important to keep an eye on how Google reacts over the coming months… will the traditional engine be adapted to meet changing consumer demands? We will certainly be watching this space.
Social users behave so differently on each platform that they may also evolve to capture category-specific search behaviors. Pinterest owns lifestyle discovery. TikTok dominates product performance. Reddit controls opinion validation. In addition to adding search features—they’re becoming the definitive authority for different types of purchase decisions. The winners won’t just be platforms with the best search algorithms, but those that create the most seamless path from discovery to transaction within their ecosystem. Amazon understood this early with one-click purchasing. Social platforms are now building the same frictionless commerce experience around content consumption
So, what can advertisers do to capitalise on this?
Ecosystem Thinking Over Channel Optimization – This has never been more important, with the principles of Search starting to be integrated into ad buying functionality across Social platforms. Ensuring a streamlined and efficient workflow between Search, Social and Content teams is going to be essential to maintain flexibility as the platforms develop and landscape changes.
Authority Through Community
1. Your competitive edge increasingly comes from the communities that advocate for your brand across platforms, so a creator strategy is essential. Authentic content is key, and brands will need to be strategic with who they partner with, as well as deliberate in the type of content they develop. Ensuring they are present to answer the questions their customers are asking, without jeopardising trust.
2. Branded content also needs to maintain the creative “red thread” that exists across other marketing channels – driving authenticity not only in messaging but in brand identity.
Test, test, test! – With functionality across the different Social Ads Platforms varying and ever-changing, having a structured test & learn strategy (and budget) is a must to make sense of the new landscape. Working with media partners on understanding platform nuances, planning tool availability, and shifting best practices will help brands start to shape their strategy for 2026 and beyond.
It’s an exciting time for the industry and this ongoing behaviour shift represents a great opportunity for marketing teams focused on future-proofing their strategies. As the roles of channels are beginning to blur together, it is essential to have these conversations now, to build for an integrated future.
English 
简体中文