TikTok Next 2026: the trends marketers should understand

What is the report about?

TikTok’s 2026 report uses the theme “Irreplaceable Instinct”, which our Arabic edition interprets as human instinct that cannot be replaced. It brings together three forecasts about audiences’ relationships with content, discovery and purchasing. Its introduction describes using platform tools to analyse patterns alongside human interpretation. [1]

The platform publishes the report itself, so we read it as TikTok’s research and marketing perspective. Recognising who is speaking and what they describe helps readers compare its ideas with their own data and other sources when making investment decisions.

The three signals in plain language

This summarises the report’s trends; these are not new research findings by CROMBA. [1]

Reading a number with its context

The report states that millennial and Gen Z users are 1.5 times more likely than Gen X and older people to try a brand because of its community. It attributes this to a 2025 Kantar study for TikTok Marketing Science covering the US, UK and Brazil, not an Arab-market sample. [1, page 8]

CROMBA’s perspective: examine the comparison before repeating the number. What behaviour was measured, who was compared and which markets were covered? “More likely” does not automatically mean sales increased, and a difference between groups does not prove one factor caused it.

When using a figure in a client presentation, place its source and limits alongside it. For local campaign forecasts, use actual local data as the basis and the report to generate a testable hypothesis.

Understanding the terms without overextending them

Our editorial approach explains meanings useful to readers. “Emotional value of a purchase” prompts consideration of the personal reason an offer fits a customer. It should not be treated as a financial return percentage calculable without definitions or data.

“Community” also needs a definition within your business. Do you mean learners exchanging experience, customers sharing use cases, or followers with a common hobby? Define the behaviour you want to support, then select content and follow-up.

These are CROMBA’s editorial interpretations. Refer to the original English terms and report to understand their use in context.

Four fields for reading any platform report

1. Information: record precisely and briefly what the source says.
2. Context: note the date, market, sample or data source where available.
3. Local question: what do we need to know about our own audience?
4. Test: what small experiment could help answer it?

For example, to examine a learning community’s role in registration, review pre-registration questions, interview consenting learners and test content explaining shared learning. This is CROMBA’s example, not a published finding in the report.

Make the final decision after testing: do you need more content, a better service or a clearer offer? Sometimes audience questions reveal missing product information rather than a need for another video.

Move from understanding to an actionable plan

Open the original PDF report to review its examples and references. Keep the edition name and year when sharing a summary with your team.

To translate reading into action, see CROMBA’s guide to applying the report in content strategy, with experiments and a review plan for selecting what fits your project and measuring learning.

Frequently asked questions