The Secret Sauce to FMCG Brand Growth

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Chris Pearce, Managing Director at Greenpark Digital

Written byChris PearceEMEA | Managing Director EMEA

Chris is a distinguished digital transformation and customer engagement agency leader. Chris previously headed up MRM Worldwide (UK) Ltd, part of McCann Worldgroup, and TMW Unlimited, winning Campaign’s ‘Customer Engagement Agency of The Year Award’ twice, and worked on JP Morgan, Sage, Imperial College London and British Cycling. Chris sits on the DMA’s Customer Engagement Committee and is part of the AI task force.

Understanding evolving consumer search behaviour is the secret sauce to FMCG brand growth, writes Chris Pearce.

For brands looking to grow, understanding where and how light and new buyers search is more important than ever.

And spoiler alert: it’s not just happening on Google anymore.

The rise of social search

Search habits are evolving, driven by generational shifts and the increasing sophistication of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

These aren’t just entertainment hubs anymore, they’ve become powerful search engines in their own right: offering education, recommendations, and discovery in ways that feel faster, more relatable and engaging than traditional search results.

Let’s take the skincare market as an example.

According to Greenpark data, every month there are a staggering 38 million searches for skincare-related information in the US and UK. And while Google still holds the biggest share of searches (42%) it’s a far cry from the 80% dominance it enjoyed just a few years ago.

Today, nearly half of all skincare searches take place across Instagram (24%) and YouTube (24%), while TikTok, though currently at 10%, is growing fast. Even Pinterest, which accounts for only 2%, plays a role in this shifting dynamic.

This isn’t just limited to the skincare market. According to recent food consumer research conducted by Greenpark, when searching for recipes or food inspiration YouTube is now the second most popular channel overall (40% of people) while TikTok (29%), Facebook and Instagram (26% a piece) aren’t too far behind.

This phenomenon is driven by younger demographics, with 60% of 16-24 year olds consulting TikTok and 62% of 25-34 year olds heading to YouTube for their recipe fix. Raised on a diet of social media, they’ve developed an instinctive ability to filter out irrelevant content and quickly find what they can trust.

Many now prefer TikTok or Instagram over Google, simply because it’s faster and more visual. In the case of recipes in particular, they want content to provide convenience and economy, with clear cooking instructions and preparation times.

After all, why sift through pages of links when you can get instant, digestible insights from a trusted creator in a matter of seconds?

Continue reading at FMCG CEO and find out the 5-step approach to winning the omnichannel search battle.