TikTok and AI reshape how Thai Gen Z makes digital buying choices
A survey says video reviews, social feeds and AI are reshaping how Gen Z in Thailand searches for information and decides what to buy.
- Thai Gen Z's purchasing decisions are increasingly influenced by "discovery-based" content, with 66.9% watching video reviews on platforms like TikTok before buying, compared to 21.9% using Google Search.
- AI serves as a "decision-making assistant" for Gen Z, primarily used to find ideas (43.2%), compare information (41.3%), and summarize content (39.9%) rather than for direct purchase recommendations.
- Despite the use of AI, the "human element" remains crucial, as influencers have nearly twice the impact on buying decisions as AI summaries, and only 12.1% of respondents often buy based on AI recommendations.
The Media & AI Behaviour: Gen Z Thailand Survey Report 2026 was prepared based on YouGov survey data collected through the online YouGov Panels platform between Monday (February 23, 2026) and Wednesday (February 25, 2026).
The sample comprised 2,066 people: 51% women and 49% men.
Most were of working age, with 55% in full-time employment, while others were school pupils, university students, part-time employees, retirees, and those not working.
The group represents key consumers in the current market and comprises Millennials at 41%, Gen Z at 37% and Gen X at 19%.
By region, respondents were divided into Bangkok and its vicinity at 30%, the Central region at 20%, the Northeast at 20%, the North at 15% and the South at 15%.
The Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Thammasat University, together with YouGov Thailand and ABM Connect, released the survey on media use and AI use among Gen Z in Thailand.
It found that Gen Z’s information-search and purchase-decision behaviour has changed significantly.
Visual search and video influence information searches before purchase decisions
- 66.9% watch video reviews on TikTok and social media before deciding to buy.
- 21.9% choose to read reviews on Google Search.
For the main sources of news and content:
- 73.9% use social media feeds.
- 42.5% conduct searches by themselves.
- 36.8% receive information from influencers.
- 19.0% get news summaries from AI.
This reflects information-search behaviour moving from “search-based” to “discovery-based”, with consumers increasingly discovering products and making decisions through content, videos, reviews and real experiences.
AI is used to find ideas, compare information and summarise content
AI has become an important decision-making tool for Gen Z, used by:
- 43.2% to find ideas.
- 41.3% to compare information.
- 39.9% to summarise content.
This reflects that AI is not being used merely for convenience, but is taking on the role of a “decision-making assistant” in everyday life.
- 25.7% use ChatGPT, the tool with the highest daily usage.
- 22.1% use Gemini.
- 15.9% use Google AI Search.
- 6.7% use Microsoft Copilot.
More than 42.3% of Gen Z respondents somewhat trust AI because it can summarise information clearly (56.1%) and provide references (53.1%).
However, when asked how often they bought products based on AI recommendations, only 12.1% said they did so often, while 28.7% said they had never done so.
The survey found that Gen Z still values the “human element” and real-life experiences from people.
Influencers still have almost twice as much influence on decision-making as AI-generated summaries, reflecting that Gen Z uses AI for speed and efficiency but still wants sincerity and tangible content from real people, or a “human touch”.
Associate Professor Prapaipit Muthitacharoen, a lecturer in the Department of Public Relations at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Thammasat University, said Gen Z prioritises social media, filters information from multiple sources and has a moderate level of trust in AI-generated information.
Most use it to find ideas rather than to make purchasing decisions, and still want sources or verifiable evidence.
This has become a new challenge for brands in balancing speed, accuracy, transparency and sincerity in communication.
“The research also found that Thai Gen Z is highly diverse. Communication that considers diversity and equality, or inclusivity, is therefore another issue brands should pay attention to.”
Meanwhile, Seri Sirinopwongsagon, Executive Director at ABM Connect Co. Ltd., said the statistics on TikTok use for information searches compared with Google suggest that Gen Z wants to experience real-life perspectives, and that storytelling through video can create a strong impact.
Because Gen Z uses TikTok in daily life, this is an important opportunity to plan a content strategy to build familiarity and maintain continuous communication.
In addition, influencers who can connect values and trust will be an important bridge between brands and consumers.
Brands should therefore focus both on always-on content that builds long-term relationships and on experiences from reviews or feedback from real users, because every touchpoint is an important communication opportunity that should not be overlooked.
“Brands should have a strong content strategy to organise communication efficiently and clearly, while creating a balance between the speed of information from AI and the accuracy of information from brands. This should combine review content to inspire consumers with a systematic database, so that AI can accurately find and summarise information about brands through social platforms, which are becoming an important new touchpoint for Thai Gen Z consumers today.”
