Unlocking Q5 on TikTok: How Smart+ and Lower Competition Drive Better Results

 

Q5 on TikTok: The Quarter You Can’t See but Absolutely Should Use

As the holiday rush fades, most marketers begin winding down their budgets.

But TikTok is spotlighting Q5, the post-holiday stretch that is often overlooked by advertisers and marketers.

Q5 may not appear on a traditional calendar, but on TikTok, Q5 consistently delivers high engagement and more efficient ad performance.

And it makes sense, too. 

TikTok’s community does not switch off after December. If anything, users shift from gifting to self-improvement, exploring new habits, routines, apps, and products. For brands, that shift creates a window where demand rises while competition falls.

These are the conditions that make Q5 more than a leftover quarter. It is a period defined by curiosity and momentum

What is Q5, and why does it matter for marketers

Most advertisers pull back on budgets during Q5  because they assume the post-holiday period is a low-value window.
They expect consumers to be fatigued after seasonal spending, budgets to tighten, and demand to drop — so they reduce or pause campaigns by default.

TikTok’s data reflects that this assumption is false.  TikTok cites that 75% of users spend the same amount of time or more shopping in Q5.

For marketers, this matters for a simple reason. Engagement stays high even during this perceived downtime.  And the brands that remain active capture the benefits that follow.

Where Smart+ Fits Into the Q5 Advantage

To help advertisers capitalise on this opportunity, TikTok is pointing to Smart+. It is a next-generation automation solution designed to improve performance during periods of high intent.

Smart+ automatically tests, learns, and optimises delivery in real time, identifying the best-performing audiences and scaling into them as conditions shift.

The early results speak for themselves. In testing:

• 80% of advertisers using Smart+ for Apps saw improved performance
• Cost per conversion dropped by 14%, on average
• 75% of advertisers plan to continue using Smart+

It is performance efficiency matched with automation, and Q5 gives Smart+ more room to accelerate results.

How Q5 Unlocks Performance Across Industries

The Q5 opportunity is not limited to a single vertical. TikTok sees consistent lift across categories:

Q5 Turns New-Year Intent Into App Downloads

• 68% of users plan to spend the same or more time downloading apps after the holidays.
• This surge is driven by users adopting new habits and routines for the new year, making Q5 a natural moment for app discovery.

In Q5, Shoppers Shift From Gifting Others to Gifting Themselves

• 75% of users spend the same amount of time or more shopping in Q5.
• With gifting behind them, consumers redirect focus toward personal purchases, creating a strong environment for commerce growth.

Gaming Engagement Stays High Even After the Holiday Rush

• 64% of TikTok users continue gaming at the same or higher frequency in Q5.
• Gamers use the post-holiday period to explore new titles and revisit old favorites, keeping demand steady.

Across all of these verticals, the formula remains stable:
active audiences + lower costs on ad spend + automated optimisation = stronger performance.

House of Marketers Insights

Q5 has built a reputation as an overlooked period, but we think it is far from a slowdown. Q5 does seem like a hidden gem, but this gem will not remain hidden forever.

From our experience, there are a few things marketers should keep in mind:

First, Q5 works because most brands still assume it is a low-value window. That assumption leads to lighter competition, which is why CPMs drop and efficiency climbs. But as more advertisers recognise this pattern, Q5 will become busier.

Second, the results hold because user behaviour genuinely shifts. People move from gifting to self-improvement, and that creates real demand. This part is not going away, but the edge will belong to the brands that align their creative and messaging with that mindset.

Third, the brands that treat Q5 as part of their wider strategy will outperform those that treat it as a bonus month.
Staying active in this window builds stronger audiences, sharper learnings, and a smoother transition into Q1.

So yes, Q5 is as effective as it appears. But it is unlikely to stay “invisible.” As more marketers catch on, the advantage will come from planning early, testing deliberately, and matching user intent with relevant creative. The opportunity will still be there; it will simply reward the brands that take it seriously.

Conclusion

High engagement, lower CPMs, and Smart+ automation give Q5 a unique performance profile that brands cannot afford to overlook. While the rest of the market slows down, TikTok’s community stays active — and Smart+ turns that activity into measurable outcomes.

If you are ready to rethink their post-holiday approach, partner with House of Marketers, a global TikTok marketing agency. We help brands design, launch, and scale TikTok strategies that combine creativity, community, and data-led execution.

Reach out to explore our services:

• TikTok Influencer Campaigns
• Paid Social & TikTok Campaigns
• Paid Media Strategy