Trends around shopping are changing
TikTok used to be an app where people would post funny videos or clips of themselves dancing. All things considered, the app has drastically changed over the past few years. A trend of influencers doing product reviews has emerged where creators unbox and recommend products to their viewers. This trend is usually accompanied by the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. Users will go on the platform to get a good laugh or keep up with the pop culture. However, more often than not they will end up learning about a new product and eventually spend some money. Influencers use the app to grow an audience, but brands also use the app as a shopping platform. This enables them to increase their visibility and sales.
Increased sales resulting from user trust
The app has now reached over one billion users, which means that companies can have a massive reach on different audiences. For example, 63% of Gen Z use the app daily and 40% of users are between 25 and 44 years old. Businesses use TikTok ads differently than other type of ads. What differentiates this app is that users feel like the content they are viewing is more authentic and genuine. As a result, the viewer of a sponsored video will have more trust in the product and the company itself. This could make TikTok a shopping platform with amplified trust between customer and seller: « 73% (of users) feel a deeper connection to brands they interact with on TikTok, compared to other social media platforms ». The fact that brands can collaborate with trusted creators to push their product has a significant impact on sales, and leads to the question : Is TikTok a shopping platform?
Sources
TikTok Ecommerce 101 : Why Your Business Should Be on TikTok, Kutuchief Britny, October 19th 2020, https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-ecommerce/
How TikTok Became a Shopping Platform, Adegbuyi Fadeke, July 19th 2022, https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-shopping
