TikTok, known as Douyin in China, has rapidly integrated e-commerce features, enabling brands to engage directly with consumers in a more interactive and instantaneous manner. The integration of shopping and entertainment has created a unique ecosystem that influences user purchasing habits. Here’s how the shopping features on TikTok and user purchasing habits interplay:
1. Shopping Features on TikTok:
- In-app Stores: Brands can set up their in-app stores on TikTok, allowing users to browse and purchase without leaving the app.
- Shoppable Video Ads: Brands can insert shopping links directly into their ads, leading users to product pages.
- Live Streaming Sales: Influencers and brands host live sessions where they showcase products, answer questions, and sell in real-time.
- Product Display in Videos: Content creators can tag products in their videos, which users can click to purchase.
- Affiliate Marketing: TikTok offers certain influencers the chance to earn commissions by promoting products.
2. User Purchasing Habits:
- Impulse Buying: The short, engaging nature of TikTok videos paired with easy purchasing options often leads to impulse buying.
- Influence-Driven Purchases: Recommendations from influencers or peers have a significant impact. If a product goes viral on TikTok, it often results in a surge of sales.
- Engagement with Brands: Users can engage directly with brands through comments, challenges, and live streams, leading to a more personalized shopping experience.
- Preference for Authenticity: TikTok users lean towards genuine and raw content rather than polished ads. Brands that show the human side, share behind-the-scenes content, or engage in trends/challenges resonate more with the audience.
- Localized Content: Users appreciate content that’s tailored to their region, culture, and preferences. Brands that localize their content effectively see a higher engagement rate.
In essence, TikTok has blurred the lines between entertainment and shopping. Its unique features promote not just passive watching but active engagement, leading to a change in how users discover, engage with, and ultimately purchase products.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, Tiktok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search pltfrm for a free consultation!
