TikTok made me buy it

TikTok shows a video to a handful of test audiences in the For You section of their app, and if the engagement results are good, they take the video one notch up, showing it to a different set of audience.

In a matter of a few hours, videos that don’t make it are buried, and the ones that do well are shown to millions.

• Creators have a low barrier of entry with TikTok, needing only their phones to create compelling and fun videos.
• The 1-minute limit ensures that people watch more TikTok videos in the shortest time possible.
• TikTok lets users make virtual ‘duet’ videos together and encourages sharing of sounds and visuals, creating a ‘remix’ culture.
• The recommendation engine of TikTok prioritizes extreme content.
• The super-fast advice or product reviews have no room for any nuance or other details that may be important, resulting in misinformation.

TikTok influencers who are not celebrities in the traditional sense, tend to have a refreshing honesty about the products and seem highly trustworthy to the viewers/consumers.

Word of mouth is considered the most effective strategy from a marketing perspective, and TikTok influencers create a believable advertising platform, previously unseen in any online or offline ecosystem.

• According to a marketing report, social media amplifies conspicuous consumption.
• To eradicate any buying friction, social media platforms work hard to minimize the number of clicks required to order something.

Taking advantage of various factors that make things go viral and compel people to share things, many TikTok and YouTube influencers have quickly amassed millions of followers and some are on the verge of becoming millionaires.

TikTok, with its brevity, intimacy and connecting capabilities, feels like a Facetime call with a friend who is excited about a purchase, becoming perfectly suited to build emotional connections that translate into sales.

While Youtube reviews work well if they are authentic and have a good connection with the audience, TikTok strips away the fluff and feels as intimate as hanging out with a close friend.

TikTok users often feel a sense of urgency and universality when they watch a viral video, getting the impression that everyone is using the suggested product or performing the activity.

The super-fast trends cycle has made many feel disillusioned with hyper-consumerism, as big brands still account for sponsoring 77 percent of creators.