TikTok 'shoppertainment' drives mega-sale hit

Videos on the platform are used not just to entertain but also to drive e-commerce.

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Retailers went from product discovery to purchase in a flash by making entertainment part of the shopping experience at TikTok's mega-sale events this year.

Short videos, time-sensitive offers, user-generated content, and influencer partnerships have emerged as key strategies for brands looking to drive engagement and sales on the online platform, Matty Lin, general manager of Global Business Solutions at Tik Tok Southeast Asia, said in an interview with Retail Asia.

"Livestream selling has also become another powerful driver of consumer engagement and purchases in Southeast Asia," he said.

For example, Malaysian fashion brand ZUCCA used Tik Tok's content sponsorship packages, boosting the number of e-shoppers who bought stuff by 9.5%, Lin said.

The gross merchandise value-a business metric that measures the total value of sales over a period of time of brands that go live with Tik Tok's LIVE Shopping Ads, which help people on Tik Tok discover and watch their LIVE videos, more than doubled compared with those who did not use the feature, he added.

Lin also pointed to trends like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, which has amassed more than 10 million posts globally, as significant drivers of awareness and sales.

"Going live helps brands to speed up order growth, provide stable gross merchandise value and higher [return on ad spend], where we have seen LIVE contribute to over 40% of our top-tier sellers' gross merchandise value," he added.

He urged brands to conduct live sessions for at least three hours daily, noting that well-structured scripts can boost 10-second view rates by over 56%, whilst curated product assortments could increase conversion rates by more than 78%.

Lin said sellers should tailor their videos depending on whether their target audience is a bargain hunter, effortless, inspirational or purposeful shoppers.