Have you ever bought an item because you saw it advertised on social media? It’s a shared experience by many, whether you’re young or old. You’re scrolling through social media, see a product review video where someone talks about their experience with a brand, and the positive reviews hook your interest. Before you know it, you’re on your way to buying what you just saw.
It is called community commerce. When applied in the social media context, simply community commerce means the act of selling or promoting products on different social media platforms.
More than Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, TikTok is slowly taking over the world. Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok is home to enticing and easy-to-consume videos that are perfect for the world’s shrinking attention span. As a digital marketer, it’s essential to understand how these TikTok videos strongly appeal to the viewers so you can apply the psychology behind them in other areas of marketing.
One of the recent trends on this viral platform is #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, and it’s shaking up the digital marketing industry,. This craze is sending millions of people to groceries, malls, and eCommerce stores to buy products that they see online. The compelling influence of this TikTok phenomenon is driving up sales, often resulting in overnight success for startups and small businesses.
This infographic will explain the impact of the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt phenomenon, and why it is a useful tool for propagating community commerce for business
What is the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt Trend?
The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend refers to users on TikTok discovering and purchasing products through videos posted by other users. This hashtag itself has gained billions of views on the social media platform, and it’s also fueling major sales. especially when it comes to strengthening community-driven commerce The most commonly bought items from this craze are skincare and makeup products, crafting materials, and home improvement items.
Many brands and businesses continuously take advantage of this trend by creating viral marketing campaigns to promote their products. Some people also attribute this fad to the power of influencer marketing using the platform TikTok. For instance, celebrities who do product reviews or makeup tutorials can lead thousands of fans to buy a product they’re using.
It’s intriguing how a phenomenon like this can quickly dominate the world yet still make it look effortless. At the same time, it’s an effective social media marketing strategy for various businesses. Consumers are either finding new products or exciting ways to use old products by watching videos on TikTok and then buying the items for themselves.
The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt Phenomenon: Facts and Figures
The demographics of the TikTok community show unsurprising numbers in a 2022 report from Data Reportal. From individuals aged 18 to those above 55, most of the platform’s users are from the younger generations. Gen Z (18 to 24 years old) accounted for 421.1 million users, or 39.8% of the count, followed by 306.7 million millennials (25 to 34 years old) at 29%.
Meanwhile, the 35 to 44 age group comprised 135.8 million users, or 12.9% of the populace. Those who were 45 to 54 were at 7.2% or 75.3 million in the count, while persons aged 55 and above were only 83.6 million, which was 8%.
Since young people accounted for a large part of the TikTok community population, it was only natural that they had the most purchases. True enough, Gen Z individuals spent around $150 billion on items they discovered on TikTok, while Millennials splurged about $200 billion. Together, these two generations paid $350 billion for their TikTok finds In the United States alone.
Additionally, a survey from Adweek supports these statistics as they found that TikTok prompted 36% of Gen Zs and 15% of all adults to buy products they learned about on the platform. Likewise, in the land Down Under, 41% of Australian users are 1.5x more likely to purchase a product they saw from TikTok.
As for content under the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, the possibilities are endless. TikTok users can jump from skincare and makeup clips that share holy grail products to unique accessories and appliances that inspire home improvements. Currently, this trending hashtag garnered 38.1 billion views, and you can only expect this to grow in the coming months or even years.
The Psychology Behind the #TiktokMadeMeBuyIt Phenomenon
The TikTok made me buy it trend goes beyond excellent marketing efforts and great content because psychology plays a significant role in making this phenomenon powerful. Below are some psychological principles that back up this popular craze. Read the following psychological concepts to see how you can use engaging content for your community commerce efforts
Love begets love
One of the fundamental principles of social psychology is the reciprocity principle, which states that you give to others what you get from them. In a consumer and business scenario, if a company does something nice for its prospective customers, they will more likely buy from them. However, sometimes, igniting positive feelings is enough for consumers to engage and take up an offer from a seller.
Likewise, TikTok allows its users to be creative and expressive, leading 60% of those people to feel happier. As a result, these users are more inclined to purchase products they see on the app. Moreover, 39% of users tag “lifting spirits” as a critical factor affecting their buying decisions. This finding supports the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend even more since TikTok fosters joy.
Knowledge gap
The information gap theory shows that you tend to go the extra mile to learn about topics you’re interested in, especially if you currently do not have information about it. For example, if you wanted to know more about home improvements, you would make an effort to read materials or watch videos that could add to your knowledge. Fortunately, 46% of TikTok users see the platform as a place for information.
Likewise, most of these #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt videos are founded on that life hack angle. Creators present them in such a way that viewers pick up a valuable how-to or solution to something. Whether it’s for learning new ideas or rediscovering old ones, TikTok offers a wide variety of data. That’s where marketing campaigns step in. Through engaging clips, content creators can seamlessly market products. Since TikTok videos compel 92% of its users worldwide to purchase or take action, the TikTok made me buy it phenomenon flourishes all the more.
Collective recommendations
The social proof principle explains how and why the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend grew remarkably. According to this theory, you are more likely to believe in products if people you know can attest to them. Beyond positive reviews from strangers online, it’s feedback from your family and friends that will strongly influence your purchasing decision.
TikTok is an avenue for creativity and self-expression. Users engage with each other and share their interests, building the TikTok community. The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt videos fit right in because they’re usually great finds that lead to solving a problem or making something more manageable. These videos show real-life and universal problems that particular products can help with.
Genuine product reviews and advocacies come off as content that connects with viewers. Other than having an influencer be an ambassador, when people feel a product or brand’s authenticity, they’re more likely to purchase. At the end of the video, the content’s genuineness will promote awareness and lead to the purchase.
As a survey from Matter shows, 82% of individuals purchase, research, or consider buying a product after hearing positive comments from influencers and people they know. Moreover, since TikTok supports self-expression, 79% of users create promotional posts. They either tag a brand, show off consumer-packed goods (CPG), or create a tutorial to engage with more viewers.
As a result, the brand or product gains a better reputation and earns the trust of TikTok users, feeding the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt craze. Furthermore, 42% of those users persuaded someone they know to purchase CPG from TikTok.
FOMO
The fear of missing out (FOMO) concept relates to scarcity marketing, implying that the rarer an item is, the more valuable it becomes. Conversely, FOMO also springs from seeing social media posts that could trigger the desire to get something to avoid missing out on an experience. Both situations make anxious consumers want to get their hands on a particular product to relieve FOMO.
Shockingly, 60% of individuals take action within 24 hours to ease FOMO. This report significantly impacted the TikTok made me buy it movement. Similarly, TikTok inspired 67% of its users to purchase a product, driving more sales and hyping other people to join the bandwagon.
Using your Power to Influence
The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt phenomenon will likely keep making waves online and convince more viewers to purchase items. It’s a two-way beneficial movement where users discover simple, life-changing products and solutions while businesses increase sales and profits. As digital marketers, you can take this trend and learn what psychology principles apply to other marketing areas. Of course, you can use your learnings to start your own path towards community commerce on TikTok.
Social media platforms like TikTok are an excellent avenue to reach your target audiences, promote your advocacies or products, and generate revenue. If you need a boost in your digital marketing efforts, a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, like Spiralytics, can help. Spiralytics offers social media marketing services and other business solutions that cater to your needs.
