PETALING JAYA: Entertainment is the new marketeer and social media has become the medium to convey the sales pitch.
Leading the way in this marketing strategy is TikTok, the platform for short-form videos in cyberspace.
Unlike traditional marketing practices, entrepreneurs are now engaging online shoppers through entertaining videos on their products and services — a strategy known as “shoppertainment”.
TikTok, which pioneered the concept through its TikTok Shop, has seen a 78% increase in the number of sellers signing up to use its platform so far this year.
One of these sellers, Khairul Aming, focused on entertaining viewers through his cooking livestreams.
“Through these sessions I also talk about my experiences so (that) I don’t end up spending all the time trying to sell my products,” he said at the recent TikTok Shop Summit 2023 held in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur, recently.
Through the livestreams, he said, he has managed to engage his audience on a deeper level. “At the same time, my viewers do not feel obliged to buy my products. They can make their own decisions,” he added
Khairul also won the Inspirational Icon Award for his successful homegrown brand Sambal Nyet Berapi at the summit.
Apart from him, representatives of brands and businesses such as Farm Fresh, KM Fashion, Zucca and Tulippetals also spoke about their experience with TikTok Shop.
A one-of-a-kind e-commerce platform
By blending entertainment with shopping, sellers are able to personalise their marketing strategy in a way that emotionally resonates with audiences.
For example, review and demonstration videos provide informative content to audiences, while TikTok videos focused on entertainment are effective for improving brand image.
Over and above that, sellers are also able to respond to customer feedback in real time on the TikTok LIVE platform.
In combination with the “live” data provided by TikTok, sellers can make decisions on the fly based on product performance.
For instance, Farm Fresh has credited TikTok for its success in e-commerce.
“Data derived from TikTok Shop has helped us to decide which products to push next or how to create content engaging enough to our audience to enable us to lengthen the view time,” its head of brand and marketing Charmaine Chow said.
Supporting local sellers
During the day-long summit, TikTok Shop also reaffirmed its commitment to support sellers, brands and creators by investing “100 times more” in its subsidy support through its Shop Tab, LIVE Policy and Campaign Programmes in Q4 2023.
Brands that focus on fashion accessories and apparel such as Zucca and KM Fashion have already seen improved sales through TikTok’s brand awareness campaigns.
In sharing his experience with the platform, KM Fashion co-founder Cris Low said conversion usually happens when people find the seller’s livestream entertaining.
“As a seller, I feel that being able to convert those who did not intend to purchase in the first place shows that TikTok Shop offers an opportunity for businesses to grow,” he said.
“Moreover, I don’t think TikTok Shop is a threat to other businesses. Take KM Fashion for example. It is through this avenue that our business has evolved from a solely brick-and-mortar set-up primarily focused on the Perak market into a business based on a hybrid model,” he added.
Low said this has not only enabled KM Fashion to reach a nationwide audience but also led to significant reductions in operational costs such as rental and salaries.
“This is why we believe businesses in general have a vast potential to grow on this platform. It has been a significant stepping stone for us,” he added.
To learn how to grow your business on TikTok Shop and how shoppertainment is revolutionising local enterprises, sign up here and visit TikTok Shop Academy today. - FMT
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