TikTok Shop and the Growth of Social Commerce
TikTok Shop combines short-form video content with online shopping, allowing users to discover, evaluate, and purchase products within the same digital environment. The platform has become part of the broader growth of social commerce, where entertainment, influencer content, product information, and purchasing activities increasingly overlap.
The Gordon College research focused on several marketing strategies commonly encountered on TikTok Shop. These included discounts and promotional campaigns, influencer recommendations and live selling, as well as product reviews and ratings. The researchers also examined customer trust through perceptions of product authenticity and quality, seller credibility, payment security, and confidence in transactions.
How the Research Was Conducted
The researchers used a quantitative descriptive-correlational approach. Data came from 100 purposively selected students from Gordon College’s College of Business and Accountancy in Olongapo City, Zambales.
The respondents represented programs including Financial Management, Accountancy, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, and Customs Administration. Participants answered a structured questionnaire covering TikTok Shop marketing strategies and different dimensions of customer trust.
The questionnaire used a four-point agreement scale. The researchers analyzed the responses using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The questionnaire also underwent validation and pilot testing, with the study reporting a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.971.
Product Reviews and Discounts Stand Out
The findings show that product reviews and ratings and discounts or promotional campaigns were among the most noticeable TikTok Shop marketing strategies for the respondents.
Product reviews and ratings recorded an average score of 3.60, while discounts and promotional campaigns recorded 3.58. Both were interpreted by the researchers as “Strongly Agree.” Influencer recommendations and live selling recorded a mean of 3.256, interpreted as “Agree.” Overall, TikTok Shop marketing strategies received an aggregate mean of 3.48.
Specific features also received relatively high responses. Free shipping vouchers recorded a mean of 3.67. Endorsements from close personal contacts recorded 3.65, while images or videos accompanied by product reviews recorded 3.63.
These results indicate that promotional incentives and social proof—such as recommendations and visible customer reviews—were important elements of the shopping experience for the Gordon College respondents.
Payment Security Emerges as a Key Trust Factor
Customer trust also received generally positive responses, with an overall mean of 3.47.
Among the four trust dimensions, payment security recorded the highest average at 3.52 and was interpreted as “Strongly Agree.” Seller credibility and reliability followed with 3.46, transaction confidence with 3.49, and product authenticity and quality with 3.39.
Individual responses further emphasized security concerns. Avoiding unsecured purchases recorded a mean of 3.71, while the use of one-time password (OTP) verification recorded 3.66. At the same time, respondents showed lower levels of agreement concerning whether product descriptions matched the actual products and whether products were authentic, with means of 3.27 and 3.26 respectively.
Marketing Strategies and Trust Were Statistically Connected
The researchers reported a positive correlation between TikTok Shop marketing strategies and customer trust, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.327 and a significance level below 0.01.
The regression results also showed statistically significant relationships for the marketing and trust variables reported in the article. Discounts and promotional campaigns had a reported coefficient of 0.321, followed by influencer recommendations and live selling at 0.287, and product reviews and ratings at 0.241. The article reported an overall R² of 0.796 for its regression model.
The researchers’ discussion suggests that promotional offers, social recommendations, product information, and transaction security can work together in shaping consumers’ purchasing decisions. They also noted that uncertainty about product authenticity and whether product descriptions accurately represent products remains relevant to online shoppers.
Implications for Sellers and Digital Platforms
For TikTok Shop sellers, the findings point to the importance of maintaining attractive promotions, free-shipping opportunities, informative product content, and visible customer reviews. The researchers also recommend working with credible influencers and using interactive live-selling strategies.
For digital platforms, the study emphasizes the importance of payment protection, OTP verification, fraud monitoring, seller verification, and clear return and refund procedures. These measures may help address consumer concerns surrounding online transactions.
The researchers from Gordon College conclude that effective TikTok Shop marketing strategies are associated with customer trust and purchasing decisions among the consumers examined in the study. Their recommendations also call for future research involving broader populations, other regions, and comparisons with platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
About the Researchers
The article lists seven researchers affiliated with Gordon College, Philippines: Joshua Louise Andrei Ablaza, Maria Amberdawn Agsalud, John Paul Dalida, Luvien Santos, Irish May Toledo, Joy Ann Ragasa, and Roger Idos. John Paul Dalida is identified as the corresponding author.
The article does not provide the researchers’ academic degrees or individual professional expertise. Their published research focuses on TikTok Shop marketing strategies, customer trust, social commerce, and purchasing behavior among college consumers.
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