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Investigating the Influence of TikTok Community

Commerce Content on Adult Purchase Behavior

Adia Atwell

Media and Communication Studies: Culture, Collaborative Media and Creative

Industries
Second-year master thesis | 15 credits
Word Count: 12508
Supervisor: Bojana Romic
Examiner: Linda Paxling
Abstract
With the rise of social media platforms and the increasing popularity of short-form
video content, TikTok has emerged as one of the dominant platforms for entertainment,
information sharing, and commerce. This thesis aims to examine the influence of
community commerce TikTok content on adult users, exploring the impact it has on
their purchasing behaviors, perceptions, and overall engagement. The research employs
a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods in an online
survey. The quantitative analysis of results involves assessing demographic data in
addition to establishing a clear, unambiguous understanding of the participants
including their exposure to community commerce content, motivations for engagement,
and existing purchase behavior. In the analysis of qualitative data, open-ended and
narrative responses are analyzed. These responses speak to personal realities and
provide insight on distinctive opinions. The theories deployed in the design of the study
are Social Influence theory, the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model (SOR), and Word
of Mouth (WOM).

The findings of this research contribute to existing literature on social media marketing,
digital commerce, and consumer behavior. The outcome of the study revealed that users
feel more inclined to make a purchase in response to TikTok content (compared to
traditional marketing) when the content feels catered to their interests and multiple users
on the platform attest to a product's value. This category of content is referred to as
community commerce, which intersects community, shopping, and entertainment. The
elements that make this content unique were revealed to have the power to influence
someone who has never made a purchase from TikTok before to be more inclined to do
so if the content is relevant enough.

As such, the conclusions of this thesis also imply several implications for society at
large. These include a more authentic approach to future influencer marketing, the
democratization of trend-setting, and leveling the opportunities for small businesses that
are up against larger brands.

Keywords: TikTok, Community Commerce, Influence, Purchase Behavior, User-Generated

Content, Word of Mouth, Stimulus Organism Response, Social Influence

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 Table of Contents
Abstract 1
List of Figures & Tables 3
1. Introduction 4
2. Background Context 5
2.1. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt 7
3. Literature Review 9
3.1. Social Media 9
3.2. The Effect of Social Media on E-Commerce 11
3.3. TikTok and The Move to Community Commerce 13
4. Theoretical Framework 15
4.1. Social Influence Theory 15
4.2. Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) Model 16
4.3. Word of Mouth 17
5. Methodology 19
5.1. Research Paradigm 19
5.2. Mixed-Methods Approach 20
5.3. Content Analysis 21
5.3.1. Quantitative Approach 22
5.3.2. Qualitative Approach 22
5.4. Survey Design 23
5.5. Sample 24
6. Ethics and Limitations 26
7. Presentation and Analysis of Results 27
7.1. Quantitative Results 27
7.2. Qualitative Results 32
7.2.1. Product Category of Recent Impulse Purchase (Q10) 33
7.2.2. Inclined to Make a Purchase from TikTok WOM (Q8) 34
7.2.3. Why TikTok/Social Media Has a Stronger Influence Than
Traditional Marketing (Q12) 35
7.3. Overall Analysis 39
8. Concluding Analysis 40
9. References 43
10. Appendices 54

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List of Figures & Tables
Figure 1: Screenshot of TikTok video “rating products tiktok made me buy pt. 2”
Figure 2: m-commerce consumer needs
Figure 3: Hankins Hexagon
Figure 4: (Q1&2) Age and Gender of survey respondents who use TikTok
Figure 5: (Q4) Opinions on TikTok being a good way to follow/stay up to date with
trends
Figure 6: (Q6) Respondents who have purchased items directly through TikTok, off of
the app, or both
Figure 7: (Q7) Respondents more inclined to make a purchase based on TikTok WOM
Figure 8: (Q8) Reasons for being more inclined to make a purchase based on TikTok
WOM
Figure 9: (Q9) Respondents who have/have not been influenced to make an impulsive
purchase from TikTok
Figure 10: (Q11) TikTok/Social Media Has Stronger Influence on Purchase Decisions
than Traditional Media
Figure 11: (Q8) Product categories of most recent impulse purchase

Table 1: Survey Question Types and their Descriptions

Table 2: Final proportion of survey respondents by age range who use TikTok

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1. Introduction
Shopping has always been a relatively social activity but has shifted from physically
shopping with a handful of friends at the local mall to e-commerce sites and social
media platforms. In this sense, social media has disrupted the standard purchase
journey, allowing consumers to go from spontaneous product discovery to purchase
with just a few clicks. In standard social media marketing, this is called social
commerce. However, in the age of User Generated Content, everyday creators are also
generating buzz around different products and services, often passively.

The objective of this study is to better understand the phenomenon of ‘community

commerce’ by analyzing how TikTok’s creator-driven content affects purchase behavior.
Given that this is a relatively new concept that flourished during the pandemic, and
continues now in its aftermath, the topic is relevant to the field of media and
communications as it creates a bridge between community and commerce through viral
moments. There is an array of research on topics relating to the intentions to use, and
communities of, short-form video (Mou et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2019; Omar &
Dequan, 2020) as well as the influence of marketed content via TikTok on its users
(Ouyang et al., 2021). However, literature addressing the effect of user-generated
TikTok content that happens to promote a product/service (community commerce) is
lacking. Therefore, my proposed research question is:

What influence does TikTok community commerce content have on purchase

behavior by adult users?

In order to answer this question and gather comprehensive knowledge on the topic, a
mixed-method survey approach was deployed. Using both qualitative and quantitative
approaches, a content analysis was conducted on data obtained by a questionnaire
survey. This survey was then administered publicly online. By analyzing this
phenomenon, the current research presents valuable contributions and insight into a
prevailing practice on social media. Moreover, the thesis will follow the coming
structure: In the next chapter, background context on community commerce and the
inner workings of the TikTok platform will be contextualized. This is done by
familiarizing the reader with the phenomenon of community commerce, TikTok, and the

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relationship between the two, as well as the globally used hashtag,
#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. The third chapter will position this research within the
academic field, by understanding what has already been explored in the field around this
topic. Following this, the fourth chapter will present the theoretical framework which
helps guide and build this research. In chapter five, the overarching strategy and
rationale of the research are presented within the methodology. In the sixth chapter, the
ethical concerns and possible limitations are discussed. This is followed by chapter
seven, which presents the results of the study and further analyzes them. Finally,
conclusions are drawn and discussed.

2. Background Context
In 2006, Time Magazine acknowledged the “explosive growth and influence” of User
Generated Content (UGC) by naming “You” as “Person of the Year” (NBC News,
2006). Since then, trends have only continued to shift in favor of the consumer, as they
increasingly have more power over their media consumption and influence rather than
relying on “traditional gatekeepers” (Daugherty et al., 2008, p. 17). This intersection of
community, shopping, and entertainment has been classified as ‘community commerce’
(TikTok, 2021a). This is slightly different from the practice of actively marketing and
selling products and services on social media, which is referred to as ‘social commerce’
(Fields, 2022). Community commerce is characterized by entertaining and compelling
content that often just happens to feature products or brands, passively. The pandemic’s
isolating effect on normal social practices accelerated this phenomenon, which is
believed to be popularized by TikTok. The platform defines it as “creator-driven
word-of-mouth marketing” (TikTok, 2021a).

TikTok is a relatively new social media platform, originally developed in 2016 by the
Chinese company ByteDance, one of the earliest technology companies to apply
artificial intelligence to mobile internet software (Ma & Yu, 2021). Prior to TikTok,
ByteDance created another app– Douyin– which is the Chinese-specific sister app
(Yeung & Wang, 2023). Douyin became a viral sensation in China and its powerful
algorithm led to the foundation for TikTok and is key to its global success today. With
its advanced algorithm learning, TikTok can analyze users’ behavior and push
personalized videos according to each user’s preference.

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TikTok in its current format only began in 2018 (D'Souza, 2023), now reaching status
amongst social media giants like Instagram and Facebook. In fact, as of 2022, it is the
most downloaded app worldwide generating 672 million downloads (Ceci, 2023a). For
comparison, Instagram and WhatsApp follow this with 548 million and 424 million
downloads, respectively (Ceci, 2023a). TikTok’s driving force is UGC in the form of
short videos ranging from 15 seconds to a maximum of ten minutes on the ‘For You
Page’ (FYP), which is the main content feed. In a study done on TikTok video duration
between 2022-2023, TikTok accounts with up to 500 views produced videos that were
approximately 32 seconds in duration (Statista, 2023). Accounts with a larger following,
which presented anywhere from about 25,000 views or more, produced content that
were approximately 42 seconds in duration on average. On TikTok's FYP, users are
shown videos that they’re more likely to engage with and share based on a fine-tuned
algorithm of one’s interests, which is based on each user’s actions on the app such as
what they “like”, share, view more than once, etc. (Mikolajczyk, 2021).

Worldwide, the users of TikTok are approximately 54% female compared to 46% of
male users (Ceci, 2023b). Additionally, according to recent research studying TikTok
users by age, a large majority of all adult TikTokers are between the ages of 18 to 34,
more specifically, 71.3% (Kemp, 2023). Breaking this down, the largest proportion are
ages 18 to 24, which make up 38.9%, compared to those 25 to 34, making up 32.4%.
The third-largest age group of adult TikTok users are those aged 35 to 44, which is
15.6%. This only represents fewer than half of the number of users combined in groups
18 to 24 and 25 to 34. Lastly, just 8% of adult TikTok users aged 45 to 54 use the
platform. This further highlights TikTok’s significantly larger user base amongst
younger demographics.

With UGC and community at the center of its platform, TikTok has completely altered
the standard path to purchase of the marketing funnel, which is composed of four
stages: awareness, consideration, purchase intent, and satisfaction (Colicev et al.,
2019). Awareness refers to the extent to which customers are aware of a brand's
existence; consideration involves a customer's inclination to potentially make a
purchase from said brand; purchase intent implies a likelihood that the customer is

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committed to making a purchase, then or in the near future; while customer satisfaction
illustrates the post-purchase experience of the product.

Instead of leading users onto the standard, linear purchase path, TikTok puts the power
into users' hands, building around their behaviors in the app and following their lead.
On TikTok, it only takes 10 to 15 seconds for users to introduce millions of people to a
product or brand in a casual yet entertaining composition, which is extremely effective
in a world where short video format wins. Through these videos, users are exposed to
products in ‘real life’ contexts, not on shelves or in advertisements. With more than 1
billion videos being viewed each day on TikTok (Georgiev, 2023), average users and
creators are discovering brands and products together– from unboxing to styling, or to
using in real life. On the FYP, users are getting relevant product recommendations from
creators they trust and often acting on their desire to purchase– sometimes even sharing
their discoveries for other users to see as well– perpetuating Word of Mouth (WOM)
(TikTok, 2021b). In fact, 66% of TikTok users say the platform inspired them to shop
even when they weren’t planning to (Fields, 2022), with most purchases happening off
of the platform (Insider Intelligence, 2022). Additionally, according to NPR (2022), the
viral hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has been used 8 billion times and has 10 billion
global views and counting (Insider Intelligence, 2022). This hashtag applies to a variety
of products for which there has become an addictive and compelling need to purchase
because of its influence.

2.1 #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt
With over 50 billion views and counting (#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, n.d.), the viral hashtag
and phenomenon #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a major factor in the app’s impact on
shopping trends. Other related hashtags include #TikTokMadeMeDoIt,
#TikTokMadeMeGetThis, and #TikTokProducts. With the right product and timing, any
user can turn the simplest of products into a sensation, pushing users to refer back to
this niche TikTok community for their next purchase. All product categories are fair
game, but clothing, accessories, beauty, and personal care are the most frequently
bought categories following discovery on a social media platform (WARC et al., 2021).

For example, in early 2021, “TikTok leggings” became the most-searched term on
Amazon — referring to a pair of high-waist leggings that went viral after being

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showcased on the app by users like @laauren1, who was one of the first to promote
them on TikTok in late 2020 (Kaziukėnas, 2021). However, due to some of TikTok’s
limitations, none of the videos posted by creators about these leggings (or any product)
can directly link to the specific product in the caption. Instead, users can often find a
third-party link posted in the profile of a creator or find the product name listed in the
caption or in the comments to then do their own search. This is arguably the biggest
driver in most TikTok-related purchases happening off of the platform (Insider
Intelligence, 2022).

Figure 1: Screenshot of TikTok video “rating products tiktok made me buy pt. 2”

Drugstore beauty and skincare brands have also been prone to virality on TikTok. In
another example, Maybelline’s “Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara” sold out four
times at the American retail chain, Ulta Beauty, just two weeks after its debut thanks to
users on TikTok (YPulse, 2021). The hype around the product started when
@jessica.c.eid posted a video in December of 2020, in partnership with Maybelline,

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testing out the mascara and showing her impressive results afterward (@jessicaeid._,
2020). Despite the original video being a paid partnership, the post attracted viewers'
interest, and soon after, other creators were posting videos in response to hers to see if
the results were as good as they seemed. To date, the hashtag #skyhighmasacara has
garnered 1.2 Billion views and is used in countless videos demonstrating and reviewing
the product. No matter how big, small, cheap, or expensive, product content exposed the
right way on the platform has proven to have the power to drive sales– without any
direct input from the brand or retailer. It is clear that TikTok's community commerce
format not only works but is likely here to stay.

3. Literature Review
3.1. Social Media
While the concept of networks is not new as they are based on ancient forms of social
organization, social networks, and social media are modern forms revolving around the
communication technologies of our age (Castells, 2004). In its simplest terms, through
the lens of Castells’ network theory, social media networks allow users and
communities online to share information with others who are connected across various
platforms. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) position Social Media as a group of
internet-based applications that are built on the ideological and technological
foundations of Web 2.0, and the channel through which UGC is created and exchanged.

The term “Web 2.0” was first coined in 2004 at the O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference
(New World Encyclopedia, n.d.) to describe a new and improved way in which software
developers and end-users would utilize the World Wide Web in a participatory and
collaborative fashion (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). While Web 2.0 represents the
ideological and technological foundation, UGC is the essence behind social media
altogether. UGC “refers to media content created or produced by the general public
rather than by paid professionals and primarily distributed on the Internet” (Daugherty
et al., 2008, p.16). Further defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development, UGC needs to fulfill three basic requirements in order to be considered as
such: first, it needs to be published either on a publicly accessible website or on a social
networking site accessible to a selected group of people (excluding content exchanged
in e-mails or instant messages); second, it needs to show a certain amount of creative

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effort (excluding replications of already existing content); and finally, it needs to have
been created outside of professional practices (excluding content that has been created
with a commercial market context in mind (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). UGC is
created as a means to express one’s identity, communicate socially with other users or
brands, receive or spread information, or simply as entertainment (Daughtery et al.,
2008). Considering this, UGC can truly be about anything from dance or singing
content, product reviews, ‘vlogging’, prank videos, and endless other ways individuals
express themselves on the Internet.

In regards to the media component of Social Media, there are differing degrees of social
presence incorporated. Short, Williams, and Christie (1976, p. 65) explain this as, “the
degree of salience of the other person in the interaction and the consequent salience of
the interpersonal relationships” in Social Presence theory. A more modern definition
was clarified by Gunawardena (1995, p.151) to be, “the degree to which a person is
perceived as a ‘real person’ in mediated communication.” The level of social presence is
composed of two main concepts: intimacy (interpersonal vs. mediated) and immediacy
(asynchronous vs. synchronous) of the medium (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).

Argyle and Dean (1965, as cited in Short et al., 1976) posited that intimacy is influenced
by various elements such as physical distance, eye contact, smiling, and personal topics
of conversation. The level of intimacy can be expected to be lower for mediated (e.g.,
telephone conversation) than interpersonal (e.g., face-to-face discussion)
communications (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). On the other hand, immediacy,
conceptualized by Wiener and Mehrabian (1968, as cited in Short et al., 1976), is a
measure of psychological distance that a communicator puts between themself and the
object of communication. The level of immediacy can be expected to be lower for
asynchronous (e.g., e-mail) than synchronous (e.g., live chat) communications (Kaplan
and Haenlein, 2010). Overall, the higher the social presence, the larger the social
influence that the communication partners have on each other's behavior.

Meanwhile, in regard to the social component of Social Media, the concept of

self-presentation states that in any type of social interaction, people have the desire to
control the impressions other people form of them (Goffman, 1959). For the most part,
Social media grants users the ability to control how they are viewed by way of how they

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present themselves. On the one hand, this is done with the objective to influence others
to gain rewards. For example, likes, views, sponsorships, and/or virality. On the other
hand, it is also driven by a wish to create an image that is consistent with one's personal
identity.

As social media users, in addition to creating content, we actively seek out content that
corresponds to our interests and overall internal motivations (Eastin and Daugherty
2005). The information and content observed are usually a result of one’s individual
and/or group identity construction, which scholars have identified social media as a
space and method for (Murthy 2013; Cook and Hasmath 2014; Hilde and Couldry 2014,
as cited in Cox, 2017). This identity construction is acknowledged by platforms through
the implementation of social algorithms, which feed users relevant content based on a
constant evaluation of user behavior, leading back around to the information and content
one observes.

3.2 The Effect of Social Media on E-Commerce

The development of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
in recent years has entirely changed both the purchasing habits of customers and the
way businesses promote their products and services (Valerio et al., 2016). Thanks to the
affordances of Web 2.0, the wide range of applications on the internet allow users to
communicate virtually by exchanging their opinions and sharing purchasing experiences
online, without necessarily interacting face to face. This ease of communication
between users is what makes social media such a valuable opportunity for companies to
boost viewership to their e-commerce sites, increase brand awareness, facilitate WOM
communication, and ultimately, increase sales. E-commerce (electronic commerce)
refers to “the use of electronic communications and digital information processing
technology in business transactions to create, transform, and redefine relationships for
value creation between or among organizations, and between organizations and
individuals” (A. Gupta, 2014). In short, it is any form of business transaction conducted
online rather than by direct physical exchange.

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When it comes to these transactions, there are variations of the buyers and sellers
involved in the process. The five major types of e-commerce are Business-to-business
(B2B), Business-to-consumer (B2C), Business-to-government (B2G),
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C), and Mobile commerce (m-commerce) (A. Gupta, 2014).
With the number of mobile and smartphone users today in addition to users of social
media, m-commerce, in particular, has truly allowed marketers to reach consumers
anytime and anywhere. This level of accessibility is driven by five primary needs that
yield a demand for m-Commerce services: connectivity, communication, information,
entertainment, and commerce (Constantinos & Hassanein, 2000). These needs and their
relationship to each other are outlined in Figure 2, which illustrates ‘connectivity’ at the
base as it enables communication to exist, and the various forms of ‘communication’
supplying users with their information, commerce, and entertainment needs.

Figure 2: m-commerce consumer needs

As a culmination of these information, commerce, and entertainment needs, social

media platforms are able to provide digital marketers with valuable user data on a
platter.

One platform in particular that is believed to collect the most data on its users is TikTok
(Huddleston, 2022), which gained its breakout success for a “best-in-class”
recommendation algorithm (Patel, 2022). TikTok analyzes users’ behavior on the
platform and pushes personalized videos according to each user’s preference. It was
only a matter of time before this level of accuracy would open the door to e-commerce
opportunities. This opportunity happened to emerge in the background of the

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COVID-19 pandemic and global ‘shutdown’, during which the demand for online
consumption skyrocketed and shopping habits changed drastically among other daily
activities (Junzhi, 2021). TikTok e-commerce fits within the category of interested
e-commerce, which was explained by the president of Tik Tok e-commerce, Kang Zeyu,
at the first e-commerce ecological conference in 2021 as a type of e-commerce based on
people’s desire for a better life, satisfying users’ potential interest in shopping and
improving the quality of life of consumers (Junzhi, 2021). According to a study by
TikTok, consumers do not have a specific purchase plan before shopping, but browsing
through products peaks interest and excitement, which illustrates this concept of
interested e-commerce.

3.3 TikTok and The Move To Community Commerce

With an already highly personalized app experience unique to each user, TikTok
expanded and globally introduced in-app shopping, in partnership with Shopify in 2021
(Geyser, 2023). Making a move into the social commerce space was a natural choice, as
audiences have been influenced by the app to make purchases from the beginning
(TikTok For Business, 2021). Social Commerce evolved as a subset of e-commerce and
refers to the selling of products and services by brands through content specifically
posted on social media (Brzezicki, 2021). Over the years, social media platforms have
become the ideal place to connect and gain knowledge about brands from other users.
Consequently, most sites of social commerce are considered phenomenal social
networks of democratic participation (Chambers, 2005) wherein individuals create what
other individuals want and need. These online interactions supported by social media
channels contribute to increased levels of trust and it has been proven that loyalty in a
social network is an influencing factor in users posting information that eventually
becomes relevant to advertisers (Valerio et al., 2016). According to the platform itself,
“TikTok Shopping is a suite of solutions, features, and advertising tools that give
businesses the opportunity to capture the full power of TikTok's influence on purchase
decisions” (TikTok, 2021b). However, with the creative possibilities of UGC on TikTok,
users had already caught on to the marketing potential of the app long before the official
rollout of this feature.

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Out of social commerce evolved a new concept– community commerce– often credited
with having been popularized by users of TikTok (Fields, 2022). The way in which
community commerce emerged can be explained by the concept of environmental
determinism, i.e. the behavior of people being influenced by the environment (Lugtu,
2020). To elaborate, the isolating nature of quarantine created an overarching need
within people to find ways to cope with the situation, and for many, this was through a
combination of entertainment and simplified shopping from the comfort of home.
TikTok defines community commerce as “creator-driven word-of-mouth marketing”
(Fields, 2022) characterized by entertaining and compelling content that features
products or brands, either intentionally or passively. Through this type of UGC, users
could find entertainment as well as a resource for the things they liked at a time when
life stood still. With everyone mostly isolated at home, generating awareness, increasing
engagement, and ultimately driving sales for the promoted product or brand was highly
effective.

In providing a triangulation of community, shopping, and entertainment, TikTok has

completely altered the standard path to purchase, which is rather an infinite loop with no
start or finish. The infinite loop persists through users’ willingness to buy something
immediately after they discover it (TikTok For Business, 2022). In fact, an average of
85% of consumers have purchased a product or service simply after seeing it advertised
or reviewed on social media (WARC et al., 2021). With most purchases happening off
of the platform (Insider Intelligence, 2022), TikTok’s in-app shopping feature is met
with some strong competition.

Figure 3: TikTok’s Retail Path to Purchase Loop (TikTok For Business, 2022)

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Community Commerce shows us that when people feel connected, they don't just listen,
they engage and take action. Users create a chain reaction of recommending products
they saw and purchased, presenting valuable brand opportunities, driving massive
engagement, and overall, contributing to a brand’s success.

4. Theoretical Framework
4.1. Social Influence Theory
The central theme of Social Influence Theory, as proposed by Herbert Kelman (1958),
is that an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, and subsequent actions or behaviors are
influenced by others through three processes: compliance, identification, and
internalization. Compliance is assumed to occur when individuals accept influence and
adopt the induced behavior in the hopes of achieving a favorable reaction from another
person or group. They don’t necessarily believe in the content but do expect to gain a
reward (or approval) and avoid punishment (disapproval), thus complying for the social
aspect. Identification is said to occur when individuals adopt the induced behavior in
order to create or maintain a satisfying and beneficial relationship with another person
or a group. The individual does believe in the behavior which they adopt, but the
specifics are more or less irrelevant, thus identifying simply to conform. Lastly,
Internalization is assumed to occur when individuals accept influence after perceiving
the content of the induced behavior– the opinions and actions of others– as rewarding.
The individual adopts the induced behavior with the realization that it is congruent with
their value system.

These three processes represent unique and intuitively different ways of accepting
influence. The Internalization process, in particular, can be seen quite often in the
general use of social media. When it comes to influencers and creators who have
something that engaging viewers do not, those viewers often accept influence when they
perceive their content to be personally rewarding or aligned with their interests. When it
comes to social or community commerce, one can assume that those who become
influenced to purchase something based on another user’s content do so to present
themselves in a way that aligns them with the source or aesthetic behind it.

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With social networks being grounded in socialization rather than for strictly personal
and isolated use, it can be argued that they are naturally expected to be driven by social
influences. Because of network effects and concepts like Castells’ network society
(2004), online social networks foster a high degree of interaction and communication
among users. By interacting with other users in online social networks, an individual's
user intention and behavior can be influenced by peer pressure and other social
influences (Qin et al., 2011). As the most basic purpose of social media networks, users
participate to connect with friends and acquaintances or to gather information on users
they have placed a value on (e.g., celebrities). Using network theory or network effects
under Metcalfe's Law, the value of an online social network increases to a user when the
number of users involved in the network is also great, as the potential connections
increase for every user as a new one joins (Qin et al., 2011). As a form of social
influence, mass adoption then creates a perception of usefulness for the social network
resulting in a motivation to use it to one’s advantage.

4.2 Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) Model

The SOR Model is derived from psychology and is used to explain the influence of the
environment on human mental activities and behavior (Wu & Feng, 2021). Early
psychologist B.F. Skinner first proposed the S–R model (the relationship between a
stimulus and the response) pointing out the relationship between the environment and
behavior, but ignoring the individual. Russell W. Belk then optimized the S–R model by
adding an “O” variable and proposed the SOR model (stimulus–organism–response)
used mainly to study the impact of environmental variables on young adult behavior.
The SOR model describes the linear connection between stimuli (external or
interpersonal factors) which affects the organism (cognition and emotion of people) and
their developed response (adopting or avoiding) to the stimuli (Ouyang et al., 2021).

The SOR model is mainly applied to the field of consumer behavior, and many
researchers have applied it to studies regarding impacts on shopping influence. For
example, Donovan et al. (1994) applied the SOR model to study the influence of a
store’s atmosphere on young adults’ shopping behavior, using pleasure, control, and
motivation as intermediate variables. The hypothesis was that if young adults have a
more pleasant experience in a store, then they will spend longer in said store. Expanding
on this in Eroglu et al.’s (2001) Online Shopping Response Model, SOR is used to

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illustrate the atmospheric cues that are likely to play a role in the online shopping
context. Here, the stimulus is the sum of all the cues that are visible and audible to the
online shopper. As physical stimuli are not present (smell, textures, other shoppers,
etc.), the online context is reduced to visual stimuli that is, instead, flexible across time
and space. The organism is represented by affective and cognitive intermediary states.
Shoppers’ affective states are the expected reactions to environmental stimuli that can
be conceptualized by the Pleasure, Arousal, and Dominance (PAD) dimensions of
affective response. The cognitive state describes consumers’ internal mental processes,
including attitudes, beliefs, attention, comprehension, memory, and knowledge. In the
online context, this state concerns the interpretation of information provided on the
screen, choosing from alternative sites and products, attitudes toward virtual stores, and
so on.

In another study by S.Q. Lai, word-of-mouth communication (WOM) was considered as

the external stimulus. This, combined with young adults’ emotional perception and trust
of WOM information with the influence of WOM on young adult buying behavior was
investigated. In Ouyang et al. (2021), the SOR model is applied to related research on
the influence mechanism behind TikTok’s precision marketing on consumer buying
behavior. As established, the model itself is useful in understanding consumer behavior
and is therefore potentially useful in understanding what factors help contribute to an
individual purchasing something seen on social media from UGC, impulsively or
otherwise.

4.3 Word of Mouth

In the consumer behavior field, it was concluded by Brown and Reingen (1987) that
WOM communication plays an important role during the consumers’ process of shaping
attitudes and behaviors. WOM is one of the oldest ways of conveying information as it
was the primary enabler of economic and social activity (Dellarocas, 2003). One of the
earliest definitions is by Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955), who described it as the exchanging
of marketing information between consumers in such a way that it plays a fundamental
role in shaping their behavior and in changing attitudes toward products and services. In
relation to today’s marketing landscape, WOM has been defined as communication
between consumers about a product, service, or company in which the sources are
considered independent of commercial influence (Litvin et al., 2008).

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The exchanging of customer perceptions about products or services in digital spaces is
the online practice of traditional WOM, also known as electronic word of mouth
(eWOM). It has been found that internet users actually place a higher value on
anonymous customer opinions than on traditional media (Cheung & Thadani, 2012).
With the continuous growth and expansion of the Internet and UGC on social media,
eWOM can be regarded as one of the most influential communication methods used to
share information amongst customers, companies, and the public. As established in
previous research, eWOM is perceived as credible and trustworthy, especially when the
receivers see a similarity between themselves and the communicator (Cheung and
Thadani, 2012: Daugherty et al., 2008). In addition to a feeling of similarity, eWOM is
preferred in numbers, meaning that if more users present their opinions on a certain
product or service, the message will be perceived as more useful and persuasive (Teng
et al., 2014). In fact, research shows “a direct and positive relationship between positive
social eWOM, brand attitude, and purchase intention” (Kudeshia & Kumar, 2017, p.
322). A study by Bughin, Doogan, and Vetvik (2010) also suggests that “word of mouth
is the primary factor behind 20 to 50% of all purchasing decisions” (p. 2). Ultimately,
peers online with similar interests or values find comfort in opinions between each
other, especially if numbers are high.

In this chapter, I draw on the theories and concepts of Social Influence,

Stimulus-Organism-Response, and Word of Mouth to guide my study on the topic of
community commerce content on TikTok and purchase decisions. Kelman’s emphasis
on the three processes of social influence – Compliance, Identification, and
Internalization (1958) – is especially useful to my analysis as it allows me to specify the
various reasons a user might be influenced to make one decision over another after
viewing someone else’s content. Additionally, network theory or network effects using
Metcalfe's Law highlights the true value of ‘power in numbers’, as the existing and
increasing number of users to a platform correlates to the motivation to join (Qin et al.,
2011). In the consumer behavior context, Belk’s SOR model complements this, adding
the element of environmental effects on one’s mental process and behavior (Wu & Feng,
2021). This is of value in identifying the internal and intangible variables that might
directly affect the decisions of users, such as individual characteristics or time. Lastly,
the conceptualization of Word of Mouth is generative for grasping how the opinions of

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strangers or idolized ‘influencers’ impact a user’s decision-making process. This is
particularly helpful in my analysis as the world of social media revolves around sharing
and establishing oneself in communities of like-minded interests.

5. Methodology
To examine the impact of TikTok on the purchase behavior of adult users by way of
community commerce, a survey method was used to gather insight for the study. The
research paradigm, methodological approach, survey design, and sampling method are
detailed in the following sections.

5.1 Research Paradigm

Identifying a guiding viewpoint for research, formally known as a research paradigm, is

a valued step in methodology. A research paradigm is a philosophical framework that a
study is based on and consists of three levels; ontology, epistemology, and methodology
(Proofed, 2022). Defined by Crotty (1998), ontology is the study of 'being' and is
concerned with ‘what is’, while epistemology is the nature of knowledge, answering
‘how we know what we know’. The methodology, which is the actual process of data
collection and analysis, outlines how you conduct your research and demonstrates that
the findings are valid. Together, the “ontology and epistemology create a holistic view
of how knowledge is viewed and how we can see ourselves in relation to this
knowledge, as well as the methodological strategies we use to un/discover it.” (Patek,
2015).

Mixed methods research encourages us to think about paradigms that might encompass
all qualitative and quantitative research. Many scholars have suggested that both
qualitative and quantitative methods can be accommodated within a mixed methods
study using a single overarching paradigm that reflects our view of the world, “if it suits
their purposes, any of the theoretical perspectives could make use of any of the
methodologies” (Crotty, 1998, p.12). The most suitable research paradigm for this study,
which looks at individual experiences in one situated context, is the interpretivist
paradigm. In an interpretivist worldview, the research goal is to make sense of “the
complex world of lived experience from the point of view of those who live it”
(Schwandt, 1994, p. 221). The knowledge gained from interpretivist research is

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intrinsically linked to the participants and the context of the research, meaning that the
outcomes of such research are not universally applicable but, rather, outcomes of
contextually situated understandings (McChesney & Aldridge, 2019). Analyzing the
survey responses of a small population sample will not provide absolute truths about the
influences of TikTok on purchase behavior. However, it will allow for an interpretation.
The ontology and epistemology of this paradigm is that reality is multiple and relative,
in the sense that it is socially constructed. The methodology is a mixed-method content
analysis of the questionnaire survey.

5.2 Mixed-Methods Approach

Qualitative methods are best used to answer questions about experience, meaning, and
perspective, most often from the standpoint of the participant (Hammarberg et al.,
2016), while quantitative methods constitute a numeric or statistical approach to
research creating meaning through objectivity (William, 2007). Based on the nature of
the research objective and what I am looking to find, this study employs a
mixed-method approach of a questionnaire administered as an online survey. Survey
research refers to the set of methods– in this case, an online questionnaire– used to
gather data in a systematic way from a range of individuals, organizations, or other units
of interest (Given, 2008). Although many researchers hold the belief that survey
research is generally a quantitative approach, this opinion is not universally shared.
“Data gathered from any survey method may be entirely quantitative, may be largely
qualitative, or may be a mixture” (Given, 2008, p. 846). It is argued that

a judicious mix of both closed and open-ended questions can be used to generate useful
data for social research. How qualitative researchers use closed questions in their work
largely depends on the epistemological and theoretical assumptions underlying the
research design of a given study…open-ended questions may be used in a range of
qualitative interview formats, including open-ended or in-depth individual interviews,
group conversations and focus groups, and in (quantitative) questionnaires to elicit
written data. (Given, 2008, p. 83, 582)

The survey administered in this study included both closed and open-ended questions in
order to gather quantitative data with established parameters, in addition to qualitative
data presented in narrative responses, to help contextualize the prior quantitative
responses. The objectives of this study were to investigate how creator-driven content

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on TikTok influences purchase behavior by adult users and to compare the addressed
factors across gender, age, level of platform use, prior experiences, and opinions.

In determining a mixed-method strategy, there are four important aspects that influence
the design of the procedure: timing, weighting, mixing, and theorizing (Creswell, 2009).
Timing refers to when the qualitative and quantitative data is collected, in phases
(sequentially) or at the same time (concurrently). When the data are collected in phases,
either the qualitative or the quantitative data can be collected first, but when data are
collected concurrently, both quantitative and qualitative data are gathered together and
the implementation of the data is simultaneous. As a single survey was used to collect
the data, the qualitative and quantitative data is collected at roughly the same time
(concurrently). Weight is the level of priority given to quantitative or qualitative
research in a particular study (equal or one emphasized over the other). “A priority for
one type depends on the interests of the researcher, the audience for the study… and
what the investigator seeks to emphasize in the study” (Creswell, 2009, p.191). The
research objective of this study is to reveal the unique experiences of respondents, and
while a significant amount of quantitative data is collected, the objective leans towards
the qualitative meanings pulled from the results. The quantitative data serves to
establish context for the more rich, qualitative findings. Mixing refers to when a
researcher mixes methods in a study (in data collection, data analysis, interpretation, or
in all three phases) and how the mixing occurs (merged, kept separate, or combined in
some way between two ends of a continuum). In this study, quantitative and qualitative
approaches are combined in collection, analysis, and interpretation and merge to work
toward the research objective. Lastly, theorizing is the consideration of how a larger
theoretical perspective guides the study. Kelman’s Social Influence Theory (1958),
Russell W. Belk’s SOR Model, and the online practice of Word of Mouth make up the
orienting lens that helps shape the study design and help guide the questions that were
asked.

5.3 Content Analysis

Quantitative content analysis is helpful in answering “what” questions. In quantitative

work, content analysis is exclusively applied in a deductive manner, producing
frequencies of preselected values associated with particular questions (Given, 2008, p.

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121). On the other hand, a qualitative content analysis “is a method for describing the
meaning of qualitative material in a systematic way” (Schreier, 2012, p. 1). This method
adopts a more subjective nature of analysis and, according to Schreier, can be
characterized as a “process in which we bring our perception of the material with our
own individual background” (2012, p. 2). Moreover, it is “interpretive, involving close
reading of text” which is “open to subjective interpretation, reflects multiple meanings,
and is context dependent (e.g., part of a larger discourse) (Given, 2008, p. 120).

5.3.1 Quantitative Approach

As part of the quantitative portion of this research, 10 closed-ended questions were

analyzed and coded. In this approach, the content analysis is applied deductively, in
which predetermined categories are explicitly listed and the respondent is asked to
choose among the options to help structure the data that is collected. In this study, those
categories include age, gender, Yes or No, opinions based on a Likert rating scale, and
more. A codebook was created in order to facilitate the sorting and collection, as well as
the presentation, of data (Appendix B).

5.3.2 Qualitative Approach

As part of the qualitative portion of this research, 3 open-ended responses were

analyzed. The responses to one of the three open-ended questions only required short,
one to two-word answers and were collected and analyzed as is. The remaining two
were longer in response length, so they were analyzed and categorized into clusters of
similar variables. Refinement occurred as passes through the data were made, resulting
in a placement within the established codes. In this approach, the content analysis was
also applied in a deductive manner, meaning these codes were established prior to
analysis. The coding frame is based on the three theories guiding this research (Social
Influence, SOR, and WOM), in addition to a fourth code (Specifics to TikTok/Social
Media), which was added to include any potential responses that would include
sentiments unique to the app, given that this study is particularly framed around TikTok.
This is a flat coding frame, which means each code has the same level of importance

22
and has no hierarchy (Medelyan, 2023). By conducting theoretical coding, I aimed to
potentially establish a materialization of the theories in the analysis of the final results.

Again, a codebook was created in order to facilitate the sorting, collection, and
presentation of data (Appendix C). This lays out the codes, code definitions, and
examples of criteria for recognition (Delve, n.d.). The value of this collected qualitative
data is particularly important to identify consistent patterns and relationships between
variables or themes and to contextualize the quantitative responses.

5.4 Survey Design

The survey was designed and administered online via Google Forms. Online surveys
are, “logistically easier to handle for both the researcher and the respondent” (Given,
2008, P. 847) making them more effective when taking cost versus the potential number
of respondents not bound by geographical barriers into consideration. When accessed,
the survey opens with a title and introduction that provides context to the subject and
purpose of the survey. It is established that the survey accessed is for a research study,
that responses recorded are anonymous, and requests cooperation from individuals that
are over the age of 18. The question types used in this study are demographic questions,
dichotomous questions, multiple choice questions, rating scale questions, and
open-ended questions. The logic behind each of these types of questions is described in
the Table below.

Survey Question Type Description

Demographic Used to identify characteristics such as age,

gender, income, race, etc. This data helps you
paint a more accurate picture of the group of
persons you are trying to understand.

Dichotomous Generally a "yes/no" question that can be

used to screen out those who "have" and
those who "have not"

Multiple Choice Consists of three or more mutually exclusive

categories. Multiple-choice questions can ask

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 for single or multiple answers. Important to
consider including an "other" category

Likert Rating Scale Requires a person to rate a particular attribute

along a well-defined, evenly spaced
continuum. Often used to measure the
direction and intensity of attitudes.

Open-Ended Seeks to explore the qualitative, in-depth

aspects of a particular topic or issue. It gives
a person the chance to respond in detail.

Table 1: Survey Question Types and their Descriptions (Questionpro, n.d.)

The survey consisted of 10 closed-ended questions (one of which included an

opportunity to write in an additional option not provided as a choice) and 2 strictly
open-ended questions. Out of the 10 closed-ended, the first 3 were demographic filter
questions on age, gender, and whether or not the respondent uses TikTok. Filter
questions are used to select relevant respondents for the survey and help eliminate a
category of respondents not intended to be included in the study (Given, 2008, p. 847).
If an individual responded “No” to using TikTok at all, the survey did not go further.
The remaining 7 closed-ended questions included 1, 5-Point Likert scale question (1=
strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree), 4 “Yes” or “No” questions, and 2 conditional
multiple-choice questions (Ex: If you answered “Yes”, please check the reasons why).

The 2 open-ended questions were also conditional. These questions were formatted as
an opportunity for respondents to comment/indicate why they responded a certain way
to (or provide details not otherwise captured by) the previous closed-ended question.

5.5 Sample

The population of interest for the study was adult users of TikTok. With a population of
this size and the cost and time limitations of this study, it was not possible for each
individual in this population to have an equal probability of being selected. Therefore, a
non-probability sampling method was chosen, in which individuals are selected based

24
on non-random criteria. Non-probability sampling techniques are often used in
exploratory research where the aim is not to test a hypothesis about a broad population
but to develop an initial understanding of a small or under-researched population
(McCombes, 2023).

More specifically, a combination of convenience and voluntary response sampling

methods was used. The survey was first shared with accessible contacts as well as in
various social groups online in which respondents could access and voluntarily respond
to the survey. These groups included five Facebook groups (International Malmo
Student, Malmo Student, BOKEN Student, International Master’s Students in Sweden,
The English-speaking, and Malmö-dwelling Society), a WhatsApp group for the Media
& Communications program at Malmö University, and two online survey sharing
community websites (Survey Circle and Survey Swap). The choice of where to publish
the survey was based on TikTok’s overall demographic makeup presented by Ceci
(2023b) and Kemp (2023). Given that TikTok’s largest user base is between the ages of
18-34, with more than half falling in the 18-24 range, it was decided that the survey
would be shared in spaces where this primary audience–young adults and/or students
and people under 30 – could be accessible. The decision to share the survey in the
Facebook group for English speakers residing in Malmö as well as on Survey Circle and
Survey Swap (which are public websites where anyone on the platform can take your
survey) was made to balance out the possible respondent demographics. In total, 63
responses were collected, with 47 continuing past the screening portion of the survey by
claiming to use TikTok in some capacity.

Table 2: Final proportion of survey respondents by age range who use TikTok

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 6. Ethics and Limitations

Research should be conducted with ethical standards in mind. Nonetheless, researchers,

like the rest of society, are subject to bias and the social factors that shape them. Before
beginning the research, the researcher’s choice of topic is already influenced by their
interests and why they chose it. Nevertheless, it is critical for researchers to remain as
objective as possible and hold themselves ethically accountable when conducting the
research portion.

Many online research methods provide an opportunity for researchers to gather a large
number of people in a relatively short amount of time with minimal to no budget.
However, these methods are also seen to be “highly contextual and involve different
levels of engagement and interaction between the participant and the researcher”
(Gupta, 2017, p. 5) which can have ethical implications. Some concerns include
obtaining informed consent, ensuring the anonymity of the participants, and maintaining
confidentiality within the data (Keller & Lee, 2003). This study utilized an online
questionnaire survey and included an opening statement to potential participants
indicating the purpose of the survey, anonymity, and invited those who were over the
age of 18 to participate. Google Forms requested participants to log in with an email in
order to proceed with the survey, but these were not made available to me as the
researcher and served simply as a means of making sure respondents could not take the
survey more than one time.

While privacy is the main ethical concern for online survey research, the extent to
which a researcher should be concerned about confidentiality depends on the nature of
the data being collected (Eynon et al., 2011 as cited in Gupta, 2017). The personal
details collected in the survey simply include age and gender in which respondents were
given four age ranges to choose from and the option to choose Male, Female, Prefer Not
to Disclose, or Other. Eynon et al. assure that if the data is not more contentious than
this, or if privacy can be ensured, then ethical concerns are less worrisome compared to
research obtaining further personal information (Gupta, 2017).

Arguably, one possible limitation of this research is the recruitment of participants. This
study employed a non-probability convenience and voluntary response sampling
method. By way of these two methods, the study was shared with immediate

26
connections that were most accessible as well as on survey boards and Facebook groups
in which responses felt attainable. Typically, this kind of sampling allows for the
possibility of sample bias and self-selection bias. Sample bias occurs when some
members of an overall population are systematically more likely to be selected in a
sample than others (Bhandari, 2023), whereas self-selection bias refers to the inevitable
bias that can occur when individuals are allowed to choose whether or not they want to
participate in your research study (Nikolopoulou, 2023). This is due to unseen factors
that differentiate participants from nonparticipants. The inferences made with
non-probability sampling are often less generalizable than with probability samples. As
a result, conclusions made can not always be taken with overall validity and the results
of this research can only be recognized as indicators and not universal truths.

7. Presentation and Analysis of Results

The current chapter will present an overview of the obtained results and a complete
analysis of them. The data collection was conducted online using the survey
questionnaire in Appendix A. The summarized data for the 47 respondents who use
TikTok in some capacity and their feedback was very useful in discussing the main
study objective. The survey results are presented systematically for each question,
illustrated with charts where applicable, followed by a discussion of the results.

7.1 Quantitative Results

In analyzing the 10 closed-ended survey questions, certain demographics and opinions

are made clear. With a total of 63 responses, Q3 in the survey was a filter question
asking respondents if they are a “regular user of TikTok (Opening/using the app most
days of the week)”. 38 answered Yes, 9 responded No, I use it seldomly and 16
responded I don’t use it at all. As a result, the 47 respondents who use the platform in
some capacity carried on with the survey and are the focus of the data presented below.

As shown previously in Table 2, a majority of respondents who use TikTok are between
the ages of 18-24 and 25-34 (62% and 32%, respectively). This is congruent with the
overall platform stats revealed by Kemp (2023) in the Background Context, stating that

27
TikTok’s largest user base is between the ages of 18-34, with more than half falling in
the 18-24 range. Additionally, in Q2, 62% of respondents identified themselves as
female and 38% identified themselves as male. With slightly more female respondents,
this demographic is relatively close to TikTok’s overall stats presented earlier by Ceci,
which states that the platform has a user base of approximately 54% female and 46%
male users (2023b).

Figure 4: (Q1&2) Age and Gender of survey respondents who use TikTok

To establish a general overview of how respondents feel about the platform, Q4 asked if
they agree/disagree that TikTok is a good way to follow and stay up to date on trends
through a 5-point Likert scale (1= strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree). With 49%, a
majority of respondents chose (4) Agree, while 28% chose (5)Strongly Agree, 13% for
(3)Neutral, 8% for (1) Strongly Disagree, and 2% for (2) Disagree.

28
Figure 5: (Q4) Opinions on TikTok being a good way to follow/stay up to date with trends

To start establishing purchase behaviors, respondents were asked in Q5 if they had ever
purchased something after seeing it on TikTok. 47% responded Yes and 53% responded
No. Q6 was then directed to those that answered Yes (22 respondents), asking if they
bought this item or items directly through a TikTok Shop or outside of the app (Ex:
Amazon). In the results, 0 respondents indicated that they exclusively purchased from
the app directly, while 91% responded that they had purchased Outside of the App and
9% responded they had purchased from both the app and using an outside source.

Figure 6: (Q6) Respondents who’ve purchased items directly through TikTok, off of the app, or both

29
In Q7, respondents were asked if they would be more inclined to buy an item within
their interests if they saw multiple users promoting it on TikTok. This moves to
establish how the shared opinions of others online, or eWOM, affect the purchase
decisions of the respondents. 79% answered that they would be more inclined while
21% answered that they would not be more inclined to make a purchase based on
online opinions.

Figure 7: (Q7) Respondents more inclined to make a purchase based on TikTok WOM

In the form of multiple-choice, Q8 was then directed to those that answered Yes (37
respondents), asking respondents to check all of the applicable reasons why. One
respondent who answered No to the previous question continued to answer Q8, so their
response was removed due to not following instructions. Seven options were presented
to choose from as well as Other in which the respondent could write in a reason that
they felt was not listed. The options presented to choose from were: Feels more
trustworthy than Ads (FMTTA), To keep up with trends (KUWT), The ‘For You Page’
tends to show me users I relate to (FYP), It is being promoted by an influencer I follow
(PBI), It is promoted under #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt (TTMMBI), Easier way to shop
around (EWTS), and Users in the comments are praising or expressing an interest for it
(UITC). If the respondent wrote in a response for Other, it was coded O.

30
Figure 8: (Q8) Reasons for being more inclined to make a purchase based on TikTok WOM

4 respondents chose Other and wrote in their answers. These 4 individual responses are
presented later in the Qualitative Results section.

Moving on from indicating an influence of WOM, Q9 asked respondents if they had

ever been influenced to purchase something impulsively because of a TikTok video.
“Impulsively” was defined to respondents as “an unplanned purchase or purchasing in
the moment”. 26% responded Yes compared to 74% who responded No.

Figure 9: (Q9) Respondents who have/have not been influenced to make an impulsive purchase from
TikTok

31
Q10 was then directed to those that answered Yes (12 respondents), asking them to write
the product category of this most recent impulse purchase. These results are presented
later in the Qualitative Results section.

In Q11, respondents were asked if they believe that TikTok and/or other social media
platforms have a stronger influence over their purchase decisions than traditional
marketing. Examples given of traditional marketing were “TV Ads, Email Promotions,
Print ads, Billboards, etc.”. 74% answered Yes while 26% answered No.

Figure 10: (Q11) TikTok/Social Media Has Stronger Influence on Purchase Decisions than Traditional
Media

Q12 was then directed to those that answered Yes (35 respondents), asking them to
briefly answer why. These open-ended responses were coded and are presented in the
next section.

7.2 Qualitative Results

After analyzing the 10 closed-ended survey responses, open-ended responses were

reviewed. These open-ended questions were formatted as an opportunity for
respondents to comment/indicate why they responded a certain way to (or provide
details not otherwise captured by) the previous closed-ended question. There were 2

32
open-ended questions (Q10 & Q12) in addition to a write-in option for Q8, the multiple
choice question asking respondents reasons as to why they would be more inclined to
make a purchase if they saw multiple users promoting it on TikTok. I will begin with
Q10, as the responses simply indicate product categories, and then move to Q8 and 12
as a coding frame was created to analyze those responses.

7.2.1 Product Category of Recent Impulse Purchase ( Q10)

Q10 served as a follow-up to Q9, which asked “Have you ever been influenced to
purchase something impulsively because of a TikTok? (An unplanned purchase or
purchasing in the moment)”. Respondents who answered Yes (12 respondents) were
asked to state the product category of this most recent impulse purchase in Q10. It
should be noted that 1 respondent did not do so, and so 11 responses were recorded
(Appendix F). 8 respondents indicated some form of apparel (Ex: “clothing”, “shoes”,
“shirts”), 5 indicated “Home Product”, 2 indicated accessories (Ex: “car accessories”),
2 indicated cosmetics (Ex: “skincare”, “beauty”), and 1 indicated “pet products”.

Figure 11: (Q8) Product categories of most recent impulse purchase

Although based on a small sample, the results of this question are congruent with
information revealed earlier by WARC et al., essentially stating that all product
categories are fair game when it comes to Community Commerce content, but clothing,

33
accessories, beauty, and personal care are the most frequently bought categories
following discovery on a social media platform (2021).

7.2.2 Inclined to Make a Purchase from TikTok WOM ( Q8)

For Q8, as well as Q12, the coding frame was created deductively using the theoretical
framework of the study as well as an additional code that was produced to capture the
unique aspects of TikTok as a platform. The codes created include Social Influence,
SOR (Stimulus-Organism-Response), WOM (Word of Mouth), and Specifics to
TikTok/Social Media.

In Q8, 4 respondents chose to write in an additional choice under Other in response to

reasons why they would be more inclined to make a purchase if they saw multiple users
promoting it on TikTok (Appendix E). Other was coded as O in the Quantitative data
results. The responses are categorized by the codes that apply:

SOR
Respondent 41- “If I keep seeing something I might end up buying it because I want it
more”

This respondent indicated that enough exposure to certain content about a specific
product or service (an external factor) could trigger a response to purchase it, illustrating
causality.

WOM
Respondent 1- “I like products that are tested and that are known for actually working,
so if I see that people are saying a specific product lives up to its advertisement, then
I'm likely to purchase it.”

Respondent 29- “You really get a review of the product as you see it in use and read the
reviews about it”

These respondents indicate authentic reviews by others as an important factor for

making a purchase. With TikTok being a video platform for UGC, the comment section
and the ability to share posted content creates a space for WOM to thrive.

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Specifics to TikTok/Social Media
Respondent 12- “Straight to the point info on product since video is so quick”

This respondent expresses that the short-form aspect of TikTok is effective in

determining whether or not they are interested in something as it is “straight to the
point”.

7.2.3 Why TikTok/Social Media Has a Stronger Influence Than

Traditional Marketing ( Q12)
Q12 served as a follow-up to Q11, which asked “Do you believe that TikTok and/or
other social media platforms have a stronger influence over your purchasing decisions
than traditional marketing? (ex: TV Ads, Email promotions, Print ads, Billboards, etc.)”.
Respondents who answered Yes (35 respondents) were given the opportunity to express
their thoughts as to ‘why’ in longer narrative responses. 4 did not do so and so 31
responses were recorded (Appendix G). A majority of respondents provided more than a
single reason, and so many responses were given two or more codes. However, for the
sake of organizing the sentiments given, a summary of responses are categorized by the
individual codes below.

Social Influence
Many sentiments fit within the framework of Social Influence, stating opinions about
identifying and/or trusting another user as a reason to feel more influenced to make a
purchase by TikTok/Social Media over traditional media. As it was laid out by Kelman,
Social Influence can manifest in 3 different ways: Compliance, Identification, and
Internalization (1958). Most of the responses to Q12 fall into the Identification and
Internalization processes. Congruent with the process of Identification, many responses
express reasons indicating that users often adopt the induced behavior in order to create
or maintain a satisfying and beneficial relationship with another user or group. In this
process, users are identifying with what they see as a means of conforming.
Furthermore, responses consistent with the process of Internalization express reasons
that indicate an acceptance of influence after perceiving the opinions and actions of
other users as rewarding. In this process, users accept the behavior in the content viewed
as compatible with their value system.

35
For instance, respondent 25 stated that “TikTok and other social media platforms allow
for the development of parasocial relationships in which the audience feels closer to the
creator than they actually are”' influencing viewers towards buying what the creator has
“because ‘they’re just like me’ ”. Although not a two-way relationship, the first opinion
illustrates influence under the process of Identification, while “they’re just like me”
illustrates Internalization in perceiving the content to be in agreement with their values.
Similarly, respondent 41 stated, “Some people feel a more personal connection to
influencers compared to an ad or commercial”. Additionally, respondent 1 stated,
“Using TikTok allows me to find people with my complexion, skin, etc. and see what
products they use…”. In the 31 individual responses, Social Influence was coded 12
times.

SOR
Many respondents also provided feedback that aligned with the
Stimulus-Organism-Response model, which describes the linear connection between
stimuli (external or interpersonal factors) affecting organisms (cognition and emotion of
people) and the developed response (adopting or avoiding) to the stimuli (Ouyang et al.,
2021). Like Eroglu et al.’s (2001) Online Shopping Response Model, there are certain
visible and audible cues that create a stimulus to an individual who is viewing
community commerce content on TikTok. In addition to these cues, a good deal of
responses expressed other intangible variables as reasons for influence.

Many respondents emphasized the amount of time spent on TikTok or social media, as
well as age, to be predominant reasons for influence. For example, respondent 4 wrote
that it is because “You are constantly exposed to it” and respondent 23 explained,
“Newer generations are not watching tv or other traditional media sources and so
getting their attention through the platforms they are using (like TikTok) is for sure a
smart way to influence them”. The use of the platform itself, as a means of
communicating certain content, is the stimulus to younger audiences who are generally
believed to respond positively, compared to others who may not find an interest or know
how to use the platform. Expressing a similar opinion, respondent 42 stated, “Most
young people who use tiktok are easily influenced”.

36
Another stimulus that seems to get users to respond is the subject or value of specific
content, like seeing confirmed “trends”. Respondent 46 answered that, unlike traditional
marketing, there is a better chance, “to see more current celebrities or more modern
‘influencers’ on tik tok which makes items being sold more attractive to buy”. These
comments establish a response caused by a particular stimulus. SOR was coded 12
times.

WOM
Various remarks were provided by the respondents regarding the opinions of others
online influencing them to consider making a purchase more so than traditional
marketing efforts. As a refresher, Litvin et al. defined WOM as communication between
consumers about a product, service, or company in which the sources are considered
independent of commercial influence (2008). When experienced in an online setting, it
is regarded as eWOM (Lee et al., 2020). This kind of communication between users is
what drives community commerce on TikTok. In line with the definition, a popular
sentiment communicated is the preference of real or “regular” people behind this kind
of content compared to traditional marketing. Many respondents wrote responses that
were similar in expressing this.

Respondent 2- “Because it is ”private” individuals that recommend products without

being paid for it.”

Respondent 17- “They often consist of a "direct" review from an actual user …vs. a paid
actor in another kind of advertisement”

Respondent 32- “i relate to and trust individual creators giving their personal
preferences more than ads by a company”

Respondent 34- “it’s more “regular” people that promote the products”

Some respondents credit the platform for making eWOM so accessible, like respondent
12 who answered, “all i have to do is either check the caption or go into the comment
section where other people give you the store of where it’s from. Its easy and fast.”. As
most community commerce content is user-generated and not paid, users resort to

37
sharing the details of a product in the caption or sharing the link in the bio of their
profile for viewers to access and find on their own. Viewers can then browse or make
the purchase through a third-party source.

Respondent 26 provided a personal account of how eWOM has contributed to their

hobby, “as a book reader I have been getting many recommendations because of
'booktok' (and now I have so many books to read)”. BookTok is a niche community on
TikTok where “readers recommend, review and theorize about their favorite books,
authors and genres” (Diaz, 2023) just one of many eWOM-based communities on the
platform. WOM was coded 11 times.

Specifics to TikTok/Social Media

In addition to codes based on the presented theories, Specifics to TikTok/Social Media
was created to include any potential responses that would include sentiments unique to
the app. As revealed earlier, users are shown videos on TikTok's FYP that they are more
likely to engage with and share based on a fine-tuned algorithm of one’s interests, which
is based on each user’s actions on the app such as what they “like”, share, view more
than once, etc. (Mikolajczyk, 2021). In line with this, many responses did credit the
app’s stellar algorithm as a reason for influence:

Respondent 3- “for you page is curated for me, most of the time i get recommended
things I like”

Respondent 5- “because you decide who to follow and what to see on TikTok and the
algorithm helps by making sure you see more of the things you want to see.”

Respondent 33- “Knowing that the ad is placed there because the algorithm slots it as
my interest makes me feel like the product actually applies to me.”

A couple of answers commented on TikTok’s overall ability compared to traditional

marketing, like respondent 13 who said the app, “gives a better opportunity to show
how the product performs.” which is part of what makes community commerce content
so appealing as creators are typically trying on the product or demonstrating how it
works in the videos. Respondent 26 feels that “tiktok has a better system for promoting

38
many indie writers and also has an interesting way of making things incredibly viral
with how quickly everything can spread”. Like popular hashtags such as
#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, other dedicated communities on the app often spark virality as
well, driving community commerce forward.

7.3 Overall Analysis

After independently analyzing both the quantitative and qualitative data collected, it is
critical to combine both results in order to obtain an overview of how this phenomenon
is perceived and how much of an influence it has on adult TikTok users. In reviewing
the Quantitative data by respondents, it is possible to establish some commonalities.
The demographic results formed a sample of respondents who were very similar to
TikTok’s overall user base– female-leaning Generation Z and Millenials. More than
three-quarters of survey respondents Strongly Agree and Agree that TikTok is a good
way to follow and stay up to date on trends, so it can be established that the platform
does a good job of staying up to date and pushing content that is appealing and relevant
to the social landscape.

As questions proceeded, theoretical components were considered. When asked if they

had ever purchased something after seeing it on TikTok, responses were almost split
50/50, leaning more so to No. However, when asked if they would be more inclined to
buy something within their interests if they saw multiple users promoting it on TikTok,
almost 80% answered Yes. So when introduced to the aspect of others' opinions and
input (WOM), respondents felt they would be more inclined to make a purchase. When
asked to indicate reasons why, more than half of respondents indicated the given choices
of: Feels more trustworthy than Ads, The ‘For You Page’ tends to show me users I
relate to, and Users in the comments are praising or expressing an interest for it. While
the context of the question is based on the process of WOM, the reasons indicated all fit
within all the theories that frame the research. To achieve feelings of trust in
user-generated content compared to advertisements shows that unique factors are
affecting the users’ perception and/or emotion, demonstrating the SOR model. This, in
addition to expressed feelings of relatability, also illustrate the process of Social
Influence as the user is claiming that their behaviors could be influenced after
perceiving the opinions and actions of others as congruent with their value system.

39
Lastly, to indicate that the comments of others could influence their decision to make a
purchase is standard eWOM.

Going back to the question of whether or not respondents had ever purchased something
because of a TikTok video, those that answered Yes were asked if they purchased it
directly through TikTok’s platform, outside of the app, or both (Ex: Ordering on
Amazon). 91% of responses indicated that they made this purchase outside of the app.
Based on this response, it can be argued that community commerce content is preferred
and more impactful than paid content. Despite paid content having the ability to link the
product directly on the app through TikTok shop, users are making purchases with third
parties, possibly due to community commerce content usually having to indicate where
the product is from in the caption or in the comments for users to find on their own.

Although most respondents answered that they have not been influenced to make an
impulsive purchase because of TikTok, those that answered that they have were asked
what product category the most recent impulse purchase fell under. By a landslide,
apparel (clothing, shoes, etc.) was the most popular answer, followed by accessories.
This establishes that although very impactful, community commerce content is
primarily influencing smaller purchases and not major investments.

When respondents were asked if they believe that TikTok and/or other social media
platforms have a stronger influence over their purchase decisions than traditional
marketing, approximately three-quarters answered Yes. Narrative answers were
provided and indicated many sentiments that are in line with the guiding theories as
summarized in the results. Despite the varied opinions presented, it can be said that
there is a consensus that authenticity, personalization, and community are highly valued
aspects of TikTok by users, which they don’t feel are found in traditional advertising
methods.

8. Concluding Analysis

Based on the collected and analyzed data, it can be said that users are familiar with the
practice of, and potential interest in shopping around by way of creators with similar

40
interests on TikTok. The feeling of community and having one’s interests catered to
each time the app is opened was a major sentiment expressed by respondents. When
returning to the initial proposed research question, one can use the insight acquired
throughout the analysis to better answer it. In reference to the research question, “What
influence does TikTok community commerce content have on purchase behavior by
adult users?” one can conclude that the authenticity of this user-generated content
influences users to feel more trusting and open to buying a product or service when their
interests are targeted. Although many social media users in general often express that
the accuracy of targeted marketing today can feel pervasive, the results of this study
show that when a more human element is behind the promotion of a product,
independent from obvious monetary gain, users are more open to influence.

Although studies have been conducted on the intention behind using– and the
communities of– short-form video content, as well as the influence of marketed content
via TikTok, there is still a gap in research concerning the impact of user-generated
TikTok content promoting a product or service that is not explicitly paid. This thesis
provides a good basis for future research on the overall impact that our surroundings or
a change in the digital landscape have on the everyday behaviors and practices of social
media users. As noted previously, due to the pandemic’s isolating effect on social life
and mental well-being, individuals adapted and created “new normals”. As a result, the
digital economy boomed and TikTok provided a brand new outlet for commerce
possibilities. One could argue that research on purchase behavior provides insight into
consumer preferences, enhancing product development, improving customer
satisfaction, predicting market trends, and ultimately, advancing academic knowledge.

TikTok's influence on shopping behavior has been significant, and it has had several
implications for society at large. One to consider is the rise of influencer marketing
which is almost parallel to the practices of community commerce. It involves content
creators with large followings, known as influencers, who promote products or services
through entertaining and engaging videos, effectively reaching a vast audience.
Although they often feel highly authentic, they are backed by a budget with companies
investing heavily in influencer collaborations and sponsored content. Based on existing
research and the results of this study, there is potential for an even larger influencer
boom in which ads do not even feel like ads. Another implication is the democratization

41
of trend-setting. The platform has given rise to a highly saturated wave of trendsetting
with a quick turn-around time. Previous to social media, trends were predominantly
dictated by celebrities or fashion influencers in media. However, on TikTok and other
social media platforms, any user can create and share content with the potential to go
viral. In turn, viral content has the potential to contribute to the setting of trends in not
only fashion but any category imaginable. This has democratized trendsetting and
expanded the diversity of social influences. One last implication is a positive impact on
small businesses. In changing the path to purchase, TikTok has created a more equal
playing field for brands to reach audiences. You no longer exclusively see products
physically in stores or in advertisements, but also demonstrated by everyday people in
their personal lives. With the right exposure, small businesses can gain brand awareness
and potentially experience significant growth without having to lift a finger. This allows
smaller enterprises to compete with larger brands.

Based on the limitations presented earlier, future studies could benefit from the use of a
larger and more random sample, namely by focusing on efforts to focus on a particular
location– whether that be a city or country. By creating a more specific focus on ‘who’
and ‘where’, more generalizable inferences can be made. Additionally, the possibility of
carrying out a netnography on community commerce TikTok content could potentially
provide even more context to the study. By analyzing the different elements of these
videos, a netnography would provide the audience’s point of view and help establish if
there’s a ‘recipe’ for the success of this kind of content. An established amount and time
frame would have to be chosen to best represent this type of content overall.

To conclude and highlight the importance of the current thesis, the results of this study
validate our basic human desires for belonging and identifying with a community,
trusting in others, and having agency. The media landscape is always evolving but you
can typically find these values behind the reasons we, as consumers, do the things we
do.

42
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10. Appendices

Appendix A: Online survey administered via Google Forms

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Appendix B: Quantitative Codebook

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Appendix C: Qualitative Codebook

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Appendix D: Quantitative Survey Data

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Appendix E: Question 8 Data

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Appendix F: Question 10 Data

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Appendix G: Question 12 Data

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