Scrolling into Sales

Using Social Listening to Understand the Rise of Alternative Retail Like TikTok Shop

In recent years, we've witnessed a significant shift in the e-commerce landscape, with social media platforms increasingly blurring the lines between entertainment and shopping. TikTok Shop is at the forefront of this change, a feature that has rapidly gained traction and is reshaping how consumers discover and purchase products. Using our powerful social listening tool, Infegy Starscape, we can't wait to dive into TikTok Shop’s rapid post volume growth along with what it means for the future of retail.

TikTok Shop's Explosive Growth

Figure 1: TikTok Shop Post Volume Growth Alongside Other Alternative Retailers (September 2021 through September 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

Over the past three years, we've observed dramatic growth in post volume related to TikTok Shop. For Figure 1, we started our date range to highlight the extensive growth of alternative retail, even though TikTok Shop didn’t open until September 2023 (hence that large spike). Right after that launch, we’re already seeing it retrieve post volume on par with other leading alternative retail players like Temu, Alibaba, and Wish.com. While these four retailers' post-volume growth doesn't compare to large players' e-commerce presence like Amazon, Walmart, or Target, they still represent significant business and footprint growth and rapid entry into the US market. This rapid ascent suggests growing awareness and increasing adoption and engagement with the platform.

Telling Stories with Disparate Datasets

Infegy draws insights from a diverse, multi-channel dataset. However, conversations about TikTok Shop and its impact on retail aren't confined to TikTok itself. They spill over onto other social media platforms, forums, blogs, and news sites. This cross-platform chatter provides a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of TikTok Shop's influence and reception.

Our multi-channel approach allows us to track how trends originating on TikTok ripple across the broader digital landscape, influencing consumer behavior and industry discussions on other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. This multi-channel perspective is invaluable for brands and marketers, providing insights into how TikTok Shop is perceived and discussed beyond its native platform.

Figure 2: TikTok Shop Channel Share of Voice (September 2021 through September 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

Engagement Metrics: Quality Over Quantity

While post volume provides valuable insights into overall awareness, engagement metrics offer a deeper understanding of consumer interest and potential purchase intent. We count engagement as the sum of likes, comments, and shares. Our data shows that TikTok Shop related post's engagement levels have significantly outpaced its other, alternative e-commerce competitors.

Figure 3: Alternative and Social Retailer Engagement Post Volume(September 2021 through September 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

Figure 3 illustrates how TikTok Shop's engagement has dwarfed other new, non-traditional online retailers. TikTok as a platform is no stranger to monster engagement records, as it’s the platform we see with the highest average engagement levels. These high engagement rates indicate that TikTok Shop's content resonates strongly with its audience, driving meaningful conversations and higher conversion rates.

Positive Sentiment Skyrockets

Figure 4: TikTok Shop Positive Post Volume Growth (September 2021 through September 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

One of the most striking findings from our analysis is the massive growth in positive sentiment towards TikTok Shop. Over the last three years, we've seen a 294% increase in positive sentiment post volume growth. This remarkable shift in consumer perception suggests that TikTok Shop is not just growing in popularity but is also delivering experiences that meet or exceed user expectations.

The Power of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt

Finally, look at our clients' favorite buyer metric - intent to purchase. Purchase intent reflects online social media users talking about their specific purchasing decisions. This type of messaging can be powerful to marketers, as that buying context can give real clues into content types that resonate with even more potential customers. We usually track purchase intent through our themes engine. However, sometimes, you can detect it from pure hashtags, like in this case.

Our hashtag analysis revealed that #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is the most popular hashtag associated with TikTok Shop. This viral phenomenon demonstrates the platform's influence on consumer purchasing decisions and highlights the seamless integration of content discovery and shopping.

Figure 5: Top Hashtags Pertaining To TikTok Shop (September 2021 through September 2024); Infegy Social Dataset.

Takeaways for Your Brand

TikTok Shop represents a significant shift in the retail landscape, merging entertainment, social interaction, and shopping into a seamless experience. Our social listening data shows its rising prominence and positive reception among consumers. As we move forward, brands that can effectively leverage this platform and adapt to its unique ecosystem will likely find new avenues for growth and customer engagement. For marketers and retailers, the message is clear: ignoring TikTok Shop and the broader social commerce trend could mean missing out on a significant retail revolution. As always, we'll continue to monitor these trends and provide insights to help navigate this exciting new frontier in e-commerce.