How TikTok powers cross-border shopping for Singapore retailers

The yellow basket feature allows viewers to purchase items directly during livestreams.

Singaporean retailers are harnessing the power of TikTok to reach more customers across the globe — mostly young adults who thrive on funny moments and pranks — using short-form videos from influencers.

With more than a billion active users worldwide and a unique algorithm that gives small content creators a better chance of going viral, TikTok can help brands get seen without having to pay more famous TikTokers top dollars.

“Unlike the marketing of yesteryear which tended to focus more on celebrities or big names, the everyday influencer is more relatable and has a much stronger influence on the current generation of social media consumers,” Chenhao Zhu, co-founder of SpoonX Marketing Agency, said in an interview with Singapore Business Review.

“Influencer marketing can be very powerful in starting trends and effectively growing strong demand for products in markets very far away from their initial home market or target audience,” he added.

Influencer marketing

The influencer marketing industry is estimated to grow to $24b by year-end, with 63% of brands planning to use artificial intelligence (AI) to execute their influencer campaigns, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.