TikTok has a wide audience of users and can be used for marketing or just pure enjoyment, or in some cases, both. One recent emerging trend has mixed aesthetic with marketing. Some accounts on TikTok have users showing off small tech appliances they use around their homes or giving honest reviews of certain tech products. Instead of describing the product and saying the brand, the user just shows the product in action. While the video plays there is no background music and all the watchers hear is the noise the device makes while in action. While reviews give their opinion of the device, others just show off the device without giving any information.
These types of videos receive millions of views and thousands of comments asking about the products. The creator of the video often provides a link to whoever asks or has a link on their page to help users find that one product they need to make their life easier. Famous accounts like My Korean home on TikTok have more than a million followers and the videos mainly highlight smart home appliances or gadgets.
The strange thing about these videos is that they can easily capture consumers’ attention because it feels relaxing to watch. At first, when I came across these videos, I thought it was someone who was showing off their fancy expensive appliances that no one could find or afford. But after doing some more digging, I saw that the page is a consumer electronics retailer that sells smart home appliances and more. There was a wide range of connected appliances — like a nightstand with a built-in wireless charging surface — that I never even knew existed. If other consumer electronics retailers started making similar TikToks, it could increase their sales as well.
Samsung has already sent its products to tech pages on TikTok to try out and give honest reviews. The creator @Ellyawesometech created a TikTok showing off the Samsung Jet Vacuum cleaner and even said that they would keep the product if they could. They joked that Samsung was not going to receive its review unit back because they couldn’t part with it. When consumers see people fawning over products and giving rave reviews, it creates awareness and piques curiosity. Sometimes tech influencers aren’t the only ones trying out products; regular TikTok users take matters into their own hands and give their own honest opinion.
Another TikTok creator, Parker Burton, gives in-depth reviews on Android products and compares them to other company products as well. This user created TikToks that compared the photo quality of the Samsung Galaxy 22 and the iPhone 13. Now watchers can quickly see a comparison between the two phones that they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. While this is a good marketing tactic on the retailer’s side, it’s also helpful to the consumer. Each consumer has different lifestyles and needs, so finding the product that fits best can be difficult; no one tests out 50 different products until they find the right one. People want to see the products in action and how they handle certain tasks.
Technology is a popular topic on TikTok, and the hashtag TechTok has more than 12 billion views on TikTok. Based on this, it’s safe to say that technology is popular on social media, and TikTok in particular. Even though it’s not the first thing people search for on social media, there’s an audience interested in new technology. Consumer electronics retailers should take advantage of the powerful influence that social media platforms have and start showing their products in action.
