TikTok made me buy it

Social media usage has significantly increased in recent years, with TikTok, in particular, setting the pace. This social media platform offers diverse options, including entertainment, while concurrently witnessing a contemporary trend wherein numerous organizations exploit TikTok for commercial purposes, such as promoting their products. The fashion industry is characterized as a relatively nascent sector within the business sectors to debut on TikTok. Fashion brands utilize the platform to exhibit their goods, while consumers use it to research various fashion items and trends. Given the paucity of knowledge surrounding the impact of TikTok on consumer purchasing decision, specifically within the fashion industry, the present study focuses on investigating this further. To achieve this, this study chose a quantitative approach and conducted an online survey, with 205 people participating. The survey aimed to assess the extent of TikTok's influence on purchasing decisions, with a particular emphasis on two facets: the frequency of TikTok usage and the rationale behind utilizing TikTok for clothing purchases. To measure these constructs, an established scale pertaining to the reasons for employing TikTok for clothing selection and subsequent purchase decisions was employed. Analysis revealed that the frequency of using TikTok does not have a direct impact on individuals’ purchasing decisions. Moreover, users utilize TikTok for various reasons, with this study highlighting the significance of using TikTok for information-seeking purposes and the platform's accessibility when choosing which clothes to buy. Interestingly, both of these reasons ultimately contribute to influencing purchase decisions. In addition, it is shown that although the research takes into account the reasons that drive people to use TikTok to decide which clothes to buy, men and women make distinct purchase decisions. Although significant results were attained, this study's limitations and suggestions for further research were also established. The limitations involve the unequal distribution of men and women and the chosen sampling technique. Future research recommendations for this study include examining the role of social media influencers and taking into consideration nationality as an influencing factor. Furthermore, future research needs to distinguish the effect of the actual influence of TikTok compared to the effects from those resulting from general exposure across various platforms. In addition, future research should make a critical differentiation between the purchase decision and the actual buying behavior of people.