To understand how retail companies are using TikTok, a short-form video social media platform, this study investigates the use of relationship cultivation strategies and message appeals in TikTok videos posted by the top 100 retail companies. The study also examines the extent to which these strategies influence public engagement on TikTok.
A quantitative content analysis was conducted to analyze the use of relationship cultivation strategies and message appeals by the top 100 retail companies on TikTok. The study also applied negative binomial regression to assess the impact of these strategies on public engagement.
The findings show that the positivity strategy was the most frequently used relationship cultivation strategy, followed by networking and assurance. The analysis also revealed that about half of the videos employed at least one message appeal. The use of relationship cultivation strategies and message appeals had significant effects on public engagement.
This study is one of the first to examine the role of relationship cultivation strategies and message appeals in enhancing social media engagement for companies on TikTok.
