International Journal of Smart Business and Technology

Vol.10, No.1 (2022), pp.145-162

http://dx.doi.org/10.21742/ijsbt.2022.10.1.10

The Impact of TikTok Advertising on Young People's Online

Shopping Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Hoang Cuu Long1*, Nguyen Hoang Do Uyen2, Duong Tran Lan Phuong3,
Nguyen Ha Phuong4, Nguyen Hoai Truc Ngan5 and Le Thi Thanh Tam6
1*,2,3,4,5,6
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City - UEH, Vietnam
1*
hoangcuulong@ueh.edu.vn

Abstract
Today, the social networking site with the most users in Vietnam is TikTok. This study was
conducted to determine the factors affecting attitudes towards TikTok ads and their impact on
young people’s online purchasing behavior in Ho Chi Minh City during the Covid-19
pandemic. Thus, it provides suggestions and solutions for firms to adapt to customers’
changing needs. This study used both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The
qualitative research focused on young people's attitudes on TikTok advertising and online
shopping behavior. The Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior
provide the basis for the research framework. In addition, the quantitative methodology was
conducted by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Analysis of Moment Structures
software to identify the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables
as well as examine differences in online shopping behavior according to demographic
variables. The study findings show that the three factors that informativeness, interaction,
and entertainment affect the attitude towards the advertisement of the TikTok variable but
reliability, irritation, and advertising duration are not. The results of this study also show a
positive relationship between attitudes towards advertisements and the online purchasing
behavior of TikTok users. Based on these results, firms that promote online shopping services
through TikTok ads will have a greater understanding of how advertisements influence young
Vietnamese consumers' online buying behavior. Therefore, it will help them to create and
deliver services more effectively than functional services to meet customers' needs.

Keywords: Shopping online behavior, TikTok advertising, Young people, Technology

Acceptance Model (TAM), Covid-19 pandemic, Ho Chi Minh City

1. Introduction
According to the mobile application report by Appota (2021) [1], TikTok has become a
global phenomenon and the fastest growing social media platform in Vietnam (Tomorrow
Marketer, 2021 [2]) with its 16 million downloads. Intending to become more competitive in

Article history:
Received (December 1, 2021), Review Result (January 29, 2022), Accepted (March 10, 2022)

* The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City - UEH,
Vietnam.
* The funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the
manuscript.
* All authors agree to publish without any complaints.

Print ISSN: 2288-8969, eISSN: 2207-516X IJSBT

Copyright ⓒ 2022 Global Vision Press (GV Press)
The Impact of TikTok Advertising on Young People's Online Shopping Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Vietnam's online ad market, where Facebook and Google dominate, TikTok recognizes that
localization is critical to persuade Vietnamese consumers, particularly millennia’s and Gen Z
users – who prefer short-form and influencer-driven content to conventional advertising. It
could be said that TikTok is considered an effective advertising channel with a large customer
reach and retaining long-term customers. This is an opportunity for advertisers and businesses
to promote their products. Nevertheless, there are some advertisements with inappropriate
content that frequently appear on TikTok, which may make users ignore or feel
uncomfortable or even annoyed.
Although consumers' online buying behaviour has been studied in several previous studies,
the majority of them were, in general, the attitudes towards social media advertisements
conducted before the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, customers' online
shopping behavior is influenced not only by demographic characteristics such as age, gender,
and occupation ( Bhat et al. [3]; Baubonien et al. [4]) but also by perceived benefit factors
(Makhitha et al. [5]; Keyurkumar et al. [6]; B.N. Sethna et al. [7] ). It is still unclear how this
pandemic has affected consumer behavior when it comes to online buying. This study aims to
identify the factors influencing young people’s attitudes towards TikTok ads and their impact
on their online purchasing behavior in Ho Chi Minh City during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Literature review

2.1. Online advertising

Online advertising involves deliberate messages placed on the website of an intermediary,
including search engines and directories available on the Internet (Ha, [8]). There are
numerous forms of it, but the website was the first to be mentioned by researchers (Long, [9];
Muños-Leiva et al. [10]; Kent et al. [11]). According to Berthon, Pitt, and Watson [12], a
website is an e-commerce channel. Furthermore, a variety of studies have been conducted
around the world on various types of online advertising, such as banner advertising (Namin et
al. [13] ), Coupon/loyalty advertising (Zhou et al. [14]), search engine marketing (Breuer &
Brettel, [15]; Bhandari et al. [16]), e-mail (Brettel & Spilker-Attig, [17]), and social networks
(Eid et al. [18]).
The American Marketing Association recognizes advertising as any form of non-personal
presence of goods, ideas, and services. Kotler et al. [19] stated that online advertising is an
effort to market products and services and build customer relationships through the Internet.
TikTok’s online advertising is the way we use the social media system to market, advertise,
promote items and brands, and answer questions. The remarkable point in communication on
social media is the content of articles, customer groups, websites and so on that are made by
not only service providers but also Internet users (Rakuten Super Logistics [20])
Online consumer behavior
Online shopping is a form of e-commerce that allows consumers to use a web browser to
buy goods or services directly from a seller over the Internet (Nupur, 2015). Consumer
behavior is the study of how individuals, groups, and organizations select, buy, use, and
dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants (Kotler et al.
[21]). According to Javadi et al. [22], online shopping behaviour is the process of purchasing
products or services online. In a typical online shopping process, when a potential consumer
recognizes the need for a particular good or service, they use the Internet to search for
relevant information, evaluate the options, and decide whether to buy and their behavior after
purchasing.

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The consumer buying decision process is relatively similar between purchasing directly in-
store and online; however, there are some differences due to the influences of the shopping
environment and marketing communications (Kotler and Armstrong, [23]). Online shopping
has many benefits for customers. It is not only fast and convenient but also, in many cases,
cheaper than local stores (Moran, [24]). Moreover, the variety of products on the Internet is
often much larger than that of offline shopping. Nguyen et al., [25] found that in Vietnam,
consumer demand has shifted toward online shopping. Moran [24] argued that consumers'
approaches to shopping for products and services changed when they used online commerce
because online firms have more control over the consumer shopping experience, including
unprecedented access to buyer data and demographics.

2.2. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a development of the Theory of Reasoned
Action (TRA) (Aijen & Fishbein [26]; Fishbein & Ajzen, [27]) due to the significant
limitations of prior theory in dealing with voluntary behavior. However, the latter theory
suggests that behavior is not entirely under control, making voluntary behavior possible.
According to the TRA, a person's positive attitude, together with their thoughts, equaled their
behavioral intention. In contrast to TRA, the TPB model provides a better description of the
behavioral model, which states that a person is assumed to perform a given action if that
person has genuine control over the conduct (Ajzen, [28]). As a result, when a person has a
more positive attitude and subjective norm, as well as an increase in perceived behavioral
control and intention, that person will engage in actual action (Ajzen, [28]). Behavioral
beliefs and the effect of normative beliefs on subjective norms are expected to influence
attitudes in the TPB model, whereas control beliefs are the foundation of behavioral control
(Ajzen, [28]). However, the link between these variables remains unclear (Ajzen, [28])

2.3. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

The TAM (Davis, [29]) is an adaptation of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), which
was used to assess user acceptance of computers. It is measured by intention to use and the
influence of attitude, perceived utility, and perceived ease of use on that intention (Davis et al.
[30]). The findings revealed that perceived usefulness had a significant impact on intention to
use, whereas perceived ease of use had only a minor impact. On the other hand, the impacts
of perceived utility and convenience of use on intention to use were somewhat mediated by
attitude (Davis et al. [30]). The TAM was then changed by deleting the attitude component
found in the TRA because attitude did not play an essential role in influencing the variables.
The new TAM demonstrated its purpose of acting as a mediator in the link between perceived
utility, perceived ease of use, and usage behavior (Venkatesh et al. [31]).
The findings revealed that perceived usefulness and convenience of use were factors in
intent to use. Several prior studies (Heijden et al. [32]; Kim & Hong, [33]) have supported
this hypothesis. Gong et al. [34], Roca et al. [35], and Yusniza [36] found that perceived
usefulness is a strong factor in intention to use, but perceived ease of use has little impact.
Bagozzi [37] argued that the TAM is ineffective for investigating and explaining usage
behavior because perceived utility and simplicity of use may not adequately explore usage
behavior. Chuttur [38] stated that future research should look into and develop other models
that emphasize TAM's strengths rather than its flaws.

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The Impact of TikTok Advertising on Young People's Online Shopping Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

3. Proposing direction for the study

This study develops hypotheses that focus on analyzing the direct impact of TikTok ads on
young people's online purchasing behavior in Ho Chi Minh City-based on adjusting,
supplementing, and analyzing the impact of the following factors on consumer shopping
attitudes: (1) informativeness, (2) entertainment, (3) reliability, (4) interaction, (5) irritation,
and (6) advertising duration.

Figure 1. Proposed research model

Source: by authors, 2021

Advertising plays an important and legitimate role in providing information (Rotzoll et al.
[39]). The goal of advertising is to inform customers about new products, new features of
existing products, or changes in product prices (Kotler and Keller, [21]). According to Waldt
et al. [40], information is defined as the ability of advertising to provide consumers with
alternative product options such that they are most satisfied with their purchase decisions.
Schlosser et al. [41] asserted that consumers' attitudes toward Internet advertising are
influenced by the information and usefulness of advertising, thereby influencing their
decision-making about buying behaviour. Therefore, the information provided to consumers
must be accurate, appropriate, timely, and useful because they are concerned about the
information related to them (Chowdhury et al. [42]).
Hypothesis 1: Informativeness has a positive impact on young people towards attitudes
toward TikTok advertisements.
Consumers prefer to see ads when they contain many funny and interesting elements, and
as much excitement as possible is appreciated (Alwitt et al. [43]). According to Ducoffe [44],
entertainment is the ability to meet customers’ needs to relieve mental stress, diversion,
aesthetics, and emotional enjoyment. Tsang and Ashmawy [45] showed that entertainment in
advertising has a positive impact on perceived value and consumer attitude. A high level of
interest and attraction in the process of interacting with the media positively affects mood and
perception (Than et al. 2013) [46].

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Hypothesis 2: Entertainment has a positive impact on young people’s attitudes towards

TikTok advertisements.
Reliability is defined as an optimistic expectation of the results of an event, human
behavior, or consumers' perception of the trustworthiness of advertisements and advertisers in
general. Advertising reliability is influenced by various factors, especially a company's
reputation, and message issuer. According to Goldsmith et al. [47], reliability has a direct and
positive influence on customer attitudes towards advertising, branding, and purchase
intention.
Hypothesis 3: Reliability has a positive effect on attitudes towards advertising via TikTok.
Interactive ability, which allows users to engage in creativity and entertainment, is the
level of exchange between users and types of advertising and is described as a means for
individuals to communicate effectively regardless of space and time. Sukpanich and Chen
[48] classified interaction into three categories such as “machine,” “content” and “human”
interactions. One interactive capability of social media is its ability to attract numerous users
to use text, images, videos, and links to follow and share new products with other consumers.
This helps consumers gather more information and experience to make decisions.
Hypothesis H4: Interaction has a positive impact on attitudes towards advertisements on
TikTok.
Irritation refers to the level of discomfort caused by annoying and inappropriate ads. The
effectiveness of advertising is diminished by irritation owing to the impression that
consumers have that they are in trouble. According to Ducoffe [44], when advertisers use
techniques that are offensive or excessive, consumers often feel the unwelcome and
unpleasant effects of the ad. Ads that are often annoying and overstated can lead to confusion,
denial reactions, negative attitudes towards advertising, and even reduce customers’ purchase
intentions (Pham Thi Lan Huong and Tran Nguyen Phuong Minh, 2014). As a result, ads that
provide customers with a non-distracting experience have a positive impact on their
perception of TikTok social networking ads.
Hypothesis H5: Irritation has a negative effect on attitudes toward advertising via TikTok.
Advertising duration is the performance time of the products appearing in an
advertisement. According to Datareportal (2021) [49], research by We are social, the types of
content most consumed by Vietnamese Internet users each month include short videos
(97.6%), vlogs (61.2%), music (73.2%), radio (44.4%), podcasts (37.9%). Owing to the
digital transformation process and the favor of consumers, short-form video is an option that
many brands choose to reach and attract customers. TikTok's report also emphasizes that
short-form videos will become an important tool for businesses to find and interact with
customers.
Hypothesis H6: Advertising duration has a positive impact on the attitude towards TikTok
ads
Attitudes towards social media advertisements are influenced by positive and negative
factors, of which the factors that negatively affect attitudes are irritation, inappropriateness,
etc., and factors affecting positive influence regarding customer policies and the infrastructure
of e-commerce websites. Online shopping behaviour refers to the behaviour of Internet users
when shopping on e-commerce websites. The attitude towards online shopping is assumed to
have a positive influence on buying behaviour. In this study, the authors also rely on this

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The Impact of TikTok Advertising on Young People's Online Shopping Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

trend when studying online buying behaviour based on the attitude towards TikTok ads and
expect the positive attitude of online buyers to increase online shopping behaviour.
Determining the buyer's attitude towards the product is very important because it has a strong
influence on their behaviour, especially in competitive conditions.
Hypothesis H7: Attitude towards advertisements has a positive impact on young people’s
online purchase behaviour in Ho Chi Minh City.

4. Research design
Authors conducted in-deep to find out what factors affect interviews on the attitudes
towards TikTok ads and online shopping behavior of young people in Ho Chi Minh City and
also to measure the relevance of the observed variables in the survey. Later, we also use the
survey as a tool to test the insights on a large scale. With this method, we can survey a large
number of respondents to increase the objectivity and reliability of the research paper.

4.1. Preliminary assessment

The authors conducted in-depth interviews with four experts who were knowledgeable
about the market and consumers in the field of e-commerce and working in TikTok. They
were two online marketing specialists, one online marketing department head, and one
director working in the field of buying and selling online. The questions in the qualitative
interview focused on research on attitudes towards TikTok ads and online shopping behaviour
of young people in Ho Chi Minh City. Experts agreed that the six factors given by the authors
had an impact on the online shopping behaviour of young people in Ho Chi Minh City. They
also suggested that some observed variables should be omitted, and then replaced with
different variables consistent with the objectives of the research, and add the “advertising
duration” component to the scale. On the other hand, in the group discussion, the research
team explained the scales in the research model, including the definitions and observed
variables of each scale. The results showed that most respondents agreed with the observed
variables of the factors that affect online shopping behaviour. In addition, some respondents
suggested editing the following statements to be more concise and easier to understand:
Official scales
There were two adjusted observed variables in terms of informativeness. Regarding the
entertainment factor, there is one additional variable: “Ads with many minigames on TikTok
are so attractive to me”. Regarding the reliability factor, there is also one additional variable:
“Some ads display poor-quality goods or even counterfeit consumer goods”. There were three
and four adjusted observed variables for the Irritation and Online Purchasing Behaviour
factors, respectively. After conducting the group discussion, the first draft scale was adjusted
to the content presented above into the second one, including 37 observed variables,
specifically: the informativeness scale has five observed variables, entertainment: five,
reliability: five, interaction: four, irritation: five, advertising duration: three, attitude: three,
and online purchasing behaviour: seven. In addition, the authors adjusted the order of the
scales to fit the survey. Based on the results of the focus group's preliminary research, this
study adjusted the impact of TikTok advertising on young people's online shopping
behaviour.
We collect the data through the convenient survey via Google Form due to the impact of
the Covid-19 pandemic. With this sampling method, we had difficulty in collecting data
online because the authors could not control the response time and willingness of the

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respondents. Besides, the questionnaire is used according to the Likert scale with 5 levels, so
the levels can be understood differently depending on the question and the respondents. To
overcome the difficulties in the above sampling process, the research team asked the
questions in the survey concisely and understandably to suit the survey subjects. At the same
time, we also test with a small group before launching the official survey.

4.2. Sampling and data collection

Official quantitative research was conducted by surveying 371 respondents who had
watched TikTok ads and had online shopping at least once, of whom only 350 were valid,
accounting for 94%. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study used a questionnaire pre-
designed on the Google Docs form. All the respondents lived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
According to the random sampling method, the authors collected a sample of 28.9% men and
71.1% women. There were two main age groups of respondents: (1) 16-22 years old and (2)
23-30 years old. In particular, the group of users aged 16–22 years accounted for a higher
rate than the group of users aged 23–30 years, specifically more than three times. It can be
said that young people aged 16 - 22 are more interested in using TikTok than the older and
prefer online shopping to traditional commerce.

5. Results
(1) Online shopping frequency during Covid-19 pandemic
People are gradually becoming accustomed to staying at home and working from home as
a result of the Covid-19 epidemic's effects, and online purchasing is becoming more
convenient. According to the survey, people often purchase 2-5 times/month with the highest
rate of 52.9%, followed by more than 5 times/month with a rate of 26.6%, once a month at the
rate of 16%, and finally every day at the rate of 4.6%.

Figure 2. Online shopping frequency during Covid-19 pandemic

Source: by authors, 2021

(2) Type of ads respondents like to see most

TikTok has a wide range of ad types, with a variety of content and formats. However, user
preferences for each type of advertisement differ. The authors discovered that, with a rate of
29.7%, Branded Hashtag Challenges ads are the most popular. This is the most potent form of
advertising that is easily accessible to users, and its content is diverse. Next, at a rate of

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23.7%, influencer collaborations are the second most popular type of advertising. The
presence of celebrities and influencers enhances the credibility of products and
advertisements. Branded Effects, Branded Takeover ads, and Top View ads are three types of
ads with roughly the same ratio as well as three types of ads with relative user reach, but
businesses must have a high budget. Although not as popular with users as other types of
advertising, in-feed ads are the right type for individuals and small businesses with a limited
advertising budget.

Figure 3. Type of ads that respondents like to see most

Source: by authors, 2021

(3) Products you choose when shopping online

During the Covid-19 outbreak, a wide range of products was purchased online, with a
focus on personal health care and household appliances. Most consumers preferred cosmetics
and personal care goods, with 19.2 percent choosing them. Online shopping allows
consumers to choose from a variety of brands, varieties, and prices, among others. It is more
convenient than going out to search stores to buy things, especially during the difficult Covid-
19 outbreak. Fashion and accessories are next with a rate of 17.9%, which is identical to
cosmetics and personal care goods, another commodity that should be acquired online.
Following that, items such as media and books, ICT/electronic goods, and pharmaceutical and
healthcare products are distributed evenly. The categories of hand sanitizers, liquid hand soap
and pipes, household cleaning products, toilet paper, and canned food have a low rate of 6–
8%, yet these goods are nevertheless necessary for daily life. Despite its availability in
supermarkets and convenience stores, online shopping remains a safe option during the
Covid-19 pandemic.

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Figure 4. Products you choose when shopping online

Source: by authors, 2021

(4) Testing reliability Cronbach’s alpha

The results of Cronbach's alpha of all observed variables are quite high (>0.6), so the
components of the study model are reliable: INT (0.925), DUR (0.908), and ENT (0.905); the
components consist of REL (0.880), BHV (0.854), INF (0.836), and ATT (0.816) rated well,
and IRR (0.787) rated acceptable. In addition, the corrected item-total correlation for all
observed variables was greater than 0.3. With the results in the Cronbach’s Alpha system
evaluation step, the authors accepted 6 independent variables as follows: “Informativeness”
with 5 observed variables, “Entertainment” with 5 observed variables, “Reliability” with 5
observed variables, “Interaction” with 4 observed variables, “Irritation” with 5 observed
variables, “Duration” with 3 observed variables, an intermediate variable “Attitude” with 3
observed variables and finally the dependent variable “Behavior” with 7 observed variables.
(5) The results of testing the conformity of the research model
The SEM analysis results showed that chi-square/df (CMIN/df) = 1.632 < 3. The model
received the value CFI = 0.958 > 0,9 ; GFI = 0.885 > 0.8; TLI = 0.962 ≥ 0.9; RMSEA = 0.038
≤ 0.08., PCLOSE = 0.978 ≥ 1. all satisfied the general fit assessment criteria of the model.
Thus, the research model is suitable for survey data.

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Figure 5. SEM analysis results of the theoretical research model

Source: by authors, 2021

(6) Testing the research hypotheses

[Table 1] summarizes the results of the research hypothesis testing. Three hypotheses are
rejected: H3, H5, and H6, because their p-values are smaller than 0.05, which does not meet
the requirement.

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Table 1. Summary of hypothesis testing results

Hypothesis Hypothesis Testing

Informativeness has a positive impact on the attitude of young Sig=0.000 < 0.05 & β=0.367
H1
people towards advertisements on TikTok. Accept the hypothesis

Entertainment has a positive impact on the attitude of young Sig=0.00 < 0.05 & β=0.262
H2
people towards TikTok ads. Accept the hypothesis

Reliability has a positive effect on attitudes towards advertising Sig=0.577 > 0.05
H3
via TikTok. Reject the hypothesis

Sig=0.000 < 0.05

Interaction has a positive impact on the attitude towards the
H4 β=0.295
advertisements on TikTok.
Accept the hypothesis

Irritation has a negative effect on the attitude toward advertising Sig=0.344 > 0.05
H5
via TikTok. Reject the hypothesis

Advertising duration has a positive impact on the attitude towards Sig=0.336 < 0.05
H6
TikTok ads. Reject the hypothesis

Sig=0.000 < 0.05

Attitude towards advertisements has a positive impact on the
H7 β=0.779
online purchase behavior of young people in Ho Chi Minh City.
Accept the hypothesis
Source: by authors, 2021

(7) Bootstrap test

To assess the reliability of the SEM model's estimates, the authors applied the bootstrap
test method with 500 bootstrap samples. The results of the tests are shown in the table below,
and the bootstrap method is used to calculate the columns SE, SE-SE, Mean, Bias, and SE-
Bias, with the mean column displaying the average of the bootstrap estimates. Column CR
was calculated using the following formula: CR = Bias/SE-Bias. Because the absolute value
of CR is small compared to 2, the difference between the two estimations is very small and
not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Table 2. The results of the bootstrap test

CR= Bias/
Parameter SE SE-SE Mean Bias SE-Bias
SE-Bias
ATT <--- INF .084 .003 .369 .002 .004 .500
ATT <--- ENT .079 .002 .261 -.001 .004 .250
ATT <--- INT .072 .002 .295 .000 .003 .000
BHV <--- ATT .057 .002 .780 .001 .003 .333
Source: by authors, 2021

(8) Multigroup analysis of gender (male and female)

P-value = 0.699 (> 0.05), there is no difference in chi-square between the unconstrained
model and the constrained model, choosing the constrained model.
According to the findings, gender did not affect the relationships in the research model. In
other words, there was no distinction between male and female customers.

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Table 3. Multigroup analysis of gender

MODEL Chi-square Df p-value Result

Unconstrained Model 506.2 326

Constrained Model 508.4 330 0.699029276 Constrained Model

Difference 2.2 4
Source: by authors, 2021

(9) Multigroup analysis of age was divided into two groups: 16 – 22 years and 23 – 30
years.
P-value = 0.052 (> 0.05), there is no difference in chi-square between the unconstrained
model and the constrained model, choosing the constrained model.
According to the findings, age did not affect the relationships in the research model. In
other words, there is no distinction between 16 – 22 years old and 23 – 30 years old
customers.

Table 4. Multigroup analysis of age

MODEL Chi-square Df p-value Result

Unconstrained Model 521.1 326

Constrained Model 530.5 330 0.051843079 Constrained Model

Difference 9.4 4
Source: by authors, 2021

(10) Multigroup analysis of Income

The multi-group analysis of income has four groups: under USD 130 per month, USD 220
per month, USD 440 per month, and USD 450 per month.
P-value = 0.102 (> 0.05) demonstrates that there is no difference in chi-square between the
unconstrained and constrained models.
According to the findings, Income does not affect the relationships between factors in the
research model. In other words, there is no distinction between the four groups in the variable
"Income".

Table 5. Multigroup analysis of income

MODEL Chi-square Df p-value Result

Unconstrained Model 1110.4 652

Constrained Model 1123.7 660 0.101935971 Constrained Model

Difference 13.3 8
Source: by authors, 2021

The research's key outcomes indicate that attitudes towards advertisements on Tiktok are
influenced by three variables of information, Interaction, and entertainment with the number
of 0.367, 0.295, and 0.262, respectively. The two variables that are attitudes towards
advertisements and online shopping behavior are positively related with an impact coefficient

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of 0.779. At the same time, based on the Multi-group test, we have not found a difference in
demographics affecting the online shopping behavior of Ho Chi Minh City people in the
Covid-19 pandemic.

6. Research contributions and managerial implications

6.1. Research contributions

Practically, this study highlights the impact of TikTok ads on the online shopping behavior
of young people during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings of this research serve as a
foundation for business administrators who intend to use TikTok as a useful channel for
marketing purposes. In addition, companies specializing in advertising and marketing have a
clearer view of the impact of TikTok ads on young people’s attitude and its impact on online
shopping behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic, thereby distinguishing which factors have
positive or negative impacts on appropriate strategies to improve the efficiency of online
business activities, motivate online customers, especially gain profits, and increase the
business’s value. In scientific terms, the scales measuring the impact of advertising on young
people’s online shopping behavior built in this study can also serve as a reference for market
research service companies to design questionnaires for the process of collecting information
to provide customers' needs.

6.2. Managerial implications

Based on the results mentioned above, this study discusses and proposes recommendations
about informativeness, interaction, and entertainment factors for businesses that use TikTok
to promote themselves, as well as for TikTok to develop and become a more innovative social
networking application.

6.2.1. Informativeness
(1) Businesses should update information about products/services on a regular and
continuous basis to attract consumers' attention and interest. For TikTok ads, in addition to
humour and entertainment, administrators should focus on presenting full product information
concisely to make it easy for customers to obtain information and memorize.
(2) Focusing on necessary and useful information in order not to provide customers spam.
(3) Providing customer information about promotions, discounts, etc. in various ways in
the current period.
(4) Determining target customers to find a more suitable strategy to convey information
and types of advertising methods most effectively to customers.
(5) The mathematical tools of TikTok and other social media sites are used to reach
customers who often search for specific products or brands.

6.2.2. Interaction
(1) Making use of basic interactive functions on TikTok, such as comments, reactions, and
even Livestream, to convey and reply to customers. Effective interaction requires enterprises
to have consultant staff to work productively to meet customer requirements and solve their
problems on time.

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The Impact of TikTok Advertising on Young People's Online Shopping Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic

(2) Businesses need to update their status and information on products regularly, develop a
sustainable plan to make videos, and increase their views and interactions for TikTok’s
account.
(3) TikTok limits the number of words commented under each video (under 50 words), so
feedback and reviews of customers cannot have details and other customers just have general
information when deciding to buy products. Thus, TikTok could consider improving its
function to create opportunities for businesses and customers.
(4) Increasing consumer engagement using TikTok features such as comments, reactions,
and Livestream to reach out to customers more thoroughly. In this way, businesses can
answer customers' questions quickly and note both good and bad feedback to improve their
products as well as help customers receive notifications and return to see the latest updated
product information.
(5) They always respond to questions and requests from customers and have a dedicated
customer support team.
(6) Regularly update status and product information; develop TikTok content, follow
trends to maintain interaction, and plan to increase views and interactions on the TikTok
channel.

6.2.3. Entertainment
(1) Video images are one of the factors that help increase the effective attraction to video
ads. Therefore, images published in advertisements must ensure the characteristics of brands;
it is necessary to comply with the rules of brand identity, content orientation, dominant
colors, and image regulations to avoid damaging the brand’s reputation. Eye-catching and
sympathetic images make consumers more curious and stimulate them to learn more about
products. Videos with live sounds are also a way to attract customers' attention in the first few
seconds and make them view entire advertisements.
(2) In creating content for videos published on TikTok, besides providing information for
customers, brands need to skillfully integrate funny and entertaining stories into videos,
which should limit controversial and annoying content, easily leading to scandals that
adversely affect brand reputation.
(3) Depending on the target audience groups, brands should take advantage of some
popular types of advertising on TikTok platforms, such as Branded Hashtag Challenge ads,
Influencer collaborations, Top View ads, etc., and combine various types of ads to attract
young customers.
(4) Firms can collaborate with TikTok to create trends that appeal to the young to join
them and make them viral on this platform. These trends help businesses promote their brands
and reach target customers in a shorter period.

7. Conclusion and future research directions

The results from the descriptive statistics show that the level of shopping online and
interest in TikTok often focuses on females, and it seems that they have more needs than
males do. In terms of the purchasing behaviour of customers affected by attitude toward
advertising, this study indicates that purchase behaviour is at a relative level (price mean =
3.2086). Regarding the impact of TikTok ads on online shopping behaviour, the study has

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Vol.10, No.1 (2022), pp.145-162

shown that four components affect the attitude towards TikTok ads from strongest to lowest
in the following order: informativeness has the strongest impact (β = 0.367), interaction (β =
0.295), and entertainment (β = 0.262). In addition, attitude towards TikTok has a strong
impact on online shopping behaviour (β =0.779).
Although this study fulfilled the research objectives, there are still some limitations. First,
it investigates the factors of advertising on the online shopping behaviour of customers via
TikTok and does not provide a broad view of the advertising field. Consequently, in the
opinion of the field administrator, this research contributes little value. Second, the study was
only conducted with young people living in Ho Chi Minh City who had previously seen the
TikTok advertisement; thus, could not completely apply to the whole population of TikTok
users. The team of authors conducted the convenience survey, not the stratification
probability; therefore, the research results are not highly representative. Therefore, the
probability sample method should be used in future studies to improve its representativeness.
Third, this study only explains 60.7% of the variation in online shopping behaviour through
TikTok advertising by the independent variable attitude in the models.
Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to gain a better understanding of
advertising. Researchers should examine other factors that have not been discovered in this
study or investigate the relationship between demographics and factors. We propose adding
other variables to test online purchasing behaviour. Differentiated features, such as economic
benefits, are added for application to online purchasing behaviour. Therefore, future research
may be replicated by applying the same concept but in different contexts to analyze online
purchasing behaviour. Collecting information through qualitative research is also very useful
for comprehending an individual's rationale regarding the influencing and non-influencing
factors. Therefore, further research is needed to identify new factors that affect online
purchasing behaviour.

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