Commenting on Gen Zers leading the way in Singapore’s online shopping space, SMU Senior Lecturer of Communication Management Tracy Loh said that unlike the static shopping experience of e-commerce websites such as Lazada or China’s Taobao, TikTok’s livestreamers chat to their audience for three or four hours at a time. It’s like getting a recommendation from a friend, she said, helping the buyer gain more user trust than a brand would. She also noted that traditional e-commerce sites have started to emulate social media by expanding their range of influencers, using smaller-scale influencers to front local campaigns and attract Gen Zers.
