With the UK on lockdown and people increasingly housebound, social media will become more important than ever as we seek information, solace or distraction from the outside world. Retail Week looks at the newest social platform to take the Western world by storm and the brands winning on it.

As social distancing ramps up, people are turning to social media to stay connected during the coronavirus crisis and one brand that is benefiting from this is TikTok.

It was the most popular non-gaming app in the world last month with close to 113 million downloads, ahead of WhatsApp and Facebook, according to app insights business Sensor Tower, which said this was influenced by those bored during coronavirus-induced isolation installing the app. 

A look at the current trending content, which includes #StayAtHome, #WorkoutFromHome, #DiySkincare and #CupboardCooking, shows the impact of this. 

A lot of TikTok content gets users to record themselves carrying out fun challenges. Making light of the situation, a popular one is #The10TouchChallenge where people attempt to do ten kick-ups with a toilet roll. Barcelona Football Club even got involved on their official account.

@fcbarcelona

⚽🏀 WOW! Skills & hoops! ##sergiroberto ##the10touchchallenge ##fcbarcelona

♬ 25/8 - Bad Bunny

While social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been a part of many retailers’ marketing strategies for some years now, most are yet to take advantage of Gen-Z favourite TikTok.

However, some more socially minded retailers were quick off the mark. Gymshark is one such retailer. The sportswear etailer always has an eye on which new platforms to target.

“We obsess over the Apple Store statistics because we know the power of a trending app,” says Gymshark head of social content Elfried Samba.

“When we saw Musical.ly [an early version of TikTok] move up the Apple Store free app rankings from 50th to 20th, we knew that we needed to take notice and get clued up.

“We realised that we were getting old – social media had changed since [Gymshark founder] Ben Francis and the team started their Instagram strategy. To evolve with the times, we realised there was an opportunity to become a trendsetter, so we jumped in with both feet.”

TikTok-web

TikTok explained 

For those of us oblivious to the social sensation that is TikTok, the platform – which was founded in 2017 and has more than 1.5 billion users – encourages everyone to be content creators by posting videos of up to 15 seconds long, with the option to string together up to four videos to reach a maximum of one minute. 

These videos often feature fun challenges, dances or lip-syncs and like other social media channels TikTok uses hashtags, ‘hearts’ or likes, comments and user profiles that look similar to those on Instagram.

Much like other social media, users can follow brands on TikTok. A quick glance at the follower count of some big retailers shows there is already a clear division evident between the brands that ‘get’ TikTok and those that do not. For example, Gymshark has 1.6 million followers while the official Topshop/Topman account has just 216. 

TikTok brings much opportunity for retailers and brands. The platform can be used to showcase products, either via the brand’s own channel or through influencers.

However, TikTok users create content for entertainment’s sake, rather than to show off an idealised version of their lifestyle that is common on Instagram, meaning it is not enough for retailers to simply post videos about products – they need to do it in a humorous and original way.

That means retailers that want to win in the TikTok space need to keep up to date with the challenges and videos that are popular at any given moment and react fast. Gymshark, for example, quickly took part in the currently trending #FlipTheSwitch challenge, in which a male and female swap clothing at the flip of a light switch. In Gymshark’s case, the challenge was done in the brand’s workout gear, naturally. 

By pushing out content that is in keeping with current trends, retailers on TikTok become part of the conversation and reinforce their relevance to potential customers.

TikTok users are generally aged between 16 and 24, have grown up around technology and social media, and are easily able to recognise and call out brands who are solely focused on boosting sales.

Burberry, for example, faced a backlash when it attempted to create its own video trend to promote the launch of its TB monogram collection last year. Burberry’s #TBchallenge, which encouraged users to form its new logo with their hands, was its first attempt at content creation and although it garnered 4.8 million views the comments underneath the video were far from complimentary.

Comments ranged from “Kids can’t afford Burberry what’s the point” to ”It’s sad how you try to self promote yourself on a kids’ app” and several calls for a petition to stop ads on TikTok. Burberry has not posted on TikTok since May 2019.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 expected to keep many people at home, retailers wishing to engage with their audience may need to use new methods to stay in their minds – and with its fun, short format, TikTok could be the ideal marketing channel.

Here, Retail Week explores some of the winning brands on TikTok and what strategies they’ve used.

Gymshark

Online activewear retailer Gymshark has long been heralded for its social media strategy, so it is unsurprising that it was one of the first UK brands to make use of TikTok.

Samba explains how the platform works: ”First and foremost, TikTok is a place for entertainment – it’s one of the only apps that sees people leave happier than when they opened it.

“We soon realised that, instead of trying to push out hardcore fitness content, we needed to pay close attention to what the users like, creating entertaining videos but with a fitness twist. By doing this, we’re staying true to our DNA while adapting to the platform.”

The brand posts a new video daily, with people often enacting a challenge or dance, always while wearing Gymshark clothing. 

 

@gymshark

We still can’t believe this happened 😮 tag your biggest supporter 💜 @demibagby ##gymshark ##gymshark66 ##ladieswholift

♬ original sound - gymshark

As TikTok trends change so fast, Samba says that they have a team of in-house staff who take part in their posts, as well as collaborating with TikTok-specific influencers. This is helpful as the TikTok algorithm recognises when videos feature the same people and faces, and consequently places the content higher up the app’s main feed.

Gymshark’s popular videos include those that tease impossible achievements – the Gymshark-clad subjects feign jumping from extreme heights but the video cuts before the jump is made. These types of videos drive repeat watches, which in turn equals higher engagement on the platform.

Other highly viewed posts feature popular songs such as Lizzo’s ”Good as Hell” matched with female-empowered content, or amusing lip-syncs.

Gymshark has received high engagement on TikTok, but Samba says it can be very inconsistent. “Some posts will have 20 million views and 8 million likes, and others will have only 100,000 – but the engagement combined dwarfs that we’ve had on any other social media platform,” he says.

“It works differently to other platforms too, in that no one watches the content from who they’re ‘following’ so follower counts aren’t crucial. Instead, brands need to inspire people to repeatedly watch content, so it appears higher on the public feed. Using specific music, hashtags and trends will drive the most repeat watches.

“On TikTok, it doesn’t matter what you want to say, it matters what the audience wants to see,” he concludes.

Selfridges

While luxury brand Burberry was met with hostility when it launched its TikTok challenge, upmarket department store Selfridges has struck the right chord with younger users. 

Selfridges joined the platform in September last year with a video of Estée Lauder’s ‘make your own lipstick’ counter in its store, which received 9.3 million views.

The department store has continued to use the platform to promote other personalisation opportunities in its store, such as creating your own socks, as well as showcasing experiences such as its in-store skatepark. These videos serve the dual function of being fun, watchable content and driving people into store to try activities out for themselves.

@selfridges

Create your personalised socks with Super Socks at ##SelfridgesLondon and ##SelfridgesBirmingham 🧦 ##selfridges ##christmas ##gift ##socks ##karmapower

♬ Socks - Sami

While the retailer tends not to partake in the trending challenges, it does use popular songs and sounds as background to its videos. It has also used celebrities such as Justin Bieber and ASAP Rocky in its content. 

Selfridges’ tagline on its profile is ’Fun at the yellow shop’, which it has used to shape its strategy. Pops of yellow appear across the different videos and it even created its own Selfridges dance, which features in its videos.

To keep its content authentic, all posts are shot simply with a mobile phone with no prior preparations or editing tools. This helps the content feel native to TikTok.

Despite closing all physical stores last week amid the coronavirus outbreak, Selfridges has continued to post on the platform, saying “the #Selfridges spirit is going strong online”. 

TikTok and coronavirus

TikTok may be mostly fun and games, with some retailers and users giving nods to the current situation in their content in typical humorous fashion. However, the platform has also taken steps to ensure users can find accurate and helpful information about the pandemic.

Working with the World Health Organization (WHO), which launched a profile on the platform in the last month, TikTok has created myth-busting content along with advice on how to stay safe. 

The WHO is running regular live-streamed Q&As and any users searching for relevant terms (i.e. coronavirus or Covid-19) are directed to a landing page with videos from trusted sources including WHO, the World Economic Forum and British Red Cross.

Asos

Already known for its use of catwalk videos on its website, Asos’ transition into short-format TikTok posts seems a natural extension of its established strategy. The retailer, which is a pioneer in social, was not an early adopter of TikTok, only joining the platform in January 2019.

Unlike Gymshark, whose videos all have a fitness twist, Asos’ TikTok feed is a bit more varied, featuring an array of content from fashion hacks to behind-the-scenes footage of photoshoots, to make-up tips and outfit inspiration.

Popular content on the Asos channel has included videos reposted from popular fashion TikTok influencers such as Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos who showcase outfits on their differing body types. Users also like fashion tips such as “how to customise sneakers” and “how to tie-dye”.

@asos

Same style, 2 different body types 💖💖 @denisemmercedes ##bodypositive ##asos ##lookchallenge ##ukfashion ##tiktokfashon ##fyp

♬ Cuz I Love You - Lizzo

The retailer has also recently ramped up its involvement in carrying out popular TikTok challenges of late such as the #WhatIWearFor challenge, in which users show their favourite outfits for different occasions, such as university, brunch, date night or a wedding.

Most notably, Asos has already taken the chance to work with popular TikTok influencers, allowing them to film content dressed in Asos products around its London headquarters.

While Asos’ use of TikTok is in its infancy, it has begun to recognise the need for consistency of content – for example, using the same faces in videos to appeal to the platform’s algorithm, as well as using its own team in order to react quickly to current trends, which will help its strategy in the long term.

Converse

Converse itself does not have a TikTok profile, but that hasn’t stopped the brand collaborating with the platform and driving high engagement with consumers.

In February 2020, the trainer brand used TikTok to promote its new Converse Creative All Stars Series, encouraging users to redesign or decorate their Converse, bringing together the online and offline worlds.

@jamesllewis

##ad What you think of my first custom sneakers? 😅 ##art ##foryou ##ConverseAllStar

♬ original sound - jamesllewis

The #ConverseAllStar challenge has received 41.2m views since its launch, with submissions including leatherwork, digital adaptations, painting, hydro dipping, doodling, accessorising and even making Converse out of Blu Tack. 

Participants also had the chance to win tickets to the Creative All Star Series event at London Fashion Week, where TikTok hosted a ‘creator customisation station’. Some of TikTok’s top creators live-streamed the event, giving their followers the opportunity to watch and get inspired.