HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS RESEARCH METHODS TOPIC Evaluate the influence of Tiktok on Viet Nam Generation Z’s shopping t[.]
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS RESEARCH METHODS …… …………… TOPIC: Evaluate the influence of Tiktok on Viet Nam Generation Z’s shopping trends Name: Nguyễn Lê Thanh Tuyền Student’s ID: 20DH700590 Ho Chi Minh City, December 2022 Contents CHAPTER 1: THE INTRODUCTION .2 1.1 Background 1.2 Objective 1.3 Theoretical basis 1.4 Research hypothesis 1.5 Significance of Study 1.6 Scopes 1.7 Limitation 1.8 Organization: Structure of the research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .8 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .16 3.1 Subject 16 3.2 Material 17 3.2.1 Questionnaire .17 3.2.2 Interview 18 3.3 Procedures 18 Preparation 18 Designing questionnaire and interview questions .18 REFERENCE 20 CHAPTER 1: THE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background As the world witnessed the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socio-economic issues, our habit of surfing social media was growing up dramatically COVID-19 started at the end of 2019 and spread around the world in 2020, causing people to stay at home, be unable to go out, and be kept in lockdown for several months… Because of the boredom staying at domestic a number of people began out the usage of tik-tok to remedy their boredom especially Generation Z As well as this, in of the 16 countries analyzed, TikTok is now the social app with the highest level of monthly usage In Canada, France, the UK and the USA, TikTok replaced the Facebook platform for the top spot At the same time, ecommerce is not frictionless for Generation Z audiences, who are a key TikTok demographic If the app can seamlessly integrate a shopping functionality, then attracting purchases from its engaged audience may prove straightforward There is a lot of evidence to prove that TikTok is becoming the most used application in Southeast Africa According to a WARC Data analysis of App Annie data on Android devices in 2020, there is 31% of average monthly consumption per user compared to the average of the other top social apps in Indonesia which has just 10% Vietnam was no outsider in this big picture Currently, Vietnam is the country with the highest number of TikTok users in Southeast Asia Statistics at the end of March 2020, there are 13 million Vietnamese users The age group of Generation Z is mainly students from 12-25 years old On average, each person spends 28 minutes/day accessing TikTok At the beginning of 2022, TikTok added a new function called “TikTokshop” This is the place for all TikToker, influencers, or users to watch the preview and buy directly the product in TikTok Before TikTokshop officially launched in Vietnam, between TikTok and ecommerce platforms existed a form of affiliate marketing that can be considered as a partnership between TikTok and e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and Tiki, KOLs will review and recommend products on TikTok and direct users who want to buy products to the link in the video that links directly to the sales page on the e-commerce floor or attaches the link below the description The problem here is that young people have been affected by TikTok too much from actions to words, it is called a trend on TikTok It has brought positive aspects to young people through new lessons, and good tips in life But at the same time, it also brings negative effects, violent behavior, addiction to TikTok, abuse, and excessive shopping Moreover, when there is a TikTok Shop, TikTokers and sellers can attach a link to the store right on the video, and viewers can buy goods directly on TikTok without having to leave the application It is leading to Generation Z easily buying products, causing negative effects on their daily life Therefore, it can be said that TikTokshop is a serious competitor of ecommerce platforms soon With all that being said, it could be seen that Vietnam was one of the potential, fast-growing, and big market consumers of TikTok in the world This was the solid background that this research was based 1.2 Objective Research in this area aims to assess whether and to what extent TikTok influences Generation Z's purchase behavior In addition, the research identified factors that influenced young users' overall satisfaction with TikTokshops, and offered some suggestions to improve them based on the specific objectives: The elements that are affected directly by Generation Z when shopping on TikTok ● Current status of using TikTok gen Z ● Factors that make TikTok more appealing to Generation Z shoppers than other platforms ● TikTok's features set it apart from other social networks ● Improve the quality of TikTok’s service for Generation Z? 1.3 Theoretical basis ● Social Exchange Theory Social Exchange Theory proposes that behaviors can be thought of as the result of cost-benefit analyses by people attempting to interact with society and the environment If a person believes that they can extract more of a reward through behavior than they lose by performing it, then the person will perform the behavior Social exchange theory uses the economic metaphor of costs and benefits to predict behavior It assumes that individuals and groups choose strategies based on perceived rewards and costs The researcher uses this theory to analyze the shopping behavior of Generation Z Users wants to use cheap but quality products In addition, users prioritize shopping on TikTok because TikTok has many discount codes, and free shipping and is reviewed by influencers on that product, so the reliability from users will be high This theory should be used for research that will help researchers predict Generation Z's shopping behavior ● Social learning theory Social learning is a theory of the learning process of social behavior which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement Social learning theory attempts to explain and predict behavior by looking at another way that individuals process information This theory helps us understand that personal examples and the mass media can be very important for achieving new behaviors The researcher uses this theory to analyze the shopping behavior of Generation Z through trends on TikTok Currently, many users are selling on TikTok and making purchases on it So using this method will help researchers learn new behaviors of Generation Z by observing shortcut video, which is affected by the ìnfluencers or KOLs reviewing products 1.4 Research hypothesis The research topic "Evaluating shopping trends of Generation Z" has had a positive impact on Generation Z's buying behavior Users don't have to go out and can still buy the products they need In addition, TikTok gives users a new purchase feature while users are surfing the web This feature helps users save time when clicking on websites that just need to click on the link attached to that clip It can be said that this is the form of purchase that is popular with Generation Z young people today, "Just buy goods according to personal needs, while surfing TikTok" It is hoped that with this research topic, the authors will provide a lot of knowledge about Generation Z's shopping behavior Thereby, providing a practical study, as a premise for those who want to research on this topic better understand the shopping behavior of the current generation Z 1.5 Significance of Study This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of young users when using TikTok to make some recommendations to improve the shopping experience at TikTok and improve service quality and satisfaction of users in the future The conduct of the research will serve as a supporting contribution to the development of TikTok and future researchers and similar studies in the related field To TikTok: The findings of this research would be a source of information for TikTok to rely on to identify the aspects that were influencing young user satisfaction with the TikTok tool Thus, had some immediate action to maintain or improve overall user satisfaction with their application To researchers: It provides researchers in Vietnam with relevant data and insights to study user satisfaction in the field of TikTok services, especially the future development of the e-commerce industry To related study: The results of the research served as a source of reference for further study about evaluating user satisfaction in related topics 1.6 Scopes The purpose of giving scope for this topic is to make it easier to analyze, clarify and provide the most accurate and transparent information about TikTok However, within the framework of this thesis, the author needs to clarify the following aspects: Scope of Time: TikTok launched globally in 2016 and thrived in Vietnam from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, which led to a prolonged blockade forcing people to stay at home society has increased significantly And during this time, TikTok has grown strongly and is widely used in Vietnam According to data from ICT - Information and communication technology information site In Vietnam, the percentage of users using the TikTok app increased from 34% (in 2020) to 62% (in 2022), with usage time doubling from 4% to 8% TikTok users are highly concentrated between the ages of 18 and under 30 Another statistic also shows that the number of TikTok users in Vietnam is ranked 6th in the world, of which up to million people under the age of 18 use this social network Thereby showing the popularity of TikTok in Vietnam from that, the scope of this study will be localized in a large city in Vietnam, specifically Ho Chi Minh City Scope of Locate/locality: Focus on Generation Z in Viet Nam Scope of Subjects: Currently, in Vietnam, TikTok is one of the widely used social networking platforms, especially for generation Z - students age 12 - 25 in Vietnam Based on the research, the researcher has an overview and provides the necessary information to enrich their knowledge about this platform, as well as promote the development of TikTok in general and TikTokshop in particular shortly and thereby improving the brand value, popularity, and recognition of TikTok globally 1.7 Limitation The model was launched in 2021, in the context of social distancing due to COVID-19 so there is a lack of large-scale information search online over 600 Ho Chi Minh young users of TikTok consolidate data for research efficiently in unlimited time ranges and modes The article research was done in a short time, with limited error forums, integrated analysis, and some inside information 1.8 Organization: Structure of the research The Topic: Evaluate the influence of TikTok on Generation’s shopping trends The content of the research was divided into chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction An overall introduction about the research subject - objective hypothesis, scope, limitation, organization, the significance of the subject… Chapter 2: Literature review Generalized the current situation and operation of TikTok Besides, this chapter also reviewed the theoretical framework and studies that support the topic like TikTok, TikTok shop, and the way to buy goods, to suggest the most suitable research design for the research subject Chapter 3: Methodology To find out more information, gave out a detailed method in which the data was collected and treated to satisfy the desired research results Chapter 4: Result Gave suggestions to increase user satisfaction based on the findings Reflected on the limitations to make some recommendations for future research, summarized key features of the research, and made conclusions to the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW The chapter also reviewed related theoretical works and models surrounding research matter to establish the most applicable research for the topic Related Studies APTTUS A Voyado company(2022), How is Generation Z shopping? Based on the report of APTTUS A Voyado company which is an American business-to-business software provider specializing in business process automation, about “How is the Generation Z shopping?”, it appears that influencers' recommendations have a strong impact on Generation Z's shopping habits In this report, the author mentioned the current definition of Generation Z and their high shopping demand, as Generation Z has been called the most critical consumer group until now, has a strong purchasing power, and has a different view of shopping and consumption than previous generations that directly affected the influencers in social media Through the report the definition of Generation Z is “The generation after Millennials, and the generation before Generation Alpha” (APTTUS, 2022, p 2) In comparison to previous generations, Generation Z tends to be more well-educated and more stressed In many cases, they fail to meet the high expectations they have of themselves It leads to the need to improve themselves so that they can be more confident in themselves, so daily clothes shopping is an inevitable thing for Generation Z The demand for quality items and brands of shopping’ for Generation Z has increased deeply in recent years It is analyzed in a specific way with data through the report They focus mon bout the brand of the products than the cost they must be paid for it Furthermore, Generation Z Customers are likely to buy sustainable, highquality products, following the report of First Insight that 73% of Generation Z customers are willing to pay more than e 10% for sustainable products with personalized style They will spare no money when paying a large amount of money for clothing purchases “Generation Z is more or less born with a phone in their hand”, so it is very easy for them to learn or search for new things on Social They use it to get inspiration, research products, and connect with their favorite brands Through this report, the percentage of Generation Z who use Instagram to discover new brands, products, and, services is 60%, this is quite a large number that proves the significant influence of social networks (APTTUS, 2022, p 6) A Generation Z shopper is less likely to trust a company than an older shopper Instagram and YouTube influencers with a large following and reach are the ones they prefer to follow There is a reason why retailers are increasingly realizing the importance of influencer marketing over traditional digital marketing Influencers account for a large part of the purchasing decision, make sure that your eCommerce is going from traditional digital marketing to influencer marketing All this information contributes a significant role to our research, which helps researchers know the essential aspects of shopping effect on Generation Z which is influencers and social media So we can objectively assess that TikTok has a certain influence on Generation Z TikTok is a potential market for Generation Z as it is the market with the largest number of influencers and reviewers on all other social platforms Through the analysis of the above article, the researcher found Generation Z's shopping potential for the online shopping market They focus on reputable brands through influencers on big brands and websites like Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook Thereby showing the far-reaching influence of TikTok on Generation Z because the TikTok platform is the foundation of the influencers, KOLs, by short videos that bring product experiences to customers, especially Generation Z With that trend researchers can see the influence of social networking sites in general and TikTok in particular on Generation Z in the future.This whole report is valuable for reference with our research topic, it mentions about the shopping habits of Generation Z and social media plays a big role in Generation Z Although this report is very important for our research, it's still not closely tied with the subject of our research The report is just about the definition of Generation Z and the online shopping habits of Generation Z by influencers that distinguish our researcher from evaluating the influence of TikTok on Generation Z's shopping trends Christian Montag; HaiBo Yang; Jon D.Elhai.( 2021) Header about the mind of using TikTok the 4.0 era, instead of buying goods according to the traditional model of AIDA (Attention – Attention, Interest – Hobbies, Desire – Desire, Action – Action), businesses will be the factors affecting the decision of users Currently, the model that is more suitable for users in the 4.0 era is the 5A model (Awareness - Awareness, Appeal - Attention, Ask - Ask, Action - Action, Advocate - Support) proposed by Philip Kotler ( Nguyen, 2020, p 5) In the research, the author gives many definitions of Generation Z from many different sources According to the Merriam -Webster online dictionary, “Generation Z is the generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Nguyen, 2020, p3) According to Pew Research Center, Generation Z is defined as people born from 1997 onwards (Nguyen, 2020, p3) In Vietnam today, Generation Z is divided into two main groups: Those who have started working and those who are still heavily dependent on their parents Although Generation Z in general only accounts for about 20% of the population of Vietnam; in which individuals born from 1996 to 2006 only account for about 13%, but Generation Z is having a great influence on today's social life (Nguyen, 2020, p3) Through the definitions given by the author, it can be seen that Generation Z are young people they will be the main consumers in the future Nowadays, consumers' purchasing decisions will depend a lot on the influence of those around them in both online and offline channels, then they will carefully consider making a choice (Nguyen Nguyen , 2020, p 5) This entire report is a reference to our research topic, which deals with the shopping habits of Generation Z and the big role social media plays for Generation Z Through the Internet usage report, more than 74% of Generation Z say that they spend their free time online, surfing the web; 66% said Generation Z uses multiple internet-connected devices at the same time Generation Z spends an average of 10.6 hours online every day, Compared to previous generations, Generation Z tends to use social media more The research shows the common characteristics of most of Generation Z such as giving new trends, influencing consumers, liking interactive content, and especially loving mobile phones Figures from Appota show that up to 39% of Generation Z prioritize the use of mobile applications without caring about the online web version 12 As an example for this statement, CMO Appota said that in the banking sector, if previous generations often paid attention to where banks are located to save, and then gradually switched to the web online platform, Generation Z would switch to The mobile app mainly, the web version they use is much less (Nguyen, 2020, p.8) In addition, the author also points out many solutions to improve the online shopping behavior of Generation Z in Vietnam With these solutions, I find it very important for sellers, but it is still unclear which platforms will be effective for sellers to promote their products Through analyzing the above article, the researcher found that Generation Z's shopping needs for the online shopping market They spend a lot of time on social networking platforms Thereby showing that the author should provide a specific platform so that Generation Z can access it faster With that trend, researchers can see the influence of social networking sites in general and TikTok in particular on Generation Z in the near future Although this report is important to our research, it doesn't hit Generation Z's shopping behavior strongly across platforms, especially TikTok All this information plays an important role in our study, especially the youth's mobile phone usage preferences This is also one of the aspects for Generation Z to shop on social networking platforms, especially TikTok Therefore, we can objectively evaluate this author's point of view Jiahong Guo (2021) Research on the Influence of TikTok on Teenagers This research paper talks about the influence of TikTok on young people and shows the positives and negatives when Generation Z use TikTok This research is closely related to this topic However, the difference is that this is a general research topic in China and this study was carried out in Vietnam and from that factor, the whole this study is valuable for reference for the research topic Through, using TikTok becomes a more useful tool for the community Currently, TikTok has provided an excellent opportunity for students to learn in an expression course and also help students benefit from online video platforms Also, scholars can gain a reputation through TikTok Teenagers or school-aged students can learn knowledge through online platforms, and most importantly in an easily acceptable and creative way On the other hand, Generation Z can use TikTok as a way to promote their 13 talents or skills that they need in the future Therefore, TikTok can be considered as a learning tool for teenagers, through the use of TikTok will bring educational value and develop skills for young people, thereby promoting self-esteem, thinking and perception of the children Thereby showing that TikTok needs to be widely used Now, as for teenagers, since they are in puberty, they gradually perceive the world in both physical and mental ways As they explore, their personality, perception and morality will begin to shape Along with the sense of feeling that teenagers themselves are mature enough, when they are in puberty, they will have a period of time that they consider themselves as an adults, so they also want other people to treat them as an individual human beings In this case, they would probably not follow the advice offered by their parents or elder family members Instead, social media becomes a place where teenagers seek for a sense of identity and a sense of belonging When they play with TikTok, their multiple mental conditions can be fulfilled First of all, TikTok satisfies the juvenile’s self-actualization It is indeed TikTok’s diverse vibe and handy functions that give teenagers the chance to express themselves Nevertheless, there are some side effects of using TikTok, such as blindly imitating video content, aesthetic fatigue, and biased value TikTok is that it will detect what kind of video a person like, and the backstage supporter will send the same kind of video for that person to see TikTok videos contain violent scenarios or risky actions, if teenagers overuse them, a minority of them would imitate the action and eventually lead to a tragedy So teenagers will focus less on creativity and high-quality video making; instead, they would only follow the current trend and beg for some followers Since social media makes it easier to post videos right now, everyone has the chance to become a vlogger This circumstance stimulates the quantity of videos, but not the quality In order to solve this problem, TikTok released a function, in which if people like an original video, they can click in the bottom and they will have the same music and same filter and same everything with the primary video This mechanism ensures that people are watching the videos they like However, if TikTok users get exposed to the identical content of video over and over again, it is easier for teenagers to get tired of the genre of video they are watching Thereby, it can be seen that 14 TikTok is trying to improve the quality of content displayed to viewers in order to attract users and transmit more positive content to the community and society Conclusion, TikTok has far-reaching influence on the youth, in an educational, social, and perceptual way TikTok provides people with a platform to express themselves Without a doubt, it has changed people's ways of socializing, TikTok is one of the greatest social media software It should take on the responsibility of promoting a positive guiding strategy, advocating the advantages of a short video, and finally contributing to the growth of teenagers' minds Through this study, it is possible to show the far-reaching influence of TikTok on young people in general and Generation Z in particular, from which there are specific solutions to promote TikTok development and improve its features and communication Currently, optimizing content on TikTok and making TikTok a stronger development platform in the future 15 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY Chapter illustrated the detailed methods in which the research had been carried out, including the overall constructional design of the research and the act of data collecting to satisfy the desired study results The content focused on the subject of the study, the materials used to conduct the research and the procedure of collecting and treating data afterwards 3.1 Subject The subject of the study around 150 Vietnamese people are currently using TikTok around 18 - 45 years old in big cities in Viet Nam (Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, Ha Noi) combined into main groups: Group A (subject from 18 years old to 25 years old) and Group B (subject from 35 years old to 45 years old, mostly parents who have kids) Group A The poll included 100 people age 18 - 25 from three regions of Vietnam: the North, Central, and South, represented by three major cities: Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, and Hanoi The survey's intended audience of students, office employees, freelancers, and other ordinary individuals The survey for group A includes 25 questions posted on groups such as Saigon Student Association, I'm a Central Citizen, Student TV, and others regarding satisfaction and frequency of using the TikTok platform Those who are or have used the tik tok app or have an effect on tik tok are the survey subjects Group B The respondents comprise 50 parents age 35 to 45 years old having children aged 12 to 15 years old from Generation Z who have used Tiktok in three areas of Vietnam: North, Central, and South Three major cities are represented: Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, and Hanoi The poll is aimed at parents who have worked and continue to work in a variety of occupations such as office employees, engineers, physicians, and so on The group B survey comprises 05 questions that were personally interviewed at a group B associated school such as: Nguyen Khuyen High School, Nguyen Khuyen Secondary School, survey regarding user information, use level, and satisfaction level when using the Tiktok platform 16 3.2 Material Using kinds of materials that are Questionnaire and Interview used to conduct the research and overview the information about our research 3.2.1 Questionnaire For the convenience in approaching the research subject, the questionnaire was designed in Vietnamese because all of the survey respondents are Vietnamese Questionnaire used for Group A because Generation Z and users at this age often like fast things, they will be more willing to spend 2-3 minutes taking surveys with questionnaires than interviewing them about something Furthermore, they used to interact online rather than face to face with the stranger Questionnaire is the table form with sets of questions given to participants of the research project The purpose of a questionnaire is to gather data from a targeted audience It will include 25 questions In this table form, there are types of questions about open-ended question, Yes - No questions, 29 WH questions, divided into main parts: Part I: General information (4 questions) These questions were to collect demographic data of the respondents, such as gender, age and occupations There were no questions about personal information like names, mobile phones or emails Part II: The frequency of using TikTok (7 questions) This part mainly inquired about the frequency in which the users were currently experiencing with the app, such as whether they were active users of TikTok or not, how long and how often have they been using the app Part III: The influence of TikTok to Generation Z shopping behavior (24 questions) The questions in part III were to collect data about the shopping habits level of TikTok service quality There were 16 questions to evaluate the shopping habits of the users on TikTok’s service and questions to measure users' overall satisfaction 17 3.2.2 Interview Interview is a practical investigation method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions For the interview, there are questions designed to get more information about the frequency of using TikTok, and shopping behavior is influenced by TikTok and further discussion on advanced work TikTok system to improve shopping behavior in the future This material interview question is used for people in Group B who have kids over 12 years old, the tendency to buy toys for their children through online shopping with a likely chance of using TikTok People in their 30s tend to spend more time on both working and taking care of their children, so using Interview would be a suitable approach for our research 3.3 Procedures The research was carried out by strictly following a consistent procedure as below: Picture 3.1 The procedure of the research Preparation The preparation phase is carried out within weeks During this time, the researcher designed questionnaires and interview questions for everyone to serve the research paper The activities in this phase are to investigate and explore the relevant literature and reflect the objectives to build a quantitative model for this study Designing questionnaire and interview questions The implementation of questionnaires and interview questions follows the specific process as follows: For the questionnaire, the researcher must first specify the data to be collected and the survey subjects based on the research objectives Then, the researcher determines what the question is, how the answer should be, and especially the use of words that must be easy to understand and clear Survey subjects will be approached 18 via Facebook from groups of regions in general and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Nha Trang in general The difficulties for researchers in implementing the questionnaire are the approach in the North and Central region, especially the generations from 35 - 45 years old For survey questions, the first thing the researcher needs to is understand the requirements of the scientific research topic he or she chooses After understanding the requirements of the research paper, the researcher should localize the research scope to ask questions that are close to Generation Z Conducting survey and interview Survey The survey is distributed online on social media platforms via Google Forms, following convenient and voluntary feedback sampling techniques All collected data is kept confidential Survey link will be posted on Facebook groups within weeks: Region Page Interaction Hội Sinh Viên Hà Nội 85,4k follows Tôi dân Hà Nội 10,5k follows Người Miền Trung 19,2 k follows Sinh Viên Sài Gòn 1,626 follows Đại Học Đừng học Đại 826,8k follows Sinh Viên TV 400,285k follows Northern Central South Link https://tinyurl.com/ 54bm5rac https://tinyurl.com/ bdhf933a https://tinyurl.com/ yhfv4cmw https://tinyurl.com/ 264nkrpv https://tinyurl.com/ 4kmr8ncz https://tinyurl.com/ y4pddjym Interview Conduct interview in groups of regions: North, Central and South The questions included in the survey include questions Take survey answers to know the 19