Why People Use TikTok (Douyin) and How Their Purchase Intentions Are Affected by Social Media Influencers in China: A Uses and Gratifications and Parasocial Relationship Perspective

The purpose of this study was to explore the motivation of young consumers’ use of TikTok (Douyin) in China and how such motivations may relate to influencer videos’ persuasion power on purchases. Using a national online survey among 382 college students in China, the result showed that entertainment gratification was the most common motivation in using Douyin. But those users with socialization gratification motives had high persuasion knowledge and high parasocial relationships with the influencer, as well as higher purchase intentions for the recommended products. Implications on influencer marketing are discussed.