4/09/2025

THURSDAY | SEP 4, 2025

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COMMENT by Dr Yusniza Kamarulzaman

Why short videos trigger shopping Y OU scroll through TikTok for what feels like only five minutes. Suddenly, there is a scarf, a phone case and a leverages this by making the shopping experience highly sensory. A portable rice cooker

demonstrated in a cosy kitchen, complete with soft background music and close-up shots, does not just inform viewers; it also immerses them. Around 60% of purchases in our study were influenced by strong sensory cues. The more people could visualise themselves using the product, the higher the chances they would buy it. Think of the sound of coffee being poured or the glow of a well-lit vanity mirror. These elements don’t just show the products; they also make them felt. Stories, not sales pitches TikTok is built on storytelling, not slogans. A testimony like “My daughter laughed when I bought this RM10 bathmat but now she wants one for herself” carries more weight than a polished endorsement. Narrative-driven content works because it connects products with personal experiences. It turns ordinary items into meaningful solutions. Even the most mundane object – a mop, a water bottle or a phone stand – can become desirable when wrapped in a human story. Tone and brand fit But not every tone works for every brand. While a comedic skit may be perfect for a food delivery service, it can backfire for an airline or bank. About 30% of participants in our study said they found Gen Z-style humour inappropriate when used by premium brands. The lesson here: authenticity matters but so does alignment. A brand’s TikTok voice must match its identity. Consumers notice when the tone feels forced or off-brand – and once trust is shaken, it is hard to rebuild.

TikTok has blurred the line between entertainment and e-commerce,

Korean skincare product in your cart – and before you know it, you have paid. These are items you never even considered before but a 30-second video convinced you otherwise. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. A 2024 Universiti Malaya study of 224 Malaysian TikTok users found that 61.2% admitted to buying something immediately after watching a short video. This is the new reality of shopping. TikTok has blurred the line between entertainment and e-commerce, creating a powerful environment where content does not just capture attention but also converts attention into action. But what exactly makes TikTok videos so persuasive? The voice that feels like a friend Unlike traditional advertisements, TikTok videos rarely sound like sales pitches; they sound like conversations. Phrases such as “I’m not promoting this, I just really love it” or “Ladies, I never thought this would change me in five days” mimic the tone of friends giving casual advice. Our research shows that this “relatable voice” is key. Casual, humourous or empathetic tones significantly increase engagement and trust. In contrast, polished scripts like “Introducing the new XYZ technology…” tend to bore users. TikTok shoppers prefer brands that sound like humans rather than corporations. The platform thrives on the language of friendship and trust, which is built on one relatable sentence at a time. Seeing is believing Humans are visual creatures. TikTok

creating a powerful environment where content does not just

capture attention but also converts attention to action. – REUTERSPIC

either a “fixed” or a “growth” mindset. A fixed mindset assumes that traits like character, intelligence, and creativity are static and predetermined and cannot be altered in any meaningful way. We also assume others to be that way. Those with a fixed mindset and strong religious beliefs may view their fate as predetermined, as inscribed in their Book of Life. It cannot be edited or changed, the al qadar (what will be, will be) in Islam. From a pseudo-scientific perspective, a fixed mindset sees fate as encoded in one’s genes. You cannot alter that either. Regardless of its source, such fatalism – whether rooted in religion or based on oversimplified interpretations of modern genetics, like those found in Reader’s Digest – is both false and simplistic. It is also difficult to overcome and poses Pull of social presence Do you ever feel like the person on your screen gets you? That sense is called “social presence”. It is the psychological effect of perceiving a video creator as a genuine person rather than a marketer. This explains why lo-fi videos – complete with human voiceovers, behind-the-scenes looks and casual edits – often outperform glossy productions. Shoppers trust micro influencers more than celebrities because they seem approachable and real. Authenticity is the currency of TikTok. Once viewers suspect they are being sold to, the spell breaks. But when they sense honesty, they are not just watching a video; they are taking advice from someone who feels like a peer. Why so irresistible Put all these elements together – relatable voices, sensory immersion, storytelling, brand-appropriate tone and social presence – and you get a platform that sells without looking

reality. Those language nationalists see it otherwise. Despite modern psychological and neurobiological insights, much about human learning remains unknown. Consider the challenges faced by autistic and dyslexic children, as well as outliers like savants – individuals who may have general cognitive impairments but possess exceptional abilities in specific areas, often musical or artistic. These individuals remind us how much more there is to learn about the human brain and the person’s unique learning journey. This makes the careless and callous labeling of those who struggle to learn all the more damaging. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Final thoughts TikTok is no longer just an app for dance challenges and lip-syncs; it is reshaping the way Malaysians shop – blending friendship, storytelling and sensory appeal into one seamless experience. For consumers, it means being more mindful of why we buy. For brands, it means recognising that success is not about shouting the loudest but about sounding the most authentic. On TikTok, trust is everything and trust is built when businesses learn to speak like humans, not advertisements. So the next time you find yourself saying “TikTok made me buy it”, pause for a moment. It wasn’t just the product that hooked you; it was the story, the voice and the feeling of connection. That is the real power behind the scroll. DrYusniza Kamarulzaman is a marketing professor and dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

significant barriers to learning. Failure would be seen as “fated” or simply “not within me to succeed”. Likewise, success is not a goal but a reaffirmation of one’s innate ability, with little incentive to go beyond and explore new boundaries. Those with a growth mindset see failure not as defeat but as a chance to improve. It is a challenge, not a final judgement. Success, in turn, motivates them to aim even higher. Our behaviour, aptitude and attitude towards learning are shaped by our mindset – whether it is a growth mindset, open to new learning or a fixed one, believing our fate is predetermined by divine will or through the fortuitous combination of our parents’ genes. Knowing another language would, among other benefits, equip one with a much-needed marketable skill as well as another lens to view like it sells. That is TikTok’s magic formula. It explains why “TikTok made me buy it” has become a catchphrase and a cultural phenomenon. The app taps into the psychology of trust and connection, making the act of shopping feel less like a transaction and more like a shared discovery. What this means Malaysians have embraced this blend of entertainment and commerce wholeheartedly. With high mobile penetration and a culture that values recommendations from peers, the platform fits seamlessly into daily life. TikTok has essentially become a virtual pasar malam – full of stories, voices and sensory triggers that make buying feel natural and even joyful. But consumers also need to be aware. The persuasive nature of short videos means we often buy things we don’t need, swept along by trust, visuals and urgency. That scarf or gadget may look perfect in a 30 second video but the reality may differ.

COMMENT by M. Bakri Musa

Wired to learn: From birth to belief THERE are two universal truths about learning. First, we are born with the highest number of neurons (brain cells) we will ever have, with few – if any – added afterward. leverage by exposing young children to rich and varied learning experiences.

In advanced countries, preschool is the norm. In agrarian societies, mothers would gather and their children would play together – a setting where much learning occurred, particularly in developing social skills. Drawing on these insights, schools now introduce bilingual education as early as pre-kindergarten – the optimal time for children to acquire bilingual or even multilingual skills. Preschool is especially crucial for children from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, serving as one of the most effective ways to help bridge early developmental gaps. Mindset develops later in life, as we form core beliefs about ourselves and the world. It can take the form of

Second is the concept of mindset: how we perceive ourselves, especially our talents and abilities. Mindset is the soil in which learning grows – some soil is more fertile than others. Learning involves neurons forming new circuits. The more we learn, the more new circuits we create and, in turn, this eases the creation of new ones. If we do not use them, they will wither. Those new circuits are fragile as they have yet to be insulated (strengthened). The stimulus for that is frequent use, especially during the early phases. As a result, learning is most intense during infancy and childhood – a window of opportunity we