The Influence of TikTok Hosts on Customer Trust and Engagement in the Live Streaming Shop for Men’s Grooming Products

This study examines the factors that influence trust and customer engagement during live streaming shop sessions on TikTok, with a particular focus on men’s grooming products. The study tested five variables, which are visual appearance, host approach (promotion and humor), interaction (review the product and consultation), trust in host, and customer engagement, with a survey of 319 respondents and analyzed with PLS-SEM method. The study found that visual appearance, host approach by promotion, and interaction with consultation have a positive relationship with trust in the host, while host approach by humor and interaction with review the products are rejected. Trust in the host has a positive relationship with customer engagement. The results provide insights for the hosts of men’s grooming products on TikTok live streaming shops, highlighting the importance of visual appearance, promotion, and consultation in building trust with viewers. Humor should be used with caution, as they can negatively impact trust, and reviewing products is just a mandatory for host and could not build trust based on it. Lastly, the interaction through consultation is particularly effective in building trust. Thus, this trust factor is increasing, the customer engagement will build in the TikTok live streaming session.