Global social media giant TikTok has held a special event to celebrate the almost two million New Zealanders and 60,000 Kiwi businesses using the platform.
TikTok Loves Local, held this week at One Queen Street in downtown Auckland, recognised the local creators and businesses embracing TikTok to connect with their community, support their livelihoods, and strengthen the NZ economy.
The TikTok community in New Zealand is diverse – from whānau creators, small business owners, and daily podcasts, to storytellers, foodies, comedians, and emerging musicians.
What makes TikTok unique is that it’s built around what people are interested in, not who they know. This opens the door for TikTok users to learn new skills or discover interests, businesses to connect with new customers, and creators to grow their community.
Creating real-world opportunities
With more than a third of the Kiwi population on TikTok, it has become a powerful tool for businesses big and small across the country.
Amy Bradshaw, general manager for global business solutions at TikTok Australia and New Zealand, says on average over the last three years, the number of local businesses on the platform have grown by close to 50% each year.
“From entrepreneurs to iconic New Zealand companies marketing their brand to the world, businesses of all shapes and sizes are tapping into popular trends and culture on TikTok. They don’t need a marketing team or big budget to start reaching new customers on our platform, they just need a mobile phone and some authentic content,” said Bradshaw.
Master florist Gail Jones has been running Gail’s Floral Studio in Hamilton (@gailsflorals) for over 60 years and joined TikTok three years ago to help her business continue to bloom. Since then, her ‘Floral Tips with Gail’ series has had over 4.6 million views – teaching tricks like how to make stems last longer or getting gerberas to stand up straight.
“I first thought, ‘I’m too old for this’, but it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. Not only am I promoting my business, but I’m sharing my love of flowers with the world,” says Jones.
After seeing a gap in New Zealand for the fun and creative matcha flavours she loved overseas, Jacqueline Jiang turned her passion into a business. Starting out small with pop-up stalls and weekend markets, House of Berry (@houseofberrynz) has embraced TikTok to boost their sales while sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the entrepreneurial efforts that go into building a business at the age of 19 and only $1,000 in the bank.
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