Research on the Core Competitiveness of Short Video Industry in the Context of Big Data—A Case Study of Tiktok of Bytedance Company ()
1. Introduction
1.1. Statement of Issues
The issue is about the core competitiveness of Tiktok of Bytedance Company. In general, the business problems studied in this paper can include the following aspects.
Firstly, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Bytedance’s Tiktok? Secondly, what are the current problems in Bytedance’s Tiktok industry chain and the reasons? Thirdly, based on the current situation of the organization and the reasons of problems, how to improve the core competitiveness of Bytedance’ Tiktok?
In this part, the author will explain why these problems are worth studying through the research background. Then the author will explain the importance of these problems to the organization and what my findings can bring to the organization through the research significance.
1.1.1. Research Background
Recently, with the development of artificial intelligence technology and the arrival of the 5G era, the short video industry has boomed. In terms of user scale, the user scale and utilization rate of short videos in China reached 943 million in December 2021 (see Figure 1). Compared with 2018, it increased 349 million. And the utilization rate remained above 90%. The short video industry has developed rapidly. Short video has become an indispensable part of Internet users’ life (Mao, 2021).
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Figure 1. Short video user scale and usage rate from 2018 to 2021.
At present, many enterprises have entered the short video industry. Bytedance is a short video platform development company. It has developed many products which occupy a large market share in China’s short video industry. Among them, Bytedance has established an incomparable competitive advantage in the short video industry with its business mainly based on Tiktok platform. Inside the company, there are competitors in the industry chain such as Toutiao and Watermelon Video. Outside the company, there is competition from companies such as Kuaishou and Bilibili (see Figure 2).
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Figure 2. Major competitors in the industry.
1.1.2. Research Significance
Firstly, Tiktok industrial chain vividly and powerfully reveals the importance of core competitiveness for Bytedance’s survival and sustainable development. However, Tiktok has not yet formed a significant competitive advantage. With the strong competitors, further study of Tiktok’s core competitiveness has higher application value. Secondly, the research on the core competitiveness of short video industry can help enterprise identify its position in the industry and find its competitive advantage. Thirdly, research on Tiktok’s core competitiveness can help enterprises find the direction and focus of future development and form their own core competitiveness.
1.1.3. The Main Frame Structure of the Paper
The article is organized as follows (see Figure 3):
The first chapter is the introduction. This chapter introduces the research background, the research purpose and significance. And it puts forward the specific research content. At the same time, at the end of this chapter the author expounds the research framework of the thesis.
The second chapter is literature review. In this chapter, the author introduces the concepts of theoretical knowledge and models needed. In addition, the author summarizes the relevant theories and research status of core competitiveness, which provides a theoretical basis for the research of this paper.
The third chapter is methodology. In this chapter, the author introduces the main applied research methods and analysis methods. Moreover, the author puts
forward the specific research process in this chapter.
The forth chapter is model and result. It is found that the author uses SWOT-PEST analysis to analyze the industry and enterprise. After that, the author analyzes the enterprises through questionnaires and interviews. Finally, based on these analyses, the author summarizes the main problems currently existing in Tiktok.
The fifth chapter five is summary. According to the relevant knowledge and theories learned, the author helps Tiktok solve the main problems from four aspects of core competitiveness. Finally, the author summarizes the contributions and limitations of this paper.
2. Literature Review
2.1. Theory
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current status of Tiktok industry chain owned by Bytedance and provide relevant suggestions for the enterprise. In this paper, the author will use Big data, PEST, SWOT analysis tools, part of Marketing Mix Theory, Schein’s Three Levels of Organizational Culture and Motivator-Hygiene Theory. In order to complete this research, the author consulted a lot of literature. At the same time, the author will also cite relevant literature in the paper to make it more convincing.
2.1.1. SWOT-PEST Analysis Model
1) Concept
SWOT Analysis Model is an analysis method that comprehensively considers internal conditions and external environmental factors of an organization, conducts systematic analysis and evaluation, and then selects the optimal strategy to improve the competitiveness of an organization (SQA, 2013b). PEST analysis mainly refers to the analysis of the macro environment of the enterprise. Generally, the external development situation of enterprises is mainly analyzed from political, economic, social-cultural and technical environment.
SWOT-PEST: SWOT-PEST analysis is a strategic reorganization of the two management methods of assessing the external environment and assessing one’s own strengths and weaknesses to form a more effective analysis method for assessing one’s own development strategy. Through the matrix combination of SWOT and PEST methods, it can be expanded to form 16 aspects of content analysis and get the SWOT-PEST analysis matrix (see Figure 4).
2) Application
P: The political environment generally includes a country’s social system, the government’s basic principles, policies, laws and so on. These laws can greatly influence the direction of business development. A timely study of the rules of the new ordinance could help Tiktok cut corners and unnecessary losses.
E: The economic environment mainly includes the economic development trend of a country, the average income level and consumption style preference of the main consumers. These factors are deciding the size of the whole market capacity and the degree of competition.
S: Social environment mainly includes the education and knowledge level, cultural popularity, religious belief, customs and habits of the residents of the country or region where the enterprise is located. Social factors can help Tiktok understand what customers like and are interested in.
T: Technological environment refers to the state of relevant technological development within an industry. In today’s Internet era, the development of Big Data technology provides Tiktok with a good development opportunity.
S: Internal strengths of the company include the analysis of internal resources and management ability. Through the analysis of Tiktok’s own advantages, it can grasp the characteristics that need to continue to develop and form its core competitiveness.
W: The analysis of Tiktok’s own weakness can help Tiktok find the direction and focus of efforts in the future.
O: Opportunity is a chance outside the company that can turn things around for the company. Analyzing Tiktok’s opportunities can help companies expand into new markets.
T: A threat refers to a situation outside the company that may have a negative impact on the company. Analyzing Tiktok’s threat allows Tiktok to cut its losses and find ways to hedge its risks.
3) Impact
Firstly, SWOT-PEST analysis model is studied from different perspectives of the industry. It explores the possible development potential of an industry from the changing factors. Using SWOT-PEST model to analyze environment can enable Tiktok to have an overall grasp of the future development of the whole industry and the enterprise.
Secondly, SWOT-PEST analysis model is a systematic approach which can timely respond to changes in all aspects and formulate corresponding change strategies. What’s more, it is clear and easy to test.
Thirdly, SWOT-PEST analysis model can not only analyze the development of the enterprise itself, but also be used to study the situation of competitors. Through data analysis and comparison, it can find out the strategic advantages suitable for the development of the enterprise.
2.1.2. Big Data
1) Concept
Big data is the basic feature of the Internet era. In a broad sense, big data refers to information of an order of magnitude or more, involving very complex categories, content, quantity and internal correlation. It is a huge data group and information base. But in a narrow sense, big data refers to the emergence of valuable information in the Internet environment for different industries and needs.
2) Application
With the development and wide application of information technology, the birth of Big Data makes people’s life more beautiful. However, enterprises should not blindly use Big Data in the Internet era. They must fully understand the basic characteristics of Big Data and consider its applicability. The current Big Data is mainly reflected in the following aspects.
Firstly, Big Data is characterized by quantification of information sea. In today’s era, the huge amount of information is completely immeasurable. When choosing Big Data technology, enterprise needs to select high-quality and valuable information.
Secondly, Big Data is characterized by information diversification. Information dissemination in the Big Data environment is intersected with each other. Information has become richer in forms and more complex in sources. Enterprise should make full use of multiple forms of information transmission carriers to provide customers with better experience.
Thirdly, Big Data is characterized by timeliness of information. Due to the rapid social and economic development, a large amount of information will not be accurate after a period of time. Therefore, when seeking information, enterprise must pay attention to the timeliness and accuracy of information.
3) Impact
Firstly, the application of Big Data can improve the ability of enterprises to obtain information. Information capture, acquisition and fast processing capabilities directly affect the future development of enterprises.
Secondly, the application of Big Data can save some costs for enterprises. In the process of enterprise application, the vast majority of data is stored in the network, which saves labor cost and material cost to a certain extent.
Thirdly, the application of Big Data can improve the decision-making and judgment ability of enterprise managers. The heart of Big Data is the ability to use data to make predictions. In the case, according to their own development, enterprises can actively explore the feasibility of decision-making means to achieve strategic management.
2.1.3. Motivator-Hygiene Theory
1) Concept
Herzberg’s two-factor incentive theory divides the relevant factors into two types. One is called motivators and the other one is called hygiene factors. Dissatisfaction can be eliminated if hygiene factors are met. However, even when motivators are not satisfied, they do not produce the same level of dissatisfaction as hygiene factors.
2) Application
Hygiene factors include company policy and management, supervision, wages and so on. Motivators include achievement, appreciation, and responsibility. Herzberg believes that the “hygiene” part is to maintain the basic state of work, and the “motivation” part is to tap the potential of work (SQA, 2013b). The author believes that only by satisfying the most basic needs of the work itself, can we pursue the achievement and appreciation of the work more. In this study, the author will use this theory to train more innovative talents for Tiktok and improve the core competitiveness of the enterprise.
3) Impact
When the two-factor theory is used in the research of enterprise core competitiveness, it will make the strategic construction more detailed. In the process, the conversion of incentive factors into hygiene factors should be restrained As far as possible. What’s more, it should promote the conversion of hygiene factors into incentive factors. In a word, this theory helps enterprises create a working mechanism suitable for the growth of employees, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of employees and create more value for enterprises.
2.1.4. Schein’s Three Level of Organizational Culture
1) Concept
Schein developed a famous cultural model. In his opinion, business culture is constantly improved in the development process of enterprises. Culture is a series of basic effective assumptions that run well. The model consists of three levels which include artefact, espoused values and basic underlying assumptions (see Figure 5).
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Figure 5. Schein’s three level of organizational culture.
2) Application
Artefact: It refers to the physical form level. Those obvious cultural products which are visible and tangible are used by enterprises to publicize excellent internal culture.
Espoused values: Shared values refer to the mission statement, vision, objectives and strategy (SQA, 2008b). Shared values become embodied in the organization’s ideology or philosophy and act as a guide to behaviour and ways of dealing with anxiety, uncertainty and difficult events. Values at this level predict much of the behaviour that is visible in the organization.
Basic underlying assumptions: Taken for granted assumptions is that companies are subconsciously telling employees how to think, feel and understand things. These cultural elements are already recognized by the members of the organization in their most basic daily interactions. They are invisible and not publicly identified. They direct the way events and actions are perceived and interpreted by the organization.
3) Impact
Excellent business culture is the key to the develop enterprises and improve the competitiveness of enterprises. Understanding Schein’s three-layer culture model can help us understand the connotation of business culture and the steps of constructing excellent business culture.
2.1.5. Marketing Mix Theory
1) Concept
Marketing mix refers to the combination of marketing tools that a company uses to pursue its marketing goals in its target market (SQA, 2013a). Enterprises need to explore the best marketing mix according to the needs of customers. The 4 Ps are product, price, promotion and place (see Figure 6). In the research process of this paper, the author will focus on the impact of place on enterprises.
2) Application
A product is something that satisfies the needs of consumers. It can be a tangible product or an intangible service. Price refers to what consumers are willing to pay for a product. Sales promotion represents a communication method used by marketers of all kinds. Place refers to the need to put the product in the right place (SQA, 2013a). For Tiktok’s research, the Promotion part is something that needs to be optimized. Through various sales channels, Tiktok can develop the market and obtain a larger consumer group.
3) Impact
In the marketing mix, a new marketing effect will appear as long as one of the factors is changed. Therefore, when determining the marketing mix, enterprises should not only be more specific and practical, but also be flexible. After accurately analyzing and judging the market environment, this theory will help the author explore new strategies for Tiktok so as to improve the core competitiveness of the enterprise.
2.2. Relevant Literature
The author has collected some literature on the above theories. Although these literatures involve different industries, they are helpful for the author to study the core competitiveness of Tiktok. At the same time, the author also consulted some literature about the core competitiveness of enterprises, which will help the author to clarify his research methods and research process more clearly.
2.2.1. Research on SWOT-PEST Analysis Model
Lu (2020) selects four provincial sports and leisure towns as research objects. Lu (2020) understands the characteristics of sports tourism development in the four towns and the factors affecting the development of sports tourism in the four towns through questionnaire survey, interview and field survey, and constructs a SWOT-PEST model for analysis. Some suggestions are provided for the development of sports leisure towns in less developed areas in the middle and west of China. Government departments should give reasonable guidance and make clear the goal of construction. The government should select reasonable place and give play to local characteristics. In addition, the town should promote the integration of related industries.
2.2.2. Research on Application of Big Data
Tao (2021) uses literature reading method, empirical analysis and other methods to explore the feasibility of tax collection and management of grass-roots tax authorities under the background of the Internet by taking tax collection and management of S city as the research object. Firstly, combined with the background of Big Data and tax collection and management, Tao (2021) demonstrates and summarizes the background of the topic, research significance, literature progress. Then, Tao (2021) puts forward the theory of new public service for analysis. Secondly, taking the Tax Bureau of S city as an example, Tao (2021) analyzes the development status, problems and causes of tax collection and management under the background of Big Data. Thirdly, the mode of tax collection and management is optimized and targeted improvement suggestions are put forward to help S city make better use of Big Data technology to improve the quality of tax collection and management.
2.2.3. Research on Motivator-Hygiene Theory
Xiang (2020) believes that the development of employee’ incentive work is not only conducive to mobilize the enthusiasm of employees, enhance the sense of belonging and loyalty of employees to the enterprise, but also to enhance the cohesion of employees. Xiang (2020) believes that training efforts should be increased and the effect of comprehensive training should be optimized to make training diversified. At the same time, enterprises should break the average and push for regularization of management authority. The most important point is that enterprises should pay attention to reality, strengthen the overall improvement of working conditions to make performance incentive effect greater.
2.2.4. Research on Schein’s Three Levels of Organizational Culture
Yin (2019) believes that organizational culture is a symbol of an organization’s continuous development and improvement of its own ability. It can constantly help an organization guide its members’ behavioral goals and shape their behavior patterns to enhance its cohesion, appeal and centripetal force. Firstly, Yin (2019) analyzed the three ideological sources of humanism, contingent leadership theory and group dynamics. Then she summarized and fully elaborated the theoretical premise, theoretical core and cultural function of Schein’s organizational culture. Secondly, according to Schein’s organizational culture theory, Yin (2019) analyzes the construction characteristics of “complex man” hypothesis, the structural characteristics of “Schein model” and the transformational characteristics of leadership respectively. Finally, Yin (2019) made an overall evaluation of Schein’s organizational culture theory. Yin (2019) believes that Schein’s theory of organizational culture urges Chinese enterprises to continuously strengthen humanistic management in the construction of organizational culture, actively promote the reform of organizational culture, and encourage organizations to take the initiative to carry out internal integration and external adaptation to ensure the sustainable and healthy development of organizations.
2.2.5. Research on Marketing Mix Theory
Based on the development dynamics of the local logistics industry, Wang (2021) gathers the actual situation of CX logistics Company and applies the cutting-edge theory of marketing to identify the problems existing in the marketing mix strategy of logistics companies and put forward specific optimization schemes and guarantee measures, which are conducive to the sustainable growth and standardized construction of logistics companies. Wang (2021) uses the theoretical framework of 4P marketing mix strategy and combines semi-structured interview results to identify and analyze the problems and causes existing in the company’s product strategy, pricing strategy, place strategy, promotion strategy and other aspects. Wang (2021) believes that in terms of channel strategy, the company and the franchise outlets do not trust each other and lack a perfect cooperation guarantee mechanism. As a result, the franchise outlets often use information asymmetry to infringe the interests of the company and cause principal-agent problems. In the future management, the company should implement unified management of the franchise outlets and make clear the responsibility division standard of the common risks of both parties.
2.2.6. Research on Core Competitiveness
Zhang (2020) believes that in today’s increasingly obvious homogenized competition, enterprises need to reshape their core competitiveness from a brand perspective to form unrepeatable differentiation advantages. Zhang (2020) demonstrates according to the logical relationship of problem background, theoretical research, evaluation system construction, case analysis and suggestions. Zhang (2020) takes Suning Tesco as the research object and pays attention to combining theory with practice. By reconstructing the theory of core competitiveness, Zhang (2020) builds an evaluation mechanism for retail enterprises’ core competitiveness that is suitable for the brand strategy stage, and further evaluates and analyzes the core competitiveness of Suning Tesco. Zhang (2020) tries to clarify the correlation mechanism between the two theories of brand management and core competitiveness, paving the way for reshaping the theoretical basis of the core competitiveness of retail service enterprises in the new environment. This evaluation system includes capital operation ability, internal management ability, marketing ability, technological innovation ability and brand management ability.
Through the review of the above relevant studies, it can be found that the research on core competitiveness mainly includes technology, talent, business culture and brand influence. However, from the perspective of mobile short video, there are very few relevant studies. And almost no research on mobile short video from the perspective of core competitiveness evaluation is retrieved.
3. Research Methodology
3.1. Summary of Case Organization
3.1.1. Introduction of Short-Video Industry
Mobile short video is a new way of communication in the Internet era. Generally speaking, it refers to the transmission form of video with a playback length of less than 5 minutes. With the popularization and application of mobile terminals such as mobile phones and pads, short videos have been favored by various Internet platforms, users and investors. Recently, China’s short video industry is developing rapidly based on Tiktok, Kuaishou and so on.
3.1.2. Introduction of Bytedance’s Tiktok
Beijing Bytedance Technology Co., Ltd. is an information technology company founded by Zhang Yiming in 2012. The company was one of the first tech companies to apply artificial intelligence to the mobile Internet scene. Bytedance has built a strong user base in recent years and now has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users across all its products which shows great vitality. The company has grown from a dark horse to a large conglomerate. Its business layout is dynamic. The company has implemented the BU of its lines of business. Among them, Tiktok business is the most important industrial chain of Bytedance. Tiktok short video, which was launched in September 2016, is a short video sharing community focusing on 15-second videos, featuring “music + UGC” short frequency for mobile phones. At present, Tiktok has more than 600 million daily active users, which is very popular.
3.2. Methodology
Mixed-methods research is a kind of research that uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze data in an independent study (SQA, 2008a). In this study, the author used the mixed-methods research to collect data.
3.2.1. Qualitative Research
In this paper, the author’s qualitative research method is mainly through interviews and literature review. The interview is the author’s research on the respondents based on her own experience. Through the interview, the author can understand the views and attitudes of different interviewees towards Tiktok and their suggestions on Tiktok. There is no fixed format for these answers. And the respondents can answer their true thoughts as they wish. What’s more, after consulting relevant literature, the author analyzes relevant information of enterprise and industries, all of which are qualitative research.
Interview Method
The author had planned to interview 10 Internet celebrities with minor fame. They are video makers with tens of thousands of followers. Through the interview, the author can have a better understanding of why they choose Tiktok platform and what they think about Tiktok. For them, they are both video makers and loyal users of Tiktok. Only by understanding the work of others can they create better work. Therefore, the author selected the interviewees according to the age ratio of Tiktok users. According to 7.7:1.5:0.8, the author had planned to interview 8 video makers under 30 years old, 1 video maker between 31 and 40 years old and 1 video maker over 40 years old.
During the interview, the author firstly sent private messages to these video makers by Tiktok, asking their wishes and the time of the interview. However, there was one female under 30 who didn’t reply. Then, the author interviewed 9 video makers online. During the interview, the author recorded the contents of the interview.
Literature Research Method
In collecting secondary data, the author used literature research. The author obtained data by investigating various literature to understand more information about Tiktok in a more comprehensive and correct way.
Internal Sources refers to relevant data obtained from within the enterprise. In this paper, the author obtained internal sources by consulting Bytedance’s Tiktok official website. Through the official website, the author can learn about the current status of Tiktok and some statistical tables. All these can help the author to carry out research better.
External resources refer to relevant data obtained from outside the enterprise. This data was collected mainly by looking up SQA books, journals or databases. In this study, the author consulted a large number of journals on Tiktok from CNKI. These journals gave the author many ideas and creative thinking. Without these journals, it would be difficult for the author to complete this research.
3.2.2. Quantitative Research
In this paper, the author’s quantitative research method is mainly through questionnaire. In the questionnaire, respondents can choose the answers that match themselves. In quantitative research, the answers are consistent. And the author can quantify the data by calculation. Through the questionnaire, the data collected and counted by the author can make the research of the paper more convincing.
The questionnaire can help the author to conduct statistical processing and analysis on the data more easily. The author had planned to distribute 200 questionnaires to people who did or did not use Tiktok. Due to the wide age distribution of the community population, random distribution is conducive to make the investigated population who use Tiktok conform to the age ratio of Tiktok users as much as possible. Thus, 200 questionnaires were randomly distributed in the author’s community. In order to make the analysis more accurate, the author should match the age ratio of Tiktok users to respondents’ age ratio who use Tiktok. Thus, the author issued a second round of questionnaires according to the proportion.
Firstly, the author designed two questionnaires, one for people who use Tiktok and one for people who never use Tiktok. After repeated revisions, the author finalized the manuscript and printed them. Then, the author randomly distributed 200 questionnaires to people at the door of the community. Before handing them out, the author asked respondents if they used Tiktok. Based on the answers, the author handed out type 1 and Type 2 questionnaires. After that, the author preliminarily sorted out and analyzed the questionnaires and found that there were 136 questionnaires about Type1 and 64 questionnaires about Type 2. Among the 136 Type1 questionnaires, 104 people were younger than 30 years old, 8 people were 31 - 40 years old and 24 people were over 40 years old. The author conducted a second round of questionnaires in order to make Tiktok respondents conform to the ratio of 7.7:1.5:0.8. In this process, 127 people under 30 years old and 37 people between 31 and 40 years old who use Tiktok were randomly selected to fill in the questionnaire. Therefore, a total of 364 valid questionnaires were recovered.
All in all, the combination of qualitative research and quantitative research can make the collected data more comprehensive and the analysis more accurate. Through qualitative analysis, the author can understand why video makers choose Tiktok. Through quantitative analysis, the author can understand Tiktok users’ thoughts on Tiktok. In general, the two research methods play a key role in the author’s research on Tiktok’s core competitiveness.
3.3. Sample
According to relevant information consulted (Figure 7), the age distribution of Tiktok users is 77% under 30 years old, 15% between 31 and 40 years old and 8% over 41 years old. Therefore, the age ratio of Tiktok users is 7.7:1.5: 0.8. In order to ensure the universality and rationality of this study, the author selected the interviewees according to this ratio in the author’s city. In the questionnaire, the author also matched Tiktok respondents to this ratio. The author studied through
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Figure 7. Age distribution of Tiktok users.
the author’s community for questionnaire. Because Tiktok’s users are everywhere in life and the age distribution in the community is wide which can obtain more objective data.
3.4. Reliability, Validity and Generalisability
The reliability of data determines the reliability of conclusions. It directly determines the significance and value of the paper studied by the author. The reliability of participants determines the reliability of their contributed data. In this study, both primary and secondary data selected by the author were collected through formal channels. In terms of primary data, the distribution of questionnaires and the arrangement of interviews were designed and implemented by the author herself. The research looked at people in the author’s own community. The scale is relatively small. In terms of secondary data, the author consulted relevant materials and journals from official websites and CNKI. The data from these places are relatively reliable. What’s more, the reliability of the data requires many repeated studies. There are several fixed options in the questionnaire. The data obtained in this way are often consistent which can prove the reliability of the conclusion.
Firstly, the author applied many famous models and theories in this paper, such as PEST, SWOT analysis model and two-factor incentive theory. The use of these models and theories was valid for the research of data. Secondly, the author’s questionnaire and interview in this research were aimed at the theme of Tiktok’s core competitiveness. In this respect, these data were also very effective for this paper. Thirdly, in this study, the author collected primary and secondary data to identify the current situation of Tiktok. The author thinks that this goal has been achieved. Thus, the data was valid.
Generalisability refers to the applicability of this study to multiple objects. The research results are applicable to a wider range and have a certain representativeness. In this research, the author studied the core competitiveness of short video industry represented by Tiktok. In addition, Tiktok has achieved certain achievements in the industry, thus it has certain representativeness. The advice for Tiktok could serve as a lesson for other short video companies. This shows the generalisability of this study.
3.5. Data Analysis Methods
In this study, the author mainly has two kinds of data to analyze, one is primary data and the other is secondary data. The primary data included qualitative data collected through interviews and quantitative data collected through questionnaires. Secondary data is some existing data found on the Internet. Combined with the analysis of primary and secondary data, the existing problems of Tiktok can be completely concluded.
3.5.1. Analysis Methods of Primary Data
1) In the whole process of collecting data of interview, the author has gone through several steps, such as sorting, screening, summarizing and analyzing. Among them, the trend analysis method is mainly used. Due to the large amount of information, the author not presents the first and second parts in Chapter 4. There were 10 interviewees for the interview, and each interviewee had to answer eight questions. From the interview, the author collects different types of data, such as recordings, numbers, texts and so on. The author’s first step is to translate all the information into words and put the organized information into each question. There is a great deal of information under each question. The author screens useful information about specific issues. The selected information needs to be summarized into paragraphs, and some information mentioned by most interviewees needs to be highlighted. The summary paragraphs are listed in chapter 4. Analysis is most important in this section. The author classifies the similarities among the 10 interviewees and finds out the development trend of the identity of the same category or the development direction of the video content of the same category. Finally, the problems existing in Tiktok are summarized through the opinions of external customers.
2) The analysis of the questionnaire mainly adopts contrast analysis method and graph analysis method. This process can be divided into calculation, summary and analysis. Because of the complexity of the calculation, the author doesn’t show the operation process in Chapter 4. Firstly, the author sorted out all the questionnaires and counted the number of options for each question. Then according to the type of calculated data, EXCEL converts it into the corresponding appropriate chart. All data are presented in the form of charts. Secondly, the author uses graph analysis method according to the chart. The author distinguishes the different features and then describes the data in paragraphs. At the same time, the author makes a comparative analysis of the two questionnaires according to the situation of using Tiktok and not using Tiktok. In addition, in the questionnaire, the author also set a topic to compare with competitors, which is more conducive to the author’s longitudinal comparative analysis. The results of this analysis are shown in Chapter 4.
3.5.2. Analysis Methods of Secondary Data
1) Tabular method is to express the data in a tabular way according to certain rules. This is the most common way to record and manipulate data. When analyzing the secondary data, the author chooses SWOT-PEST analysis. In order to show the corresponding relationship more clearly and succinctly, the author designs the related table. It is helpful for readers to better discover the relationship between relevant quantities.
2) When using the SWOT-PEST analysis model, the author analyzes and summarizes the internal and external environment facing Tiktok from multiple dimensions by comparing horizontal and vertical directions. At the same time, the author performs combinatorial analysis when proposing relevant strategy suggestions. This cross analysis method makes the author look at the problem from a more comprehensive height and provides a broader thinking for the author.
4. Models and Results
In this part, the author uses the combination of primary data and secondary data to find the current problems of Tiktok. Firstly, the author consults relevant data and makes a self-analysis of Tiktok with the SWOT-PEST model. Secondly, the author seeks for more questions through primary data from questionnaires and interviews. Finally, the author summarizes these problems and find the reasons.
4.1. SWOT-PEST Analysis
Combined with the consulted secondary data, the author analyzed Tiktok owned by Bytedance based on SWOT-PEST model. This table (Table 1) can clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of Tiktok.
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Figure 8. Average daily usage time of independent equipment.
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Table 1. SWOT-PEST analysis for Tiktok.
Policy
PW: Tiktok’s videos are of mixed quality due to lax internal censorship. In order to gain more traffic, some video makers upload vulgar culture and other content which brings bad influence to the network environment.
PO: On January 9, 2019, China Network Audio-visual Program Service Association officially released the Standard Rules for Online Short Video Content Review and The Management Standard for Online Short Video Platform. These two systems regulate the cultural atmosphere of online short videos. It establishes a reliable and perfect supervision system and help optimize the market environment.
Economy
ES: In the first three quarters of 2021, the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents was 26,300 yuan, exceeding the annual level of 2017. Among them, young people are the main force of consumption and loyal customers of Tiktok.
EO: With the development of China’s economy and the improvement of people’s living standards, people pay more attention to the pursuit of spiritual life. What’s more, in recent years, affected by the epidemic situation, China’s “home economy” has developed rapidly. As of June 2021, the number of short video users in China has reached 888 million, which provides a solid foundation for the development of China’s online audio-visual industry.
ET: As the industry continues to grow, more and more new entrants are joining the industry. According to the Figure 8 above, Tiktok is currently at the forefront of the short video industry. Its daily number of independent equipment reaches 109.87 million. This shows that it has a large customer base. However, Kuaishou which ranks second is not to be underestimated. It’s hot on Tiktok’s heels, battling it out for more market share.
Society
SS: The product is simple for users to operate and has low entry threshold. Men, women, children and old man can quickly adapt to the product. Meanwhile, on Tiktok, users can meet like-minded friends and enjoy a better social experience.
SW: Many video makers are attention-seeking and their videos lack depth. Most of the content is mainly entertaining and funny, without giving play to the correct values, and without considering the importance of spreading excellent traditional culture.
SO: Compared with text, images can be more intuitive and vivid image to convey information. For visitors, the efficiency of image viewing and information extraction is obviously much higher than that of text and voice. In today’s fast-paced era, it provides an opportunity for the emergence and development of short video industry.
ST: Some criminals are using Tiktok to trade on other people’s personal information or video content. For the society, there is a great hidden danger of information security.
Technology
TS: Tiktok uses recommendation algorithm of Big Data to basically meet users’ needs. They can avoid annoying videos and see more content that interests them.
TW: As video makers imitate Internet celebrities, a large number of homogenized videos flood in. Then, similar videos are pushed, which will reduce users’ experience.
TO: The rapid development of 5G technology has provided a great boost to the spread of short videos. Meanwhile, the development of Cloud Computing, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence supports the innovation of the entire Internet industry.
TT: Network censorship is not to be sniffed at for the entire Internet industry. At present, the country still lacks in this aspect, which will also affect the development of industries based on the Internet.
4.2. Interview Results
Basic Information of Interviews (Q1, Q2)
The author finally interviewed 9 Internet celebrities. There were 7 video makers under the age of 30 and most of them were stay-at-home mothers. 1 between 31 and 40 ran a small supermarket. 1 over 40 was a retiree. According to gender statistics, there are 3 males, 2 of whom are younger than 30 years old, and 1 is between 31 and 40 years old. The remaining 6 were women, accounting for 67 percent of the total (see Figure 9 and Figure 10).
Questions and Answers of Interviews (Qualitative Data)
Q3: Most people’s video content has a lot to do with their identifies. For example, the mothers mainly share their daily life with their children and businessman advertises their supermarket products. However, most of them all models popular videos (see Figure 11).
Q4: Most people think Tiktok is the better platform for the industry right now. Because it has the largest number of users and a wide range of users, which can bring beneficial help and influence for their development.
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Figure 9. Basic information of interviews.
Q5: This is a multi-choice question. The answers were varied, including education, funny videos, advertising campaigns, testing something and Beauty Makeup. Many of them want to try new paths and combine elements together. But the common idea is that people want to create something more positive (see Figure 12).
Q6: For businessman, his answer is yes. He uses the studio to promote his products. For the others, 3 people had organized similar activities. 4 people thought they might take up the project in the future. They think it’s a good way to cash out.
Q7: While many official flagship stores only cooperate with Tiktok, Kuaishou does not. This shows that Tiktok has more resources. Then, Tiktok has its own academy of creators. It has different training methods for creators at different stages which show that the training system is more perfect. In addition, Tiktok gives rich rewards to creators for their ability to attract traffic, which is more abundant than Kuaishou.
Q8: Most people have no suggestions for Tiktok yet. However, full-time video makers have suggested that Tiktok should improve its internal regulations to protect creators’ originality and copyright.
4.3. Questionnaire Results
Basic Information of Questionnaires (Q1, Q2, Q3)
In the first round of random distribution, 200 valid questionnaires were collected. Because the first distribution is random, Tiktok usage within the community is more accurate. There were 136 Type 1 questionnaires and 64 Type 2 questionnaires. That means that 68% of people in the community uses Tiktok and 32% don’t (see Figure 13). After the second round of random distribution, there were 300 questionnaires about Type 1. The age ratio of respondents in the Type 1 questionnaire also meets the age ratio of Tiktok users. In addition, there were 64 questionnaires about Type 2.
Q1: Among the 300 questionnaires of Type 1, 124 are male, accounting for 41.33% of the total number. There are 176 females, accounting for 58.67% of the total. In Type 2, 31 are female, accounting for 48.44%. 33 are male, accounting for 51.56% (see Figure 14).
Q2: As for the identity of the respondents, there are 145 students, 73 office workers, 14 retirees and 46 people in self-employed households in Type 1. There are 23 students, 14 office workers, 6 retirees and 8 people in self-employed households in Type 2. In addition, there are 22 people in other occupations in Type 1 and 13 people in Type 2 (see Figure 15).
Q3: For Type 1, those younger than 30 years old accounted for 77%. Those between 31 and 40 years old accounted for 15%, and those older than 40 years old accounted for 8%. This ratio meets the age ratio of the actual Tiktok users of 7.7:1.5:0.8. For Type 2, there are 10 people under 30 years old, 21 people between 31 and 40 years old, and 33 people over 40 years old (see Figure 16).
Questions and Answers of Type1 Questionnaire (Quantitative Data)
Q4: 41% of users use Tiktok for 0.5 - 1 hour per day. However, 17.7% of users spend more than two hours a day which shows that the vast majority of people’s free time is spent watching videos. It indicates that watching short videos have been replaced watching TV and playing games (see Figure 17).
Q5: As can be seen from most people’s answers, the main purpose of using Tiktok is to have fun and spend free time. Among them, the proportion of learning knowledge and tracing for stars is very small.
Q6: Of the 300 questionnaires, 84 people chose numbers from “3”. 88 people chose numbers from “1” to “2”. Only a few chose “6” to “10” (see Figure 18). This shows that very few people buy things regularly on Tiktok’s studio.
Q7: 76.47% of people would like to travel to cities recommended by Tiktok. 23.53% would not follow Tiktok’s recommendation (see Figure 19). This shows that Tiktok has great publicity ability which can drive the development of tourist cities.
Q8: The main attraction of Tiktok is its rich content and the ability to learn more knowledge. On the contrary, Meeting more friends, bargain goods and recommendation mechanisms are not very attractive (see Figure 20). It indicates that rich content is a measure of Tiktok’s success.
Q9: Funny vines were the most popular choice when it came to users’ likes. The second category is news. The film interpretation was also chosen by nearly half of the respondents. The fewest choices were live streaming and gossip (see Figure 21).
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Figure 18. Buying frequencies from Tiktok studios.
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Figure 19. Whether or not to travel in recommended cities.
Q10: Compared with competitors such as Kuaishou and Watermelon Video, most people believe that Tiktok’s advantage lies in its Big Data recommendation algorithm and rich social platform. Enterprise culture, ecological content, research and development ability and other aspects are relatively weak. These options are few selected.
Q11: What Tiktok needs to accelerate is to strengthen the supervision of video content and improve video quality and innovation. This shows that there are still large loopholes in the video content. Some of them still use vulgar culture to catch people’s attention.
Q12: There were 176 valid responses to people’s suggestions on Tiktok. The recommendations focus on two areas. Of all the valid responses, 60% suggested that content supervision and education should be strengthened to reduce the adverse impact on minors. 40% of them offered suggestions on respecting originality, cracking down on fake accounts and reducing homogenized push.
Questions and Answers of Type2 Questionnaire (Quantitative Data)
Q4: Of the 64 questionnaires, 24 people chose “8” to “10”. 16 people chose the number “1”. Everyone else focuses on “5” to “7” (see Figure 22). This shows that even people who don’t use Tiktok know more or less about it. It has a certain influence in this industry.
Q5: 75% of those surveyed do not use Tiktok but still watch short videos in their daily lives. Only 25% of those surveyed did not watch short videos at all (see Figure 23). This shows that short video has become an indispensable part of people. However, Tiktok has certain deficiencies. Its brand influence still needs to be greatly improved.
Q6: Among those who regularly watch short videos but not from Tiktok, Bilibili and Watermelon videos were the ones they used the most. It indicated that Bilibili and Watermelon video pose a great threat to Tiktok.
Q7: 33.33% of people concentrated on 0.5 hour or 0.5 - 1 hour. 14.58% people watch 1 - 1.5 hours a day. 2.09% people watch 1.5 - 2 hours per day. 16.67% people watch more than 2 hours (see Figure 24).
Q8: Of the 48 people who watched the video, 83.33% watched it for entertainment. 16.67% are for learning knowledge. Spending free time and tracing for stars are selected by nobody. This shows that Bilibili has relatively more learning materials. But Bilibili and Watermelon video has less gossip news.
Q9: People generally showed the highest interest in news, which accounted for 83.33%. Other types are evenly distributed and each accounted for nearly 20% (see Figure 25).
Q10: 62.5% of people do not play Tiktok. They think the quality of Tiktok videos is uneven and most videos are not nutritious. 37.5% people think playing Tiktok is a waste of time.
Q11: Their ideas are similar with people who did Type 1. They generally agree
that what Tiktok needs to improve is the policing and innovation of its video content and the quality of its videos.
Q12: Again, the suggestions were aimed at the quality of Tiktok. They want Tiktok to police more and teach more about its values.
4.4. Advantages and Problems
1) Advantage of Tiktok
Through the study of primary and secondary data, the author found Tiktok’s current advantages, which need further development and further study (see Table 2).
2) Problems of Tiktok and Reasons
Through the above research, the author found four main problems in Tiktok and their causes.
Homogenization: From the perspective of creators, most of them like to imitate the recently popular videos and gain more traffic by soaking up the popularity. This leads to a lot of homogenized videos. Then, from the perspective of Big Data technology in question 10 in Type 1, the recommendation algorithm
calculates the author’s preference according to the time and times the user stays in a certain video, so as to increase the push volume of such video. It does not have human value thinking. This can lead to a flood of similar videos being pushed, leading to user’s disgust. At last, according to the relevant information obtained from Question 3 and 12 in Questionnaire Type 1, the homogenization problem is quite serious and needs to be solved urgently. It affects creators’ original copyright issues and users’ browsing experience.
The tendency of vulgarization: From the perspective of creators, in order to attract attention at the beginning, some infringement, fake, pornographic content is involved. Then, it can be seen from the Question 9 in two types of questionnaires that both Tiktok fans and fans of other platforms prefer news. This partly reflects people’s reluctance to accept unnutritious videos. In addition, from the public’s suggestions in Question 12, they all proposed to strengthen the guidance of minors, reduce the adverse impact on them. This shows that the current content has a certain impact on minors.
The problem of the way of realization: Advertising revenue is the main form of Tiktok’s realization. However, the realization of the creators has not become optimistic with the commercialization of Tiktok. Some popular videos don’t turn profit which struggles to retain loyal creators.What’s more, using live streaming to sell goods is the second way to cash. According to the interviews and secondary data of the creators, influenced by the epidemic situation and employment situation, many creators join Tiktok to make money. And most of them are very interested in the business of live streaming. So this business needs to continue to standardize and deepen. In addition, precision marketing is the third way of cash. From the point of view of the public, the reason why they like Bilibili is that Bilibili has more practical knowledge videos. In this respect, Tiktok is lacking. It needs to identify what users want and improve its competitiveness.
Inadequate supervision: According to the questionnaire, the purchase volume in live streaming of Tiktok is far less than that of Taobao, which reflects that the strict control of Tiktok’s authorities on the quality of products should be promoted. Then, there are also many problems in Tiktok’s official after-sales service and human service. The internal staff training system also needs to be improved. At last, the emergence of the homogenization problem also shows that the official supervision mechanism of Tiktok is not in place.
5. Conclusion
5.1. Recommendations for the Organization
Core competitiveness includes talent, technology, business culture and brand influence. The author combines these aspects of the relevant theoretical knowledge and concrete practice to solve these problems. Applying theory to practice is the key for the author to complete this research.
5.1.1. How to Solve Homogenization Problem
The author thinks that the problem of homogenization can be solved from the technical aspect. New technologies are changing business operations and growth at a rapid pace. A company can gain an edge over its competitors by first grasping the core of the latest technology (SQA, 2008c). Enterprise should make better use of Big Data to improve Tiktok’s recommendation algorithm. Big Data should adequately capture how long a user stays in a particular video and how many times a particular type of video is viewed. Accordingly, Big Data reduces the number of contents that users hate and increase the number of contents that they like. In the aspect of pushing favorite content, technology should be further improved. The same type does not represent the same content. Big data should avoid multiple push of the same content. It should add multiple push of content in the same type to meet the curiosity of users.
5.1.2. How to Solve the Tendency of Vulgarization Problem
The author thinks that the problem of vulgarization can be solved from the aspect of talents. More talents should be cultivated from two aspects of hygiene factors and incentive factors. The author thinks that short video industry needs not only internal talents but also external talents, especially video makers. So, enterprise should take full advantage of Creators Academy. In terms of internal talents, employees’ divergent thinking should be opened on behalf of internal talents. Brainstorming takes place once a week to open up various fields for creators through the official channels of creators Academy. It can guide positive content and increase the richness of content. According to the motivation factors, enterprise should give employees a sense of achievement and identity in brainstorming. In respect of external talents, enterprises should sign a contract with some positive energy video creators. At the same time, depending on the health factor, companies can provide regular training for these video creators through the Creators Academy. According to incentive factors, video creators can be encouraged to create high-quality videos by means of monetary incentives. By combining the internal and external, the enterprise can avoid the problem of vulgarization by both guiding and creating processes.
5.1.3. How to Solve the Way of Realization Problem
The author thinks that the problem of the way of realization can be solved from the aspect of brand influence. Place is an important part of marketing. By using the right channels at the right time, it can quickly occupy the market, improve the position of the enterprise in the industry, and expand the brand influence of the enterprise. With the advent of the Internet era and the improvement of people’s living standards, Tiktok can seize the Internet outlet of e-commerce live streaming to deepen its development. In live streaming, enterprise can mainly cooperate with three channels, including sales enterprises, official CCTV and local cities. In the selection of sales enterprises, precise marketing can be carried out for users. For example, because of high proportion of stay-at-home mothers, some high infant enterprises can be selected for direct broadcast cooperation. In the official CCTV, because users have high interest in news, enterprise can improve the depth of users’ thoughts through the cooperation of the official CCTV. In local cities, enterprises can publicize the characteristics of local cities through live streaming. They can travel around the world without leaving home. At the same time, local products can also be sold through living streaming. All in all, these channels can not only meet the needs of the masses affected by the epidemic, but also expand its market share.
5.1.4. How to Solve Inadequate Supervision Problems
The author thinks that the problem of inadequate supervision can be solved from the aspect of business culture. Business culture is rich and diverse, including artefacts, espoused values and basic underlying assumptions (Yin, 2019). In solving the problem of inadequate supervision, enterprise can clearly make a series of rules and regulations from the aspect of artificial products to propagandize the internal culture of the company. Specifically, enterprise need to strengthen internal review system, review system of commodity promotion in live broadcast, video copyright system and reporting mechanism to purify the legal environment. And these can help enterprises establish a good external image. In terms of values, enterprise managers should take the lead in conveying their own ideas and values through their self-centered supervision team to enhance their sense of social responsibility. In terms of basic basic assumptions, ByteDance should develop an assumption to protect information security. Faced with internal information, employees need to make all kinds of information run more efficiently and safely. Outside the enterprise, all employees should also work on the basis of protecting users’ information security.
5.2. Implications for Future Research
This study discusses the core competitiveness of short video industry based on Bytedance company Tiktok. The authors draw on two main lines. One is the logical thinking of finding problems, solving problems and making suggestions. This line helps the author analyze the real problems existing in Tiktok. One is about the core competitiveness including the main connotation, such as talent, technology, culture, brand influence. The author uses the knowledge learned to show the deep meaning of the article from these four aspects. Through the combination of these two lines, the author helps enterprise solve their existing problems from the deepest part of management. This is the innovation of this study, which has certain reference value for the future research of short video industry. However, this study only studied Tiktok and ignored other competitors in the industry, such as watermelon video and Bilibili. Therefore, in order to study the core competitiveness of short video industry, the author will pay attention to more short video companies in the future.
5.3. Contributions and Limitations
On the one hand, the interview and questionnaire reflect the problems and suggestions of Tiktok users and video creators. Thus, these are real thoughts of Tiktok’s external customers, which is of great reference significance and value to Tiktok. Tiktok can precisely solve these problems and find solutions to improve Tiktok’s competitiveness. What’s more, analysis results of PEST-SWOT model, incentive theory, three levels of culture model and channels of marketing mixed theory have greatly helped internal customers of the organization, such as managers and employees. They help managers open their minds and motivate employees.
On the other hand, due to the limitations of the author’s own ability, the data analysis of this study may not be accurate enough, and some mistakes may occur in the analysis process. What’s more, the questionnaires only reflect the situation of the author’s place in Anyang city, Henan Province. For internal customers, this is a small part of the total number of Tiktok users in China, which cannot represent the whole situation. It may have certain error. In addition, the respondents of this interview are all video creators with a medium or lower number of fans. The research lacks some big V level Internet celebrities interviewees. This lacks certain reference significance for video creators with external customers, such as Luo Yonghao and other big V Internet celebrities.