A Dual-Model Empirical Analysis of Mediation and Moderation Mechanisms in Marketing for Apparel and Underwear Brands on the Chinese TikTok Platform

This This study empirically examines the mediating effect of content immersion and the moderating effect of brand trust in the formation of brand loyalty, focusing on apparel and underwear brands active on the Chinese TikTok (Douyin) platform. To this end, two dual analytical frameworks were established: the Immersion-Based Theoretical Mediation Model (IMTM) and the Platform Behavior Optimization Model (PBOM). These models respectively analyze how content complexity, influencer expertise, and platform recommendation strength affect sales performance, while setting brand self-operation level and influencer scale as moderating variables.Based on data from Feigua, this study uses monthly sales data from 2,882 brands collected over 24 consecutive months from 2023 to 2024, totaling 20,204 observations. Underwear brands were included as a key subgroup due to their highly visual content characteristics, providing contrast for immersion-related hypotheses.The empirical findings show that content complexity negatively affects sales by suppressing user immersion, while influencer expertise enhances immersion and creates a positive mediation pathway. Additionally, brand self-operation level and influencer scale showed significant moderating effects in specific model paths.These results expand theoretical understanding in the field of short-form content commerce and offer empirical guidance for developing optimized platform-based marketing strategies.