Integrating TikTok Affiliate Marketing into Higher Business Education: An Experiential Pedagogy Framework for Digital Commerce Competency

The rapid evolution of social commerce, characterized by algorithmic short-form video ecosystems and decentralized creator economies, has created a significant disconnect between traditional marketing curricula and contemporary industry practices. TikTok affiliate marketing represents a transformative paradigm wherein content creation, data-driven consumer targeting, and immediate monetization intersect. This paper presents an empirical pedagogical framework designed to integrate TikTok affiliate marketing into higher business education curricula through an experiential, action-learning methodology. Drawing upon Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Constructivist Pedagogy, the proposed four-phase curriculum—comprising Algorithmic Literacy, Content-to-Commerce Prototyping, Live Campaign Execution, and Conversion Analytics—was deployed across undergraduate business cohorts (N=142). Quantitative evaluation revealed statistically significant improvements in students' performance-marketing self-efficacy (t=11.42,p<.001), data interpretation competencies (t=9.87,p<.001), and return on ad spend (ROAS) optimization. Furthermore, qualitative analysis highlighted shifts from passive consumption to strategic digital entrepreneurship, accompanied by critical awareness of consumer protection ethics and algorithmic volatility. This study provides curriculum developers and higher education institutions with a replicable, industry-aligned blueprint for cultivating adaptive digital commerce competencies.