It’s September 2023, and like usual, you’re locked into a doomscrolling spiral on TikTok. As you swipe up on another uninteresting video, you’re hit with a new pop-up, leading you to ask yourself: What the hell is TikTok Shop?
By early 2024, this new, previously unknown phenomenon had skyrocketed into a major online e-commerce competitor, with over 200,000 sellers and the ambitious goal of reaching $17.5 billion in online sales.
TikTok Shop is an e-commerce feature that allows users to buy products directly through shoppable videos, livestreams, and a product showcase tab on creator/brand profiles. Its main objective is to combine social entertainment with shopping, driving impulsive, algorithm-driven sales.
TikTok’s marketing strategy is sneaky and nearly subconscious. Every scroll comes with the chance of a hidden ad, an influencer promoting a product they’ve never tried, or the same polyester shirt you’ve seen close to 15 times before.
TikTok no longer operates as a simple social media platform — it’s a disguised hook-and-bait shopping website, preying on the unsuspecting, media-consuming public. With the option to browse, shop, and pay without leaving the app, TikTok Shop took off in popularity.
Like many people in our society, opinionated University of Iowa students have a bone to pick with the consumerist platform.
“It’s very fast fashion and micro trend oriented, so I feel like it’s obviously unsustainable and recycles a lot of unoriginal ideas. It’s also a very different method to shopping than what people are normally used to, because it’s not exactly like online or in store shopping,” Swetha Narmeta, a UI second-year, said.
Narmeta drew attention to what she believed to be the real objective behind the online store, one that sneaks up on people without them even realizing it.
“Even when people are trying to just scroll and take a break, they’re being subconsciously constantly exposed to these marketing things, which makes TikTok shop very different,” Narmeta said.
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While some are looking at TikTok Shop logistically and at an angle that dissects the marketing motives, others are diverted with simple skepticism.
“I feel like I’m going to get scammed if I use it. It’s Temu-esque,” Kyle Gjoraas, a UI third–year, said.
Students also acknowledge the level of ridiculousness the platform seems to bring on. With a plethora of competing shopping sites and no shortage of unnecessary products in the world, the site capitalizes on disappointing aspects of society: vanity, materialistic mindsets, and an unfillable pit of dissatisfaction.
“TikTok Shop is next-level consumerism, it’s literally buying stuff just to buy stuff at that point,” Weston Koch, a UI second-year, said.
Forbes stated that 79% of sales are in health and beauty, followed by apparel and home supplies. Health and beauty industries historically prey on insecurities, and now have the ability to use short-form video ads to point out and do that work for them.
Though it’s not without its faults, some students do acknowledge the benefits that come from TikTok Shop, noting the good it does for small businesses and exposure to several new products.
“I think it’s a good way to get exposed to a lot of other shopping sites, because you can see a lot of things you want from a simple search. It’s also really nice for local sellers to gain awareness when competing with higher and more commercial brands,” Lasya Kappaganthu, a UI second-year, said.
While lower-scale businesses have found assistance from TikTok Shop, the e-commerce competitor still very heavily relies on big-name brands and fields. ModernRetail reported that big name brands — defined as having 30 million in annual revenue — account for nearly two-thirds of total sales in the app.
Still, TikTok offers the ability to shop with ease. In an era built on speed and convenience, TikTok Shop fits right into the natural habits of modern consumers.
The convenience comes with tradeoffs. Concerns about product quality, overconsumption, misleading promotions, and questionable seller credibility are all common criticisms. TikTok Shop’s rise may be less about shopping itself, and more about becoming an effective form of what modern customers have become accustomed to: instant gratification, constant stimulation, and purchasing for entertainment purposes.
Whether viewed as a model of excessive consumer culture or a successful and innovative business model, TikTok Shop has changed the landscaping of online retail. What began as a simple social media app for dancing, memes, and trends has evolved into a full digital mall.
