TikTok may be best known for dance crazes and resurrected pop songs, but it is rapidly establishing itself as a serious retail channel, according to reporting by The Guardian.
Major brands including Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LSE:MKS), J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY), Samsung, QVC and Clarks are now selling directly through TikTok’s in-app retail arm, TikTok Shop, alongside more than 200,000 UK small businesses.
Launched in Britain in 2021, TikTok Shop posted its strongest UK trading day on Black Friday, selling 27 items a second. Sales across the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period were 50% higher than a year earlier.
The model allows shoppers to buy without leaving the app, often via livestreams or influencer-led videos. Supporters say it taps impulse spending, while critics warn of margin pressure and relentless demands for content from smaller brands.