TikTok Launches TikTok Shop

In October, TikTok officially launched its in-app e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, in the United States. TikTok's goal is to position itself as a shopping destination, aiming to lead the way in social commerce and compete directly with Amazon.

To encourage seller participation during Black Friday, TikTok backed the launch with discounts of up to 50%.

Interestingly, the top sellers on TikTok aren't established brands or corporate players, they're products that go viral. The Unbrush detangling brush, for example, sold 700,000 units in a single month alone.

User reviews, however, have been overwhelmingly negative:

"TikTok Shop ruined the entire app. It's just ads and reviews now instead of the stupid videos."

"Ever since the TikTok Shop was added, everything is just forced sales of terrible products just to earn commissions. WHERE IS THE OLD DARK HUMOR????