Last Thing

TikTok Shop Is a Real E-Commerce Threat

For a glimpse of what the social media platform is capable of, take a look at Indonesia.

Illustration: George Wylesol for Bloomberg Businessweek

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Shuli Ren

September 18, 2023 at 4:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the September 25, 2023 issue of businessweek.

Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., seems bent on making money via e-commerce. Globally it aims to reach $20 billion in gross merchandise value this year, a fourfold increase from 2022, Bloomberg has reported.

This month, TikTok Shop made its debut in the US—the short video app’s largest market, with about 150 million active users. Consumers can buy products tagged in videos or QVC‑style livestreams. Alternatively, they can enter a marketplace via a shop tab, prominently displayed on the app’s home screen, to search and browse.