By Andrew Miller
TikTok Shop launched in the United States looking like a dumping ground.
At the time, it was nothing but cheap phone cases, knockoff gadgets, and a catalog that felt indistinguishable from Temu. Plenty of both consumers and businesses wrote it off on that first impression and never checked back.
It isn’t all cheap junk anymore. Bigger brands are cashing in on the platform for its reach.
Pacsun has moved $20 million in denim, including a pair of jeans that sells for $60. One of the platform’s standout products is an $80 skincare wand with videos about it running past 10 million views.
The numbers track the shift. US sales on TikTok rose more than 500% in 2024 and doubled again in the first half of 2025. Small merchants still account for more than a third of sales.
People browsing TikTok come across products they were never searching for by name, usually on the word of a creator showing how something works or how it gets made. The app has become a place shoppers trust for recommendations, closer to word of mouth than to advertising.
Going into the holidays, gift searches have climbed, with the hashtag #GiftsForWomen up 440% and #HolidayGiftIdeas up 248% in month-over-month search growth in September.
Live selling, a kind of modern infomercial, has become a common tactic. The number of livestreams tripled over the past year. During one three-hour stream, the skincare brand POV Beauty saw a single $97 kit account for more than 90% of its sales.
Although social media platforms like TikTok can be an untapped market for new buyers, the platform has its downsides.
One men’s shoe label left after a few months because it couldn’t handle customer service requests through TikTok’s interface. Buyers were stuck asking about sizing and shipping in comments and direct messages.
Despite its quirks, many established brands haven’t fully committed to doing business on TikTok.
That leaves the door open for small businesses willing to give it a shot.
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