I’m no expert on TikTok Shop for many reasons. Chief among them: I don’t really use TikTok.

I don’t think I’m too good for it, it’s just not for me. I like test cricket, books and the BBC. I’m 39 but I’m already, essentially, a dinosaur.

But I’m absolutely fascinated by TikTok Shop – as anyone who works anywhere within the retail industry should be.

And here’s why.

TikTok Shop was the fastest-growing e-commerce platform in the UK in 2024. The number of shoppers that year jumped by 131% driving an 180% year-on-year rise in revenue.

Crucially, 44% of TikTok users in the UK have already made a purchase directly on TikTok. Literally, millions of people.

Then consider that it’s a completely new kind of commerce.

It’s neither ecommerce nor social commerce, really – because TikTok isn’t really social media: it’s an entertainment platform (props to the great Melissa Minkow for articulating that recently).

So what does all this mean? And why, potentially, is this story flying under the radar?

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