TikTok is one of the fastest growing apps to come out in the last decade with over one billion users. Users are able to share, view and create videos that appeal to them, but there’s been an ongoing debate about if Tik Tok’s algorithm is straying from the original goal of the app.
“I think TikTok shop is both beneficial and harmful to the app,” senior Alison Elmore said. “It causes young people to impulsively spend more money when they don’t need to, but it also offers so many deals.”
TikTok Shop has taken over the For You Pages (FYPs) of many users, constantly advertising and promoting a new product for cheap prices compared to neighboring companies. Users can find anything from skincare, to clothing to furniture with one simple swipe. Many of the results are inexpensive alternatives to name brand favorites, called “dupes.” The “#dupe” tag has accumulated to over six billion views with thousands of videos being posted daily.
“Thirty one percent [of TikTok users], have intentionally purchased a dupe of a premium product at some point, Gen Z and millennials have higher participation rates” Morning Consult, an online research company, reports.
The market for inexpensive luxury look-alikes has grown tremendously within the last couple of years, which sparked the creation of TikTok Shop. Alongside dupes, there are also hundreds of new creations that cannot be found outside of the shop, like a hairbrush that magically combs through any texture of hair, or disposable face towelettes that promise to help clear acne.
The new addition to the popular app now creates more opportunity to not only spend money, but make money as well. Creators are able to gain commission off of the products that they sell as an ambassador, which leads people to become less trusting in what products are truly worth buying. App users have found that their FYPs are now racking up more branded and product review videos instead of their interests.
“I’m pretty sure a lot of people get sent the product to advertise from the company,” sophomore Sophia Herbst said. “I don’t know if they actually like it or not, or if they’re just paid to make the video and that’s why they’re making it.”
With all of the new products and opportunities being given to creators, many people are now asking questions about the quality of products, as well as the sustainability. TikTok Shop makes millions of dollars daily which adds up to countless orders being placed in separate packaging. Creators have found it difficult to ship out their products as well, with difficulty receiving shipping labels, along with confusion inside the app.
“They don’t allow us to set our own processing times, and if you go viral on TikTok … our orders and our inventory got super backed up,” creator Sarah Biggers-Stewart said in a video posted to TikTok. “TikTok Shop is not conducive to small businesses.”
Analysts are looking into the long term success of TikTok shop, and have shared their thoughts on what this new feature has to offer in the world of online shopping.
“I think Amazon is going to have a competitor like they’ve never seen before,” marketing and e-commerce strategist Arelis Caban-Oberst told NPR.
