How TikTok is proving that social media and shopping can co-exist
While U.S. lawmakers debate its future, TikTok Shop is racking up sales.
TikTok might be fighting for survival in the U.S., but its e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, is having its best moment yet.
In January 2025, TikTok Shop’s U.S. sales surged by 153%, outpacing Shein (26%) and Temu (28%), according to Bloomberg Second Measure. This kind of growth suggests TikTok Shop isn’t just playing in the e-commerce space—it's flipping the script.
Unlike Shein and Temu, TikTok Shop doesn’t rely solely on flashy discounts and relentless ads. Instead, it's a place where shopping meets viral FOMO and turns every scroll into a potential sale. That approach seems to be paying off, with reports estimating TikTok Shop pulled in around $20 billion globally in 2024.
And it’s not just about cheap, impulse buys. TikTok Shop is reportedly grabbing more market share from Shein than Temu, particularly for purchases over $25. Its sales in that category jumped 16 percentage points year-over-year, compared to 7 percentage points for Temu’s under-$25 segment.
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But here’s where things get tricky. TikTok Shop’s rise is happening just as U.S. lawmakers sharpen their knives. Its parent company, ByteDance, is still under pressure to sell off its U.S. operations. Meanwhile, the possible removal of the ‘de minimis’ rule—which lets packages under $800 enter duty-free—could drive up costs for TikTok Shop, Shein, and Temu. And with Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on Chinese imports still on the table, things could get even pricier.
For Shein, the pressure is already showing. The company is reportedly adjusting its valuation to $30 billion ahead of a potential London IPO—a sharp drop from earlier projections. Even Amazon seems to be watching. The e-commerce giant recently launched a discount store, possibly a move to counter TikTok’s growing influence. Meanwhile, ByteDance is said to be doubling down on its U.S. e-commerce investment, signalling that TikTok Shop isn’t slowing down—at least, not voluntarily.
So, while TikTok’s fate in the U.S. is still uncertain, its e-commerce platform is proving that social media and shopping are now one and the same.
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