The poor quality of products for sale in the TikTok store, as well as the customer data policy of the social media platform known for its short videos, may scare off potential partners. Creators who cooperate with the virtual store complain that the ByteDance-owned app does not pay much for the collaboration.
Image: Shutterstock
The TikTok store mostly sells clothes, most of which are cheaper than $20. According to analysts, the platform is courting American brands to offer their products in the virtual TikTok store. A spokesman for the social networking site questioned the classification of the products offered for sale, and added: The store was launched a week ago in the United States with more than 200,000 sellers. Products from L’Oreal, Benefit, Revolve and ScrubDaddy are also available luck.
When users click on a product, they can see pants and jackets on TikTok videos. In principle, this displays the dress more accurately than a photo taken by a professional model. However, content producers are not satisfied with the commissions offered to participating creators. Popular American influencer Brooke JuLyn said TikTok paid her less than $100 for her videos on its store.
This is a pittance compared to Amazon and Walmart’s five-figure monthly revenue.
JuLyn has posted some videos of products she likes, but says she’s not completely satisfied with the quality. Added to this is the low commission, so popular creators are staying away from the virtual TikTok store for the time being. Some brands are upset by the platform’s data policy. According to Ann McFerran, CEO and founder of cosmetics company Glamnetic, the process of getting into TikTok is very complicated.
McFerran also complained that the Chinese company does not give brands access to customer data. However, we should add to this: Amazon, for example, does not share customer emails with merchants, so TikTok’s policy is not unique in this regard. Despite the problems mentioned, analysts draw attention to something important.
The platform is mainly used by teenagers and young adults, so the quality of clothing is not a big issue. The age group is more concerned with the affordability and appearance of products. Related to this is that TikTok has already proven that it can make videos go viral. If you can accomplish this task with a purchase, creators can also expect more commissions, so your TikTok store traffic can increase significantly.
The platform’s efforts to expand e-commerce activities in the US may seem contradictory: US politicians are threatening to ban the popular app over national security concerns. There are similar efforts in Europe as well, but ByteDance has not given up on expanding into the West and becoming an Amazon competitor in the future.
The United States may be close to banning TikTok, but the legal battle hasn’t really begun yetThe US government has been trying to ban TikTok for years, and so far has been unsuccessful in its attempts — however, the restriction bill could make a breakthrough in the process. Selling the application and relocating data centers may also be on the agenda. There are political, financial, and of course data protection reasons behind the US government’s attempt to ban TikTok in the US as part of a scam that has been going on for years. |
