TikTok is becoming a shopping powerhouse.
TikTok Shop has been one of the fastest-growing brands in the US this year, according to a new Morning Consult report.
The social-shopping app ranked third on Morning Consult’s list, just behind food-delivery app DoorDash and clothing brand Fruit of the Loom. It grew more quickly than other digital brands, such as ChatGPT (ranked ninth) and crypto exchange Coinbase (ranked 11th). It was the only social-media tool to rank in the top 20 this year.
TikTok Shop’s growth in popularity shows just how much the social-commerce platform has managed to break through in a crowded US e-commerce marketplace dominated by Amazon. While some users grumbled when the feature first appeared in their TikTok feeds in 2023, many now see TikTok Shop simply as another place to buy cheap stuff, akin to Shein, Temu, or Amazon Haul.
Social shopping, once viewed as an intrusion, is now mainstream.
“More consumers are using social media to buy, to browse, to look for things to buy, and that is coinciding with TikTok Shop’s growth this year,” said Bobby Blanchard, Morning Consult’s senior director of audience development, who authored the report.
To build its list, Morning Consult compared survey results from tens of thousands of US adults in the first and third quarters to see which brands were gaining ground when it came to purchase interest.
Blanchard said TikTok Shop’s high ranking shows it now exists as a brand on its own, rather than just being viewed as an extension of the video app.
“It’s reflective of that sub-brand becoming a more dominant force in our culture, and in how people shop and use social media,” he said.
While many US consumers are embracing TikTok Shop, the platform has still struggled to meet the high expectations of its owner, ByteDance. Social commerce is a massive business in China for TikTok’s sister app, Douyin, and company leaders have previously expressed disappointment with TikTok Shop’s US performance, Business Insider reported earlier this year.
TikTok Shop, like its e-commerce peers, has also had to reckon with zigzagging tariff policies and a rapidly evolving macroeconomic environment this year.
The 2025 holiday season will be the next big test for the platform as it looks to chip away Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending from Amazon, Walmart, and others. Last year, the company generated $100 million in single-day US sales on Black Friday.
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