TikTok Shop: over 200,000 sellers in the UK

The number of sellers on TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom has doubled within a year. According to the platform, there are currently over 200,000 businesses active on TikTok Shop, “as brands take advantage of the revenue potential of live shopping and shoppable videos”.

TikTok, the international subsidiary of the Chinese company ByteDance, shared these figures in a press release about the “record-breaking Christmas sales” for brands on the platform in the United Kingdom.

TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom

After launching TikTok Shop in parts of Asia, the shopping feature was introduced to the United Kingdom in late 2021. Initially, the response was reportedly tepid, but this year the British trade on the platform has grown significantly. This growth comes despite increased seller fees during last summer. By now, the number of businesses on TikTok Shop has doubled compared to the end of 2023.

Daily sales growth

Sales on the platform are also increasing. TikTok reports a daily sales growth of 93 percent over the past 12 months compared to the previous 12 month period. “The Black Friday period alone is set to deliver triple-digit year-on-year growth on TikTok Shop.”

‘Triple-digit year-on-year growth on TikTok Shop.’

The company relates this to an “unprecedented surge in live shopping sessions” in the United Kingdom.

TikTok Shop in Europe

Following the launch in the United Kingdom, TikTok had plans to quickly expand its integrated shopping feature to continental Europe. Reportedly, these plans were delayed when interest among United Kingdom users initially fell short. However, TikTok denied claims that the European rollout was “paused, delayed, or withdrawn”.

While TikTok Shop went live in the United States in November 2022, no additional countries in Europe have been added despite beta-test invitations in various markets. A broad launch expected in Ireland and Spain in October has yet to materialize: for the time being, companies can only present themselves on TikTok Shop in those countries by invitation.