As I’ve reported many times, TikTok really, really wants to get people buying products in-stream, so it’ll come as little surprise that the platform is making a big push on shopping features this holiday season.
TikTok’s 2024 holiday shopping activations will include celebrity-led shopping live-streams, as well as big sales, with big discounts, from major brands. And if that’s not enough to get more people buying stuff in the app, I’m not sure what is, because TikTok has clearly signed some major commercial deals for this year’s shopping push.
First off, there’s the celebrities, with TikTok set to host a range of celebrity-fronted live streams, featuring stars like the D’Amelio family and Nicki Minaj.
As per TikTok:
“Some of the [TikTok]’s record-breaking creators are hosting TikTok LIVE shopping events, sharing products from their brands and others they love in real-time, to get their audiences excited about holiday shopping.”
Nicki Minaj, in particular, is a big win for the app, and I can only imagine how much they’re paying for her appearance.
Live-stream shopping has been a key element of TikTok’s shopping push in China, where it’s become a big trend, and it’s still hoping to gain similar traction for such in Western markets. Nicki Minaj will definitely help that, while the stream will also likely generate some viral moments to further promote TikTok shopping engagement.
TikTok’s also hosting a range of major brands, offering major discounts, as part of its shopping activations for the season.
“We’re taking deals across all categories to the next level with our holiday campaign, “Brand Palooza”. From November 13 to 28, top brands are taking the spotlight on TikTok Shop with deals up to 55%, like Phillips, Maybelline NY, Benefit Cosmetics, Liquid IV, HeyDude, Fenty Beauty, and The Ordinary Store.”
Hey, did you know that the term “palooza”, abbreviated from “lollapalooza”, actually refers to “an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.” The more you know.
TikTok’s also extending the return window for purchases made during the event, with shoppers able to return items through to February 10th.
Some strong incentives to at least check out TikTok’s shopping options, and you can bet that the appearance of Nicki Minaj, in particular, will draw a lot of interest.
And again, TikTok really wants people to buy stuff in stream, in order to follow the lead of its Chinese sister app, which now generates hundreds of billions of dollars from in-app shopping.
Of course, Asian shopping trends don’t always translate to Western markets, but with literally hundreds of billions, potentially, on the line (the Chinese version of TikTok generated over $500 billion in product sales last year), there’s very clear motivation for TikTok to keep up its in-stream shopping push, and to offer as many incentives to get people involved as it can.
And while it’s nowhere near the same level as yet, TikTok users are gradually spending more in the app.
It remains to be seen if any social app can successfully integrate in-stream shopping in any significant way, but the hope remains that younger consumers will drive the next shift, and TikTok’s holiday promotions are another step in its broader effort.
