TikTok Shop Aims for 25 Million French Customers: The Next E-commerce Giant?

In a surprising move, TikTok Shop was launched in France on March 31, ahead of its expected April debut. This new feature allows the 25.1 million TikTok users in France to shop while they browse their favorite social network. TikTok Shop was also simultaneously introduced in Italy, Germany, and three months after its introduction in Spain and Ireland. Currently, it is available in 15 countries including the USA and the UK, with 15 million active sellers within this ecosystem. On average, users spend 1 hour and 35 minutes daily on this platform, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, according to Sensor Tower.

« Giving a young person TikTok is like putting a cigarette in their mouth »

Specifically, this new feature enables TikTok users to purchase products directly through the app, without having to leave it. This is made possible through an immersive and interactive shopping experience that the network calls « Discovery e-commerce ». In essence, « TikTok transforms the online shopping experience by merging engaging, inspiring, and entertaining content with a seamless and novel shopping experience», states a spokesperson. « This revolution can be likened to the arrival of Amazon, offering a perfect blend of entertainment and shopping for the new generations », analyses Charlotte Puisais, a consultant at Pixis Conseil.

DR

The business model of TikTok Shop is based on a commission system taken from the seller. When a sale occurs and an order is generated on the account, the seller must pay certain fees for using TikTok Shop, which includes a commission rate of 5% for orders sold to customers in the European Union.

French businesses that wish to join TikTok Shop must register in the « Seller Center » on the platform and meet certain criteria such as having a Siret number and offering products that comply with the « terms of service for sellers ». However, if the platform determines that a seller has violated any of these conditions, it reserves the right to deactivate the seller’s account and retain funds. This helps limit the purchase of counterfeits and dupes. Between July 2023 and June 2024, across the various countries where TikTok Shop was available, « we prevented the listing of more than 5,254,000 products due to alleged violations of intellectual property rights ».

« TikTok Shop revolutionizes online commerce and opens up unprecedented prospects for brands of all sizes », claims a spokesperson. A few months before its launch in France, the app contacted several brands to be the first to use this feature, such as eyewear brand Izipizi, chicory coffee brand Chérico, as well as Carrefour, The Bradery, and the young luggage brand Cabaïa. « We were intrigued by this new way of consuming and its potential », shares co-founder Bastien Valensi.

The platform thus connected this brand with a hundred content creators to promote some of their products, such as a fanny pack for 35 euros, a nano bag for 50 euros, or a classic backpack for 89 euros. « We are still in the testing phase, we don’t know what will happen on Monday, but it’s a bit like the revival of teleshopping, the interest is to have sincere and relevant content », continues the executive, who mentions a commission that would be « between 8 and 10% ».

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Following the failure of Instagram and Facebook in social commerce, TikTok has a real opportunity to make its mark. « This model will revolutionize the e-commerce sector at a time when the consumer needs to be more engaged in storytelling and to adhere to values more than just the transactional aspect of the purchase », believes Arnaud Gallet, director of NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe. Indeed, video « allows a more engaged response from brands and is very favorable to creations », explains Charlotte Puisais. She cites, for example, the recent collaboration between Nike and Travis Scott for a limited-edition sneaker collection in the USA, which managed to engage both Nike’s community and the rapper’s fans. The social network indeed relies on an unmatched range of product offerings from a razor to a beauty product or a pair of sneakers. « The offering isn’t exactly new, but it brings together a range of creators similar to a site like Etsy while also offering products from major brands », observes Frank Rosenthal, a retail marketing expert.

In the UK, where this feature has been available since 2022, fashion items followed by luggage stand out the most. « By combining sales of clothing and shoes, fashion captures 60% of TikTok’s sales. This is followed by categories such as luggage and items related to home and beauty. Consumer goods represent about 12% of sales on this channel », details Théo Djerfi, senior consultant in the Retail practice at NielsenIQ Digital Purchases speaking to the specialized media LSA. By positioning itself as a generalist e-commerce player, TikTok Shop poses a threat to a giant like Amazon, but also to the Chinese platform Temu and other competitors. « Their goal is to take market share from everyone in a context where e-commerce has reached full maturity », continues Frank Rosenthal. In any case, « the French market is ready to welcome Tikok Shop, especially the younger generation who will quickly embrace the model », predicts Charlotte Puisais. The revolution is underway.