TikTok is sticking around - is your retail enterprise ready?
A deal that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. is much closer to reality, and retailers need to begin preparing now.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing an arrangement that would meet national security requirements for the U.S. business of TikTok to remain open. The order also gives all involved parties, including TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance and the Chinese government, until Jan. 23, 2026 to finalize and approve the deal.
[READ MORE: Trump okays deal to keep TikTok open in U.S.; extends deadline to 2026]
Now that it seems all but certain TikTok is here in the U.S. to stay, retailers need to start adapting to an omnichannel landscape that will include TikTok as a permanent feature. Here are three suggestions for launching a TikTok commerce plan:
Get going
TikTok operates an e-commerce store in the U.S. which has proven popular and is only set to grow in usage once TikTok has a full-fledged, dedicated U.S. operation.
Consumer survey data exclusively released to Chain Store Age by Adobe Express revealed that 50% of Gen X respondents, as well as 43% of both millennials and Gen Z, had made at least one purchase on TikTok Shop.
On average, respondents had spent $49 in the past month on purchases inspired by TikTok. The social platform regularly partners with Tier I U.S. retailers like Walmart, as well as smaller niche players like PacSun.
TikTok also offers numerous tools, such as seller badges and third-party authentication services, to assist retailers in conducting social commerce. The time to be actively selling on TikTok, if you don’t already, is now.
Adapt to the new algorithms
One of the biggest changes to TikTok under its new U.S. ownership will be the alterations to the underlying algorithms that determine what videos a user is served, at what time and for what reason.
While I do not claim to have any inside knowledge into how the U.S. TikTok platform selects videos to display to individual users, one of the biggest concerns over TikTok operating in the U.S. has been that with Chinese government encouragement it allegedly created video streams designed to cause social disruption and psychological harm to users.
Changes to TikTok’s algorithms will require retailers to carefully study the new patterns directing video streams and figure out how to best modify their strategies to reach the right consumers at the right times with the right content.
Retailers active on X (formerly Twitter) have experience dealing with these issues as multibillionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a number of significant changes to the algorithms governing the flow of its content after purchasing the social media platform in 2022 .
Take full advantage
Speakers at the recent eTail Boston conference reinforced the messages that TikTok is poised to revolutionize digital retailing beyond serving as a platform for online transactions.
Feliz Papich, senior VP of digital technology, experience & insights at Crocs Inc., described the "massive halo effect" the video-focused social media app has for Crocs.
"TikTok drives direct sales, it impacts sales on other channels," said Papich. "You want to create an environment where influencers will be. It’s not just transactional."
In a panel on using TikTok to keep up with current consumer trends, Kristina Nolan, VP, media services of digital marketing agency DMI Partners, echoed Papich’s observation about the app’s value as a tool to spread awareness.
"TikTok is an engine of discovery," said Nolan. "You must use it through that lens. It’s a platform in its infancy. Onboarding for sales is more complex than for other platforms."
[READ MORE: Survey: Gen Z favors TikTok over Google for product discovery]
Examples of retailers leveraging TikTok’s broad range of features include QVC spotlighting women influencers and celebrities during a promotional event with TikTok, as well as Simon launching its Gen Z-focused influencer marketing campaign, “@themall,” which celebrated mall culture and fandom while highlighting experiences and offerings at Simon malls, on social platforms including TikTok. The campaign also included a dedicated @themall TikTok channel.
