TikTok Shop has continued its rapid rise in the ecommerce space, as it has quickly become one of the go-to destinations for consumers looking to discover new brands and products, beating out older and more established platforms like Amazon.
This shows ecommerce brands the importance of having a presence on the platform, especially as it has plans to improve the marketplace experience for customers.
Almost a Third of Consumers Go to TikTok Shop for Product Discovery
Even though the platform is relatively new, TikTok Shop has taken its place as one of the most popular online platforms for consumers to visit when they want to discover or learn about new products and brands. In fact, 67% of consumers visit TikTok Shop when they’re looking to discover new brands and products.
This data is from a recent study and report from GlobalData, commissioned by TikTok Shop, which sought to take a closer look at how people discover and buy from brands on the platform.
TikTok Shop Beats Out Amazon
This percentage is quite a bit higher than Amazon, which came in second at 57%. Following Amazon in the rankings were search engines (35%), physical stores (30%), online marketplaces (28%), YouTube (26%), and Instagram (24%). The study also found that 66% of TikTok Shop users discovered a new brand on the platform over the last year.
TikTok Shop taking the top spot from Amazon shouldn’t be too surprising, as it has undergone major growth recently. In fact, sales on the platform have skyrocketed from around $1.5 billion in 2023, up to almost $16 billion in 2025. Also, despite only being a few years old, TikTok Shop has already nearly matched eBay’s size.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that these impressive product discovery numbers don’t mean that each of these consumers buys on TikTok Shop. Many may discover a product or brand there, and then go elsewhere to learn more or buy the product.
So while it’s good for sellers to prioritize TikTok, don’t neglect other channels (such as your SEO efforts, social media profiles, or website), as someone discovering your brand on TikTok Shop may actually send them through these other channels to learn more or complete a purchase.
Diving Deeper Into Discovery Insights
The study also dove deeper into specific insights about this product discovery. For example, of all the brands discovered by TikTok Shop users over the last 12 months, 72% of them were small businesses.
As a result, it seems natural for small brands and sellers to ensure they have a presence on the platform. This could be through registering as a merchant and selling on the platform, sending free samples to creators on the platform to get your name out there, or hosting livestreams.
But while TikTok Shop users are more likely to discover small brands, the platform is also becoming more popular among major brands.
Another important insight is that around 58% of consumers who discover a small brand on TikTok Shop later buy from the brand on the platform, showing a direct link between discovery and purchases. More than half of these buyers purchased within a few days, while around one-fifth of them bought the same day they discovered the brand.
Finally, it also found that creator recommendations drive much of the shopping activity on the platform. In fact, 70% of TikTok Shop consumers have purchased a product recommended by a creator, with 88% of the shoppers who bought through creator recommendations doing so within the past year.
As a result, if you sell products that have a clear value that people can demonstrate on camera, and strong visuals, TikTok Shop may be the perfect place to partner with a creator or influencer to get your items in front of their engaged audiences.
TikTok Aiming to Enhance the Marketplace Experience
However, in addition to being popular for product discovery, TikTok Shop is also looking to improve the marketplace experience. This includes investing in returns, refunds, customer support tools, and logistics. It’s also looking to roll out new tools for sellers to take advantage of, as well as introduce new shopping formats.
However, even as it stands today, TikTok Shop already offers an experience that not many other platforms can match, as it seamlessly combines entertainment with shopping. There are several examples of this, whether it’s livestream shopping, shoppable videos, creative ads, or product reviews.
While the platform is still relatively new, it’s clear that it has become a popular destination not only for people buying products, but also those looking to discover new items and learn more about the brands that sell them.
