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TikTok dabbles in just about every medium. It provides access to new songs, allows users to post videos and pictures, and the app even has a shopping feature. Although TikTok Shop was made only a year ago, it displays everything from graphic t-shirts with cats on them, to slippers shaped like fish within a single tab on the app’s home page. It allows any user to buy products, with a simple click of a button. The feature has been described as being similar to apps like Shein, with a wide variety of poorly made products sold for low prices. However, despite its unsavory reputation now, TikTok Shop was originally marketed as an outlet for small businesses to sell their products.
Before it was created, small businesses marketing through TikTok would have to sell through a different app, such as Etsy, and link the separate account in their bio. Easy enough, but still inconvenient for both sides of the exchange. With the introduction of TikTok Shop, small businesses can market, link, and sell products all within the space of one video. The app pushes out content to its targeted audience, and as a result, it garners a lot more sales. TikTok shop sounds like a dream in theory, but is it so simple in practice?
Skye Loy is the creator of SkyeLight, a small business that sells scented candles and car diffusers, which she started to support her dream of becoming a pilot. In a recent video posted on her YouTube channel, Skye talks about her experiences with running a small business and selling through TikTok Shop. She mentions her business went viral around a few months ago, and discusses the hate comments she gets on her videos. Hate comments will come along with any social media app, but they’re still important to note when debating the usefulness of TikTok Shop. Skye personally doesn’t let the comments get to her, and says, “...to be for everybody is to be for no one. Get ready to be disliked because not everybody is going to like you, and it's a good thing. Like, you're going to find your people along the way, so don't get too caught up in anything. Just lean into what works, and lean into what's authentic to you.”. Another thing she mentions, while talking about inventory, is the shipping limits that TikTok Shop has. After a customer has placed an order, the seller has three business days to ship it out. This sounds like a reasonable amount of time, but for one person with a lot of orders placed it could become overbearing. Especially so, in the case of small businesses that sell more time-consuming products, such as intricate jewelry or clothing. Skye speaks about her pride in the community she’s created, and the successful business she’s built. But she also warns of the stress that comes with not only creating a small business itself, but receiving hate comments through social media, and selling through TikTok Shop.
TikTok Shop isn’t the most reputable store. Many of its products are sketchy at best, and the advertisements it scatters throughout the app promote fast fashion and overconsumption. However, it is still a great tool for small business owners. TikTok’s promotion systems and “For You Page” allow influencers to get popular quickly, and for select videos to go viral overnight. While many fast fashion companies utilize the feature, so do many small businesses, and supporting people like Skye Loy is always a good thing.
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