On Sept 23, 2023, the social media app TikTok introduced a new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, to the app. With this new feature, influencers can showcase brands and advertise products for the TikTok community to discover and purchase. It’s a part of TikTok where influencers can inspire shoppers through entertainment and guide them to discover brands and products they want to see most.
Stella Gnaman (9) thinks TikTok Shop is not meant to be an app for shopping.
“I would not order anything off TikTok Shop because it’s an app for social media and not made for purchasing anything that I really need. I ordered some makeup from TikTok Shop and although I got it for a very cheap price, it came broken and it took a long time for it to get delivered to my house,” Gnaman said.
Although most of the prices on the app are extremely cheap and affordable, these purchases are not what they seem. Many buyers have complained about the items showing up damaged, opened, much smaller than expected, or not showing up at all. For many consumers these days, it’s easy for one to be persuaded into making impulsive buying decisions. According to zacjohnson.com, TikTok Shop for the most part can be viewed as an unreliable and misleading source to shop from.
Maddox Allen (12) does not trust buying products from TikTok Shop.
“I’ve never shopped on the TikTok Shop because it doesn’t seem to be the most reliable website to purchase things from. TikTok, as an app, has been very controversial in the past, and I’m unsure if I trust it to be reliable when ordering things. The TikTok Shop reminds me of fast fashion and websites Shein and Temu, and I’d prefer to spend my money on something high quality and reliable,” Allen said.
Overall, having a safe and secure site to shop is what everyone wants while online shopping. Potentially getting scammed on a huge social media platform such as TikTok Shop can cause financial troubles for online shoppers.
Maggie Akridge (11) gives some insight into what she ordered and how it was in poor condition when the package arrived at her house.
“I bought a Stanley Cup from TikTok Shop. The site looked kind of reliable, but it took a very long time for the cup to come in. Also, the cup turned out to be fake, and it broke quickly. Compared to stores like Amazon, TikTok Shop isn’t very reliable, but what I ordered did still come in,” Akridge said.
