Is it safe to shop online on TikTok? That’s a fair question. You don’t want to form part of the statistics showing that 1.8 million people experience card fraud or half a million are being scammed yearly.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, buying or selling scams, which include false billing and online shopping scams, were the most common experience by Australians last year.
Keep this in mind: Millions of customers have safely bought products directly online.
Here are some tips to keep you safe on TikTok Shop:
- Read the reviews of products carefully and see if others have bought them before.
- Verify the authenticity of the seller by checking their seller ratings.
- Use secure payment methods.
TikTok entered the e-commerce market in late 2023 to combine social media addiction with retail shopping. For the last year, users have been able to purchase products directly through the app.
Forbes recalls that this is not TikTok’s first attempt to enter the e-commerce space. In 2021, it partnered with Shopify to introduce a program; however, it’s being phased out.
Empowering brands and creators
TikTok shop helps brands and creators connect with customers with the same interests. Combining community and creativity, e-commerce enables customers to shop for brands that align with their values.
It’s also easier for customers to discover and share products they like when it’s trending on social media.
Teaming with Amazon and Pinterest
Earlier this year, TikTok still wanted to become the rival to Amazon, Shein, and Temu. It set a target of increasing its e-commerce business to $17.5 billion in the US this year.
There are reports that TikTok has surpassed the $15 billion barrier, but the company has not officially confirmed this.
This month, TikTok partnered with Amazon to integrate with the retail giant and Pinterest by embedding shopping directly into the social media experience.
According to Statista, TikTok and Pinterest are lagging far behind Meta’s social media buyers in the US.
How to find new customers on TikTok
Grabbing new customers’ attention can be difficult; only so many marketing platforms are available. However, TikTok captures the attention of one million people for an hour on average daily, which gives business owners new possibilities.
Research has found that the chances of a user buying a product after watching a TikTok video is 92%.
READ MORE: How to target new customers with TikTok for business
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About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
