蘑菇AV

TikTok aims to generate $20 billion in sales via TikTok Shop, and is expected to launch its own US ecommerce store soon. The platform is also leveraging new search features to become a hub for retail ecommerce. TikTok is also pushing new AI ad tools, and getting involved in a host of new media ventures. Here鈥檚 what the platform has been up to over the past month.

The news: Alibaba鈥檚 Singles Day sales are off to a flying start, the retailer said, as shoppers took advantage of early deals to snap up products ranging from beauty to electronics to sportswear.

Retailers turn to virtual experiences to boost engagement, awareness: Walmart, Ikea, and Skechers are among the many trying to increase their appeal to younger shoppers while driving sales.

Pinduoduo also surpassed JD.com in sales鈥攁 testament to the group-buying model鈥檚 appeal to price-sensitive consumers in China. Growth will slow to 6.5% in 2025 before accelerating to 7.2% in 2026. Sales growth on Xiaohongshu (RedNote) is projected to reach 10.5% in 2025. Sales of its core offerings of high-end cosmetics and apparel will face headwinds from the struggling consumer market.

Our take: Creo鈥檚 launch aligns with a clear trend of marketers consolidating influencer work with larger, full-service partners that can link creator content with actual sales. By anchoring influencer marketing in a system like Omni, OMG is positioning itself to meet rising expectations around ROI and accountability in the space. But it鈥檚 not alone.

All three retailers lost spending from customers who also used TikTok Shop, opening the door for a sales uptick once the platform goes dark in the US. Likewise, Shein and Temu are poised to scoop up sales. Both marketplaces have considerable customer overlap with TikTok and sell the kinds of cheap, trendy items that resonate with the social commerce platform鈥檚 users.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how creators are evolving; why YouTube is white space for many marketers; and how marketers, social platforms, and media companies should shift their strategies. "In Other News," we talk about what freedom of speech actually means on social media and why TikTok and Pinterest are taking different approaches to social commerce. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

Daigou sales rose 23% YoY in the first six months of 2024. This is compared with a 5% decline in luxury brand sales in China in the same period, per The Wall Street Journal鈥攁 trend which could dampen the appeal of full-price sellers like Mytheresa. Our take: The timing may be off for Mytheresa鈥檚 China push, but as a long-term play, it makes perfect sense.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how AI is shaping internet search, what social commerce will look like in two years鈥�, how hotels are planning for shifting travelers expectations, a new approach to combating retail theft, the origins of London, and more. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Bill Fisher, and Senior Analyst Carina Perkins.

In 2023, the company reached online net sales of $8.8 billion, according to ECDB data, ahead of H&M ($4.1 billion) and Zara ($2.9 billion). Shein and Temu accounted for all the growth in fast-fashion mobile app downloads in 2023, per Sensor Tower. It has faced a backlash over its environmental and social credentials.

Today's topic is Social Commerce on TikTok. Let's start with a bird's eye overview of the state of social commerce. Retail social commerce sales in the US will grow about 30% this year to a total of nearly $70 billion, according to our forecast. Facebook leads in terms of social buyers, followed by Instagram, and then TikTok.

Stores still dominate sales鈥攂耻迟 social commerce is on the rise. The bulk of UK beauty purchases still happen in-store. Despite strong growth in beauty ecommerce, just 16.7% of sales will take place online in 2024, per our latest forecast. That means beauty is still a digital laggard when compared with other categories such as textiles, clothing, and footwear (31.4%) and household goods (30.1%).

. #9: Social commerce. What fueled interest: TikTok Shop鈥檚 major push into US social commerce鈥攚hich saw it attract $100 million in Black Friday sales鈥攄rew attention to the historically slow-growing sector. But it鈥檚 still a nascent one: Consumers report lower trust in social commerce, with many staying on the sidelines.