TikTok Is Trying to Change How America Shops on Black Friday

TikTok's influence on Americans' shopping habits has exploded over the past five years, with the app driving trends and steering users to their favorite creators' preferred products.

But this Black Friday marks the first time the app's own shopping platform is on the scene in a major way for the biggest retail holiday of the year.

Instead of clicking a link in someone's bio to leave the app and shop for gifts on another site, you can now make purchases directly from TikTok Shop with a few clicks straight from your "for you" page.

Technically, this is TikTok's second Black Friday — TikTok Shop launched September 2023 in the U.S. — but shopping on a short-form social video platform was still a new concept that even the savviest users hadn't fully embraced a year ago.

Since then, TikTok Shop has grown its customer base and become a go-to shopping platform for many young people, especially those interested in health and beauty products. (There are influencers who claim to make six figures from TikTok Shop alone.) With that in mind, here's what to know about how TikTok Shop is approaching Black Friday.

What to know about Black Friday on TikTok Shop

À la brick-and-mortar retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, TikTok Shop is having a Black Friday event. If you scroll through your TikTok feed this week, you're likely to soon come across a creator's video promoting some sort of product with an orange link to a Black Friday sale item.

You can also go to the "Black Friday Brand Palooza" in the app's Shop tab, where you can explore deals up to 55% off. Or, if you already know what you want, use the search bar to see what deals are available.

In a news release, the company said brands are offering deals on thousands of items for Black Friday.

"With everything from the latest trends in fashion and beauty products, home and kitchen essentials, to all the best electronics, toys, books, and more, TikTok Shop is the place to discover something for everyone on your list," it wrote.

The release mentions deals on brands including Phillips, Maybelline New York, Benefit Cosmetics, Liquid IV, HeyDude, Fenty Beauty and The Ordinary Store.

TikTok also wants to make "live shopping" events the next big thing in the U.S. e-commerce space.

In China, shopping promotions in livestreams are incredibly successful; however, that retail format hasn't really caught on yet in the U.S. For Black Friday, TikTok is trying to change that, partnering with celebrities like rapper Nicki Minaj to hold highly-promoted live shopping events for creator brands. It's unclear how successful this push, which began on Nov. 14, ultimately will be.

Are TikTok Shop Black Friday deals good?

The whole idea of TikTok Shop is to make shopping fun and easy, and the deals on the app are supposed to be head-turning. For Black Friday, TikTok Shop has teamed up with a handful of brands to increase the number of deals and the size of discounts.

While there are some genuinely good deals on TikTok Shop, keep in mind that creators have a financial incentive to promote products.

The app has a multi-faceted commission structure. If you buy a beauty product being sold from a brand, for example, TikTok will get a 6% cut, and the creator promoting the video will get paid, too. Brands set creator commissions, typically between 10% to 20%.

It's also important to make sure you're checking where you're buying things from so you have reasonable expectations about the item's quality. TikTok shop includes a mix of "dropshipping" stores selling cheap on-trend items and official brand stores selling their merchandise. You may be able to find higher-quality versions of a product elsewhere.

You should also be mindful of shipping costs and times. Not all items on TikTok Shop include free shipping, and delivery times can be slower compared to sales events like Amazon Prime Day, which includes two-day shipping on most promoted items. The good news: TikTok Shop has a generous return policy for the holiday season, with a Feb. 10, 2025 return deadline for items purchased between Nov. 13 (when its Black Friday event started) and the end of December.

What are TikTok Shop Black Friday coupons?

If you've never shopped on TikTok before, you might find the user interface overwhelming. There are pop-ups, "super deals," flash sales and special offers. There's a lot going on, but don't look past the coupons, which are one of the most popular features on TikTok Shop.

New shoppers can often claim a sizable coupon for their first purchase. But even if you've used TikTok Shop before, there might be a special holiday coupon that can increase your savings.

As always, be careful when shopping online. With a platform like TikTok Shop, it can be tempting to impulse-buy while scrolling.

If you have a tendency to do this and suffer buyer's remorse, pause for a moment to make sure you really need what you're buying. Remember, there's usually no extreme rush to make the purchase, even during a sale event. The item will likely still be available if you leave it in your cart and come back to it later.

While TikTok Shop's flash sales are designed to create a sense of urgency, it pays to keep things in perspective: A small discount on a beauty product, for example, isn't exactly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

More from Money:

Is It Safe to Buy Stuff From TikTok Shop?

Your Secret Weapon This Holiday Shopping Season Could Be... ChatGPT?

Where to Get a Free Turkey This Thanksgiving