TikTok exploded in popularity as soon as it appeared on the scene, and not only did it manage to amass a substantial audience but retain it, too.

If a product goes viral on TikTok, it goes out of stock for months since everyone and their grandma wants to get their hands on it. This phenomenon contributed to TikTok coming up with the TikTok Shopping feature.

So, let's check out TikTok Shopping and see if it helps the platform or drives people off it.

What Is TikTok Shopping?

TikTok Shopping lets the creator feature a product link that, once clicked, redirects you to one or more items you can then buy. It comes in clutch when a TikToker does a shopping haul or a makeup tutorial and uses many products in one video.

With the Shopping feature, you can click a single link and have the option to purchase everything shown in the video clip. And all that without leaving the app.

It's convenient for viewers and profitable for brands and creators as companies can craft sponsorships with TikTok stars to make the most of the feature. For example, if the content creator uses and lists a brand's products in a TikTok, the brand gains eyes on its product and potential new customers. It's a win-win for all parties. Or, at least, that's how it seems.

Instagram has a similar feature implemented in its Reels, which is why many have started to compare the two platforms.

TikTok's Shopping Feature: The Good and the Bad

TikTok's Shopping feature has its positives and negatives, but neither stands out as the one to tip the scales in its favor.

The Biggest Advantage: Convenience Is Key

As already mentioned, nothing beats the convenience aspect of TikTok's Shopping feature. If you're interested in a product featured in a TikTok, just click the link, and you can get it for yourself. Likewise, if you're curious how much something costs, you're a click away from finding out.

You no longer have to scour the web yourself trying to find that exact product you saw—it's just there, waiting for you to show interest and click.

The Biggest Disadvantage: Creators Abusing the Feature

If the shopping links get too frequent, they're no longer a treat but an irritant. If every post on your For You Page (FYP) contains links to press, that gets annoying pretty fast.

You can have too much of a good thing, which could eventually shy users away from the platform.

The Threat of Influencers and Brands Overusing TikTok Shopping

When you consider yourself, the viewer, it shouldn't matter whether brands decide to extend their sponsorship to popular TikTokers, or creators post too much branded content on the platform.

Learn TikTok's algorithm and change your FYP to your liking with DIY clips, comedy sketches, pet or plant-related videos, clothes hauls, a minute or ten-minute long. Whatever the case, TikTok is not a shopping app. The fact that you can see a product that interests you, and it's convenient for you to get it is a bonus, but it's not a requirement for the platform. Right?

TikTok is an app for people to go and lose several hours of their free time aimlessly scrolling and wondering where the time went. Shopping is hardly the prime objective.

So, would TikTok steer itself more toward encouraging its creators to push products and its viewers to buy them? Is TikTok Shopping pushing viewers towards or away from the platform?

There are certainly concerns about TikTokers overusing the feature, with brands using creators to plug their products to the point of everyone getting sick of the feature itself.

For now, TikTok's Shopping feature is still relatively new and, therefore, a novelty. Many see only the positives and are happy they can finally click and buy that magical blush they just saw in a TikTok review. But whether that lasts in the long run is yet to be determined.

TikTok Is Working to Change, but Is Change What Users Want?

Like many other platforms, TikTok works to better itself, implementing changes and new features in order to improve the app and user experience.

The Shopping feature is a relatively recent addition, along with updates in community guidelines and policies and bettering how the algorithm works. TikTok makes a point to continuously attempt to improve itself for both creators and casual viewers.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with trying to change for the better. But first, you should know the answer to this: Are the changes you wish to implement, in fact, for the betterment of the platform? Or is it just a mere cash grab attempt?

Blurring the Lines: TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels

TikTok has been known as the platform where you go to consume short-form content. Yet, the platform has increased the maximum video length several times since its inception. It began with 15 seconds which grew to 60 seconds, then three minutes, and it's now ten minutes.

While TikTok looks to change and become more like YouTube and Instagram, both other platforms are trying to be more like TikTok, introducing short-form content on their platforms with Reels and Shorts.

So, you wonder, is TikTok progressing or regressing?