Drafted 3 April , updated 14 April 2025
Foreword: This article does not consider the possible effects of the trade war between the US and China. And its conclusions have no political implications but only concern the distributional aspect.
The Tik Tok app also offers e- commerce.
Amazon has made a last-minute bid[ long-time high-tech company Walmart has sincejoined the race] to acquire all of TikTok, the popular video app, as it nears an April deadline to part ways with its Chinese owner or face a ban in the US, according to three people familiar with the bid.
But what may have gone unnoticed is that 72 million Europeans have had access to TikTok Shop since 31 March.
As of today, TikTok Shop is available in Germany, France and Italy, where a total of 72.1 million users reside. Among the first sellers are About You and Nivea, as well as local merchants. “TikTok Shop opens up new opportunities for brands of all sizes.”
Profit-first strategy for Marketplace success
Marketplaces can unlock incredible growth opportunities, learn how to build a profit-first marketplace strategy that ensures sustainable success.
TikTok has allowed merchants to register to sell via TikTok Shop in Germany, France and Italy since the end of February. As of today, 31 March, the shopping functionality is officially available in these countries, following its launch in the UK, Spain and Ireland. This brings the number of European countries to six, including the five largest e-commerce markets in Europe. Expansion to other countries on the continent is expected.
E-commerce discovery
TikTok’s shopping function allows users to browse, discover and purchase products without leaving the app. The social media platform claims to create a ‘unique connection’ that increases sales between sellers, creators and users. “This innovative ‘Discovery ecommerce’ model offers a new way of shopping, where product discovery happens naturally through engaging, interest-driven content.”
“TikTok Shop offers a new way of shopping”
Shopping functions are integrated directly into personal feed videos and live content. Brands get their own virtual shop windows, where products and reviews are grouped together.
About you, Nivea, Cabaia and Goovi
For the launch of TikTok Shop in Germany, the company is collaborating with About You – acquired by the Zalando Group – and Nivea, owned by manufacturer Beiersdorf. In France, partnerships include bag manufacturer Cabaia, while in Italy TikTok Shop is collaborating with Goovi, a manufacturer of sustainable beauty products. TikTok Shop also explicitly targets small businesses…
Security
Donald Trump announced on Friday 4 April that he would postpone the deadline for the sale of the Chinese social network TikTok by seventy-five days. The deadline is now 19 June. At the end of January, the US president had already postponed for the first time the entry into force of a law passed in 2024 by Congress, which requires the social network’s parent company, ByteDance, to cede control or face a ban in the US.
This text was intended to prevent Beijing from getting its hands on the personal data of TikTok users in the United States, or from being able to influence American public opinion through the social network’s powerful algorithm, although no evidence was ever produced to justify these fears [but we will see shortly that they are not so unfounded]
The sale requires the green light from ByteDance, but also from the Chinese authorities, but neither has validated the very idea of a sale….
It should be noted that there is a data security problem for Tik Tok in Europe: Tik Tok risks a fine of more than €500 million for EU data sent to China.
The structure is manipulable, as demonstrated by the case of Romania where Putin tried to destabilise the current government, especially through the Chinese app.
The report also covers other countries (Germany, Croatia, France, Greece… but also Italy). You can find very interesting summaries on X, under the profile of Ander Bruckestand.
The two operations (US and Europe) are not linked, Amazon would only buy the US branch of Tik Tok, but what is interesting to note is the trend that has been going on for some time, namely how marketplaces are becoming more and more popular.
They are now a key hub for non-food sales.
To give an example: the marketplace drives the online growth of Decathlon ( Auchan group).
Last year, Decathlon generated 26% of its online trade volume in Germany. The market share within this has almost doubled in just one year. The platform acts as a catalyst for Decathlon’s growth, both in Germany and abroad.
And Amazon tests a food marketplace: this in my opinion is a possible epochal revolution (I dread to think what could happen in Europe, in Italy…).
On the subject read this article.
Conclusion: the future of our commerce, via e-commerce, is in danger of speaking American, German and Chinese.
Zalando, we have said, is Tik Tok‘s partner in Germany while we are waiting to know who will be its partner in Italy.
Certainly between being a partner in a marketplace or participating in the rescue of Coin – whose debts now almost equal its turnover – I would choose the first option.
Department stores have no future (but there are those who, strangely enough, still believe in them).
