Dance videos, make-up tips, political opinions – and lots of product recommendations. On TikTok, influencers in particular offer all kinds of entertainment as well as many products. TikTok has now integrated its own store where these products can be purchased directly. This shortens the path to the desired object and entails risks.
Over time, social networks such as TikTok have developed into huge advertising platforms for products. Young people in particular discover things there – whether through influencers, brand profiles or targeted searches. The algorithm shows them products that match their preferences very closely. This creates a high willingness to buy.
In the past, users had to leave TikTok to buy a product externally. Since March 2025, TikTok has now also launched its own store in Germany. It was already active in the USA, the UK, Ireland and Spain.
According to TikTok, users must be at least 18 years old and have entered their bank details in their profile to be able to make a purchase. The entire purchase process runs directly via TikTok – from selection to payment.
The TikTok Shop makes shopping much easier: if a product appears in a video that you find interesting, one click is often all it takes to order it. No changing apps, no searching the internet, no hurdles.
This is particularly appealing to young people who use TikTok for entertainment anyway. The algorithm’s targeted recommendations, based on previous likes and searches, also increase the appeal. The content in the store is also eye-catching, colorful and specially tailored to the trends and interests of young target groups.
Precisely because everything works so quickly and easily, the risk of impulse buying also increases. This can lead to unnecessary spending, dubious purchases (e.g. counterfeit or poor quality products) and the feeling of constantly “missing out” on something.
In addition, children and young people are often unable to assess whether a video contains advertising or not. Many influencers do not label their content sufficiently. Artificial time pressure (“only 2 minutes left”) or scarcity (“almost sold out” or “limited edition”) are also sales strategies that work particularly well with young users.
The return or complaint conditions in the TikTok Shop are also sometimes unclear and difficult to find.
TikTok emphasizes that only users of legal age with registered payment details may use the store. The platform states that it actively takes action against fraudulent providers and obliges influencers to label their advertising. However, there is criticism that these controls are not adequately implemented in practice.
