TikTok shop has thrown its hat in the ring with one of the largest emerging markets; second-hand fashion. With sustainability at the forefront of consumers’ minds, it makes sense for one of the world’s biggest apps to join the emerging ‘re-commerce’ trend. Pre-loved clothing is growing within the UK, with 60% of online shoppers stating they have bought pre-loved items. Moreover, it is a fast-growing fashion sector, within the next decade it is projected to see a 493% increase. We have already seen brands pivot strategies to capitalise on this market, such as ASOS welcoming their marketplace. Alongside this, there are dedicated apps for preloved items such as; Depop, Ebay and Vestiaire collective. As TikTok has seen success in launching TikTok shop, they have seen a spike in hashtags surrounding the category, such as 28bn views on #vintage. TikTok have spotted the opportunity, but what does re-commerce mean for eCommerce?
It means TikTok is going where the numbers are and reacting to what the audience want. This furthermore highlights the cruciality of brands having a presence on TikTok. Creating this new category means another avenue for brands, marketing, and sales. Clients are so often unaware of the audience share they are missing, by not extending their strategy beyond Meta to TikTok, even from an organic perspective. This is well aligned with the fact TikTok sales are discovery-based, with 65% of users purchasing a brand they found on the app. A paid strategy on the platform has often been seen to complement the existing organic presence, as TikTok is continuously expanding its categories, it is vital brands from all verticals are not left behind due to underestimating the impact platform presence. Changes we expect to see to the ad landscape, due to the nature of second-hand selling, is even more UGC. TikTok has notoriously unpolished content, pre-loved clothing is typically accompanied by a story or personal connection. We are seeing a shift higher performing ads toward more personable content, where the audience gets to know the brand beyond the product, which is vital in your social strategy.
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