TikTok Shop arrives in Italy: features and reasons to use it

What does "Social Commerce" mean? Let's clarify

In recent years, platforms like Instagram and TikTok have transformed into digital shop windows, where users discover outfits, home décor, recipes, and much more, accessing suppliers’ websites with a simple click. This shift is particularly evident among young people: 85% of Gen Z shoppers claim to be influenced by social media in their purchasing decisions, while the influencer marketing sector has reached a value of €21.1 billion, more than doubling since 2021 (source: Statista).

But today, inspiration alone is no longer enough: social commerce, which merges social media and e-commerce, represents the new frontier of online shopping.

This innovative sales approach streamlines the purchasing process while offering an engaging and interactive experience, where creative content and influencer reviews turn every scroll into a sales opportunity. According to Statista, this shift is redefining digital commerce, with the global social commerce market expected to reach $3.369 trillion by 2028.

TikTok Shop: What is it and what features does it offer?

Launched in 2016 as a platform for short, creative, and entertaining videos, TikTok quickly gained a global audience, becoming a cultural phenomenon, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. Its ability to capture attention with viral content has transformed it into one of the most visited social networks, with over 1.2 billion monthly active users. (source: Datareportal).

Today, TikTok goes beyond entertainment and aims to redefine digital commerce with TikTok Shop, a new feature that integrates e-commerce into the social media platform, allowing users to discover and purchase products directly from the app.

TikTok Shop offers an experience that combines engaging content, live streaming, and seamless shopping functionality, enriching the user experience with innovative features:

• Live shopping: Live events allow creators and brands to promote and sell products in real-time, creating direct interaction with the audience and encouraging impulsive purchases.

• Shoppable videos: Video content posted on the platform becomes a true sales tool, offering users the opportunity to purchase products directly from the content they are consuming.

• Shop page: Every creator or brand profile can host a complete catalog of their products on their page.

• Shop tab: Inside the app, there is a centralised marketplace optimised based on each user's preferences, allowing them to explore products and offers from different sellers.

TikTok Shop: The benefits of using it

TikTok Shop offers a unique combination of visibility and interaction, making it an essential tool for brands that want to maintain a modern approach in line with the current trends of online shopping.

Let’s take a look at the main benefits of TikTok Shop:

1. Global visibility: Thanks to its widespread reach, the platform allows brands to connect with a young and highly interactive audience. TikTok provides fertile ground for building connections with digital natives, who represent an increasingly significant portion of the market.

2. Advanced algorithms: The algorithms that drive content selection are designed to maximise visibility by prioritising relevance and engagement. This boosts impulse buying. Additionally, thanks to the platform's ability to make a video go viral, even small brands can achieve visibility that would require significant advertising investments on other platforms.

3. Entertainment meets shopping: TikTok Shop creates a unique customer journey by combining entertainment with a smooth and engaging shopping experience. Users discover products and experience them through stories, trends, and creative content that stimulate emotions and interaction.

4. Integrated analytics tools: TikTok Shop provides detailed dashboards and reports that help sellers track product performance, analyse customer behaviour, and optimise their sales strategies in real time.

5. Strategic collaborations: The platform makes it easy to collaborate with influencers and creators, allowing brands to leverage their credibility and authenticity to amplify their message and generate greater trust among buyers.

When will TikTok Shop arrive in Italy?

After a testing phase in select markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia, TikTok Shop Italy has finally gone live as of 31st March 2025. The official launch has been eagerly anticipated, and we are confident that, once adopted on a large scale, TikTok Shop will offer extraordinary opportunities for digital commerce in our beautiful country.