The Woes Of TikTok Shop Ads: Is The App Trying Too Hard To Please eCommerce Customers?
If you’re an avid user of the TikTok app, you’re probably well aware of how the platform is bombarded with ads related to products from its Shop.
TikTok Shop was officially rolled out in September of last year and we’re certain you might be getting tired of ads popping up in your face related to the same theme over and over again.
Certainly, you’re not the only one as plenty of online forums are showing how more and more TikTok fans are getting sick of endless ads while they scroll across their feeds. We mean five or six ads in a span of 20 videos is a lot to consider.
Some had to do with TikTok shops while others were related to products from Amazon and Sephora. The latter is much more professional than those linked to the TikTok shop which features an orange trolley promoting viral products.
However, experts are now unveiling the secrets behind these pushy and annoying marketing tactics that are quintessential for the app’s business model for eCommerce. They know exactly what they’re doing and it’s supposed to be that way on purpose.
While no intricate details have been shared on this front in terms of which strategy is being employed, ads are shown frequently for a reason. It’s also a strategy that TikTok used after ByteDance saw success with TikTok’s sister app Douyin. But it could be that Chinese locals had more tolerance than others in terms of bearing the huge number of ads being thrown in their faces.
Experts further spoke about how social media is a business that revolves around ads. Meta made a staggering $134B in revenue in 2023 and close to $131B came from advertising alone. So to summarize, social media and ads go hand in hand. This is why TikTok Shop wants to have a great start in places like the US by attaining recognition.
With time, the world also got smarter, and more stringent regulations were rolled out that stopped companies from tracking users and therefore sending them personalized ads based on the data collected. The outcome of reduced ad targeting meant companies like Meta would face losses of millions, thanks to Apple’s privacy laws where users could opt out of tracking.
TikTok is not coming slow, that’s for sure. It’s marketing strategy is very in your face and that might be one reason it’s doing well. Certainly, we would never see apps like Instagram and Facebook bombard users’ feeds with shopping-related content to start off a new eCommerce initiative.
But TikTok is taking that risk because it knows the demand for products in these places might be high and buyers might be keen on purchasing viral products that they see on trending content across feeds.
Another question on people’s minds is if the aggressive marketing strategy could backfire. There are a lot of repetitive ads popping up but at the same time, people love TikTok!
They are addicted to the platform, more now than ever, and certainly are not willing to let it go, despite big complaints arising time after time. Still, the app might need to tweak the frequency because, at the end of the day, there is only so much that one can tolerate before one gets frustrated and leaves.
Remember, the app is known for having the best For You algorithms that show users content that they are craving, depending on their likes and interests. Some referred to it as magical because it had everything that a user would wish to see.
To ruin that illusion with shopping ads might not be a great way to achieve success but again, that’s our personal opinion. What do you think?
Image: DIW-Aigen
H/T: Vox
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