The TikTok Shop's appeal

Payday sales, vouchers and giveaways are some ways the platform is making social shopping addictive

- Teo Kai Xiang

Mr Jotham Lim spends six to seven hours a day live-streaming, selling goods such as serums for hair loss and anti-hangover supplements from the comfort of his home.

The 35-year-old "live seller", who makes between $20,000 and $30,000 each month, is part of TikTok's fast-growing army of creators who are turning social media scrolling into social shopping, blurring the lines between entertainment and commerce.

According to a TikTok spokesperson, the company has seen an 87 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of shoppers on TikTok Shop in July, without revealing actual figures.

Gross merchandise value (GMV), or the total value of merchandise that is sold for live streams, has surged by 90 per cent over the same period, adds its spokesperson. The number of active local brands on the platform has also grown 58 per cent year-on-year in July.

In Singapore, an average of 2,800 TikTok Shop live streams took place every day in July.

As one scrolls through TikTok, posts by creators containing affiliate links are the most visible manifestation of social shopping.

These posts feature a broad range of goods, from viral oddities reliant on video marketing such as ultrasonic pest repellents, to noodles and massage chairs from well-known brands like Haidilao and Osim.

"Guys, I bought this and, three weeks later, look at all the ants that are dead underneath my table," gushes one TikTok user, marvelling at a $3.90 ultrasonic pest-repelling device available via an affiliate link in the same video. "Just click on this link to order."

But buyer beware, as such devices have been criticised for their lack of scientific backing by the United States Federal Trade Commission and multiple laboratory studies.

Whether you hit the buy button, creators say the real money lies in live streams, where the revenue from each stream dwarfs the commission one makes from a short video post.