What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is an in-app shopping feature within the TikTok app that allows users to shop directly through the platform without leaving the app. It was first introduced in 2021 as a pilot in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia before expanding globally (https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/introducing-tiktok-shop).
TikTok Shop enables brands and creators to set up digital “storefronts” and showcase products on their TikTok profiles. Users can view product catalogs, watch shopping livestreams, and complete purchases seamlessly within TikTok without having to visit external sites or apps. Transactions are processed through TikTok’s partnerships with ecommerce platforms like Shopify.
Key features of TikTok Shop include:
- Shoppable videos that allow users to tap on products while browsing TikTok
- Live shopping streams where influencers promote and sell products in real time
- Shop tabs on brand/creator profiles with full product catalogs
- In-app payments and checkout process
The TikTok Shop experience aims to provide an engaging and entertaining shopping environment by leveraging influencer marketing and video commerce trends.
Why Users Might Want to Turn Off TikTok Shop
Some TikTok users may find the shopping features distracting or irrelevant to their interests. The platform’s integration with ecommerce can clutter feeds with products and livestreams that don’t align with what a user wants to see. According to a Reddit thread, some users feel there is “an additional page specifically for shops” that they did not sign up for.
Other users simply prefer to do their online shopping on dedicated ecommerce platforms like Amazon or Etsy. They use TikTok for entertainment and socializing, not shopping. Displaying too many products in feeds or recommendations could disrupt the experience they expect from the app.
Additionally, users may wish to avoid sponsored or promoted products in their feeds. While native advertising allows creators to monetize, some viewers dislike seeing “disguised ads.” By turning off TikTok Shop, users can reduce the exposure to products that brands pay to highlight.
How to Turn Off TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop can be disabled through the app’s settings. Here are the step-by-step instructions for turning off the various TikTok Shop features:
To turn off the Shop tab, go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, select “Settings and privacy”, choose “Content preferences”, and toggle off “Shopping”. This will remove the Shop tab from the bottom navigation bar.
To stop shoppable videos and livestreams showing in your For You feed, go to “Settings and privacy” > “Content preferences” and toggle off “Interests and ads”. This will stop TikTok from recommending shoppable content based on your interests.
You can opt out of targeted ads in Settings under “Privacy and safety”. Toggle “Personalized ads” off and TikTok will no longer use your watch history to serve relevant ads.
To remove the shopping bag icon from your profile, go to your profile, tap “Edit profile”, select the shopping bag icon, and tap “Remove”.
Following these steps will allow you to fully disable the TikTok Shop experience. However, you may still see some non-targeted ads for online stores.
Turning Off Shop Tab and Livestreams
If you want to completely remove the Shop tab from your TikTok app, unfortunately this is not possible. The Shop tab is a default feature that cannot be turned off or hidden (1). However, you can stop Shop livestreams from appearing in your For You feed.
To turn off Shop livestreams:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on the Profile icon in the bottom right.
- Tap on the three dots in the top right corner to open the Settings menu.
- Select “Digital Wellbeing” then “Turn off.”
- Toggle “Shopping streams” off.
This will prevent any Shop live broadcasts from showing up in your main feed. The Shop tab itself will still be present, but you won’t see sellers promoting products live if you have this setting disabled (2).
Stopping Shop Product Recommendations
If you want to stop seeing shop product recommendations in your For You feed, there are a couple steps you can take:
Clear your product viewing history – This will remove the data TikTok uses to recommend shop products to you. To do this, go to your profile, tap the 3 lines in the top right corner, choose “Settings and privacy”, then “Watch history”. Tap the gear icon and select “Clear history”. This will wipe your viewing history, including any shop products you’ve looked at (source).
Turn off “You May Like” suggestions – In your settings, go to “Suggested accounts” and toggle off “You May Like” to stop seeing recommended products. You can also long press on any shop product recommendation and choose “Not interested” (source).
By clearing your history and disabling suggestions, you should see far fewer shop products in your feed going forward.
Opting Out of Targeted Ads
One of the ways that TikTok personalizes advertisements is through targeted ads based on your interests and activity on the app. If you want to limit TikTok’s ability to serve you targeted ads, there are a few things you can do to opt out of interest-based advertising:
In your TikTok account settings, you can turn off “Personalized ads” which utilizes your TikTok data to serve you tailored ads. Go to your profile, tap the menu icon in the top right, select “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy” and toggle off “Personalized ads.” This will stop TikTok from using your data to customize ads.[1]
You can also reset your advertising ID which clears the data associated with that ID that TikTok uses to serve targeted ads. On Android, go to Settings > Google > Ads > Reset advertising ID. On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising > Reset Advertising Identifier.[2]
Additionally, you can disable interest-based ads targeting in your account privacy settings on TikTok. Go to your profile, tap the menu, select “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy” and disable “Enable interest-based ads.” This prevents your interests from being used to personalize the ads you see.[1]
While these options don’t block ads completely, they give you more control over limiting targeted ads based on your TikTok data and interests. You will still see generic ads, but they will be less personalized.
Shopping Experience Without TikTok Shop
Turning off TikTok Shop features will change the overall shopping experience on the app. Without the Shop tab, live shopping streams, and product recommendations, the focus will shift back to the main feed and content from creators.
Some key differences in the experience without TikTok Shop include:
– No dedicated tab for browsing products or stores. The shopping elements will be removed from the main interface.
– Livestreams will focus just on creators without direct product sales capabilities.
– Recommendations and ads will be less targeted to users’ shopping behavior and interests. They may seem more random or unrelated.
– Less temptation and friction to click and purchase items directly in the app. The experience will feel more passive and lean back.
– More focus on engaging with the content, videos, creators without constant shopping prompts.
So the experience will feel more like pre-Shop TikTok, with its core focus on content consumption and creation. While some may miss the integrated shopping capabilities, others will appreciate less shopping overload.
Pros and Cons of Disabling TikTok Shop
There are both advantages and potential drawbacks to disabling TikTok Shop. Here are some of the key pros and cons to weigh when deciding whether to turn off shopping features:
Benefits of Disabling TikTok Shop
Some of the benefits of disabling TikTok Shop include:
- Avoid seeing shopping recommendations and ads if you have no interest in buying products on TikTok
- More control over your feed and what content you see
- Less clutter if you only want to use TikTok for entertainment or connecting with friends
- Increased privacy if you don’t want TikTok collecting data related to your shopping habits
As one TikTok user explained, “I realized I was wasting too much time just scrolling and shopping. Turning off the shop made my experience more positive again” (Source).
Drawbacks of Losing Shop Features
However, there are some potential downsides of disabling TikTok Shop to consider:
- Lose access to exclusive deals and products only available through TikTok Shop
- Miss out on convenience of shopping directly within TikTok app
- Creators lose out on potential earnings from Shop features and affiliate commissions
- Harder to discover and purchase products mentioned by creators you follow
“The shop feature was amazing for easily purchasing products I discovered on TikTok. I wish there was a way to keep that without all the other shopping distractions,” said one user (Source).
Additional Ways to Control Shopping
Beyond turning off the Shop tab and shoppable videos, there are some additional customization settings related to shopping available in TikTok:1
– You can control whether you see shopping ads in your For You feed. Go to Settings > Privacy > Ad Preferences to opt out of “Shopping ads”.
– Under Privacy settings, you can also opt out of TikTok using your activity to personalize ads. This means you may see fewer shopping recommendations tailored specifically to your interests.
– For live streams focused on selling products, you can hide the shopping cart icon that pops up. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Focus Mode and toggle off “Show Live Shopping Cart”.
So by adjusting these settings, you can further limit shopping features and tailor TikTok to focus more on entertainment and socializing rather than shopping. But keep in mind you may still occasionally come across shoppable videos or shopping ads since they are now common parts of the TikTok experience.
The Future of TikTok Shop
TikTok has big plans for expanding TikTok Shop globally. According to Insider Intelligence, TikTok is aiming to grow TikTok Shop’s gross merchandise value (GMV) in the U.S. alone to over $12 billion in 2023, up from just $1.7 billion in 2022 [1]. TikTok Shop launched in the UK in 2022 and is expected to expand to new markets in Southeast Asia and Europe in 2023.
TikTok sees major potential in livestream shopping and is aggressively moving into this space. Livestream shopping made up 3% of China’s e-commerce market in 2020, but TikTok projects it could account for 20% of e-commerce in Southeast Asia by 2025 according to Search Engine Land [2]. As part of its expansion plans, TikTok aims to recruit around 7,000 merchants to participate in live-shopping streams.
To support its e-commerce ambitions, TikTok is heavily investing in fulfillment infrastructure in the U.S., including plans for U.S. fulfillment centers. The company clearly has its sights set on competing with the likes of Amazon as a major e-commerce platform.
