President Trump has once again pushed out the deadline of a Congressional order requiring that TikTok be sold to a U.S.-based company or be banned. This marks the third delay of the order, which was originally supposed to take effect in January.
A deal was rumored to be nearly final earlier this spring, but the announcement of President Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” in April prompted China to put the conversation on hold. Now, Trump has again delayed enforcement of the law for 90 more days, until Sept. 17, 2025. This latest delay comes in the wake of a meeting in London last week between the U.S. and China to get stalled trade negotiations back on track, with analysts saying that the fate of TikTok is now inextricably tied to the larger trade dispute.
TikTok said in a statement that it is “grateful for President Trump’s leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform.”
Sales on TikTok Shop Climb 120%
For its part, TikTok has continued to move full steam ahead in America throughout this period of uncertainty, particularly in the realm of ecommerce. In March, Adolfo Fernández, TikTok’s Global Head of Commerce Product Strategy and Operations, told Retail TouchPoints that he and the company were “not worried about the future at all,” and said he’s “motivated and excited” about what’s ahead for TikTok in America.
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And last week, the platform hosted its first-ever TikTok Shop Summit for online sellers where it highlighted some impressive stats, including the fact that TikTok sellers now cover 750 categories and 70 million products. Not only that, but U.S. sales on TikTok Shop are up 120% compared to last year, and sales for U.S. small businesses specifically have grown 70% year-over-year, with over one-third of all TikTok Shop purchases in the U.S. each month being made with small businesses.
“Today, millions of people are discovering products they love on TikTok through shoppable videos and livestreams from sellers and creators who demonstrate how the products actually work and answer all your questions in real time,” reads a company blog post following the event. “We call this ‘discovery ecommerce.’”
Women’s wear, beauty and personal care, health, sports and outdoors, and electronics were among the top-selling categories in 2024. And new research conducted by GlobalData and TikTok Shop found that 83% of all TikTok shoppers say they have discovered a new product on TikTok Shop, with 70% discovering a new brand.
TikTok Forges Ahead in U.S. Despite Uncertainty
Far from pulling back in the face of potential new owners or even an outright ban, TikTok is doubling down on its ecommerce efforts with a series of new tools and resources to help businesses grow their sales and keep shoppers coming back. Recent additions include:
- A new tool in Seller Center that provides tailored, actionable guidance aligned with TikTok’s A.C.E. (Assortment, Content and Empowerment) growth framework. The tool aims to help sellers better attract the right audience to drive sales;
- TikTok Shop will host a major sales event, Deals for You Days, from July 7-19 (during and beyond Amazon Prime Days) with deals of up to 50% off;
- The launch of a ‘Live Price-Match Guaranteed’ program that will offer customers who are watching select Deals for You Days livestreams the ability to get cash back if they find a lower price somewhere besides TikTok; and
- New seller badges (in addition to the badges introduced in February) aimed at helping customers find and shop with high-quality and trustworthy sellers.
“People don’t come to TikTok Shop just to buy — they come to explore and discover,” explained the company in the blog post. “It might be a creator styling an everyday outfit, a small business owner sharing the story behind their product or a Live session that feels like shopping with a friend. Our platform brings the convenience of online shopping together with the joyful entertainment you get through shoppable videos and livestreams: that’s the power of TikTok Shop.”
