A few years ago, hardly anyone was talking about TikTok Shop.
Most ecommerce founders saw it as a curiosity.
A side project.
Maybe a place for influencers, but not a real sales channel.
Then sellers started posting numbers that didn’t make sense.
Days where one product would move thousands of units.
Creators driving more sales than traditional ads.
Categories exploding seemingly overnight.
And right behind a lot of that momentum was today’s guest.
Welcome to episode #49 of The Ecommerce Revolution Podcast. Each week, we feature a guest who’s an expert in their field to share real strategies to help you launch, grow, and win in commerce. If you want support on your journey, join our community of hundreds of entrepreneurs and get access to content, coaching, workshops, and a private network of fellow ecommerce entrepreneurs.
Jessamine Dong built CreatoRev into the first certified TikTok Shop agency partner in the United States. Her team helped seed the earliest top sellers, tested the first winning playbooks, and watched the ecosystem evolve from a handful of brave sellers to one of the fastest-growing commerce platforms in the world.
When we spoke, I wanted to get past the hype.
I wanted to understand what is actually real.
Here is what Jessamine shared.
TikTok Shop does not behave like traditional ecommerce
Most founders walk into TikTok Shop thinking it will operate like Amazon or Shopify.
Upload your product.
Add photos.
Publish.
Wait.
That is not how TikTok Shop works.
TikTok is entertainment first.
TikTok Shop succeeds when the product becomes part of a moment: a reaction, a curiosity, a spark of emotion. Sellers who win understand that their first job is not to sell. It is to get attention.
As Jessamine put it: if your product cannot stop the scroll, it has no chance.
Creators shape everything
On Amazon, reviews drive trust.
On TikTok Shop, creators drive desire.
But there is a twist.
In the United States, there are many more sellers than creators. That imbalance gives creators the leverage. They choose the products they want to work with, the offers they accept, and the stories they want to tell.
Good product is not enough.
You also need clear messaging, strong incentives, and an angle creators can run with.
When a creator hits the right note, it feels like flipping a switch.
Scaling requires intention
Many sellers believe TikTok Shop is a lottery.
If the right video hits, you win.
Jessamine sees it differently.
Momentum is intentional.
The sellers who keep growing are the ones who:
Test many creators
Boost the content that works
Strengthen the offer
Track performance daily
Iterate instead of guessing
Nothing about it is random.
There is a rhythm to it.
Once the rhythm clicks, TikTok Shop starts influencing sales everywhere: on Shopify, on Amazon, and even in retail.
The opportunity is getting bigger, not smaller
Jessamine’s team is expanding into Mexico, Brazil, Spain, France, and the UK. She sees growth curves in those markets that look just like the early United States curve.
For founders thinking about selling internationally, TikTok Shop removes many barriers.
The infrastructure is already in place.
The demand is rising.
And creators in emerging markets are eager for new products.
It is a rare moment when global expansion is this accessible.
AI helps, but authenticity wins
At the end of our conversation, I asked Jessamine how she uses AI in her business.
Her answer was simple.
AI speeds up planning, scripts, workflow, and operations.
But it does not replace the human behind the camera.
Creators still win by being themselves.
Sellers still win by building trust through personality and clarity.
AI is a tool.
Connection is the advantage.
P.S. A quick industry update worth noting
TikTok Shop is already shifting in ways that matter for every seller watching the platform.
According to a recent analysis from Modern Retail, the average price of products sold on TikTok Shop is climbing fast. What started as a bargain-heavy marketplace filled with ultra-low-cost items is maturing into a channel where higher-priced goods are gaining real traction. Categories like beauty, electronics, and home goods have seen meaningful increases in average order value over the past few months.
This signals two important things.
First, customers are becoming more comfortable buying more expensive items on TikTok Shop.
Second, sellers with mid-range and premium products may find more opportunity than they did even six months ago.
For emerging ecommerce founders, this trend matters. It reflects a platform that is moving away from the perception of being a discount outlet and evolving into a mainstream shopping channel where strong brands can compete and win.
Source: Modern Retail, “TikTok Shop sheds bargain bin reputation as average prices climb across categories.”
