TikTok Shop Achieved $15 Billion in Sales Last Year, but Half of Its Stores Sold Nothing
Despite TikTok Shop's rapid growth in the U.S., becoming one of the fastest-growing channels in retail history, performance within the platform is highly polarized. The vast majority of stores failed to make sales, with only a few top merchants and creators capturing most of the market share, creating significant competition and customer acquisition challenges for new sellers.
What are the key facts?
- 12025 U.S. sales of $15.1 billion
- 2Year-on-year growth of 68%
- 3Over 50% of registered stores had no sales last year
- 4Only about 2,000 stores exceeded $1 million in sales
What happened?
TikTok Shop achieved $15.1 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2025, a 68% year-on-year growth. However, the platform exhibits a severe '80/20 rule': over half of the 803,500 registered stores recorded no sales last year, with only about 2,000 stores exceeding $1 million in annual sales. Similarly, most creators made less than $10,000 annually.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
The platform's traffic dividend period has passed; merely joining does not guarantee profits. Sellers need strong short video content creation or live sales capabilities, or they risk becoming 'zombie stores.'