In Europe, TikTok (a subsidiary of ByteDance, 2024 turnover: US$155 billion, up by 38% in one year) launched an integrated e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, on March 31 in France, Germany and Italy. For brands and retailers already selling on the platform (such as Carrefour, Blissim, Boulanger, Izipizi and Merci Handy), the catalogue offering cannot be conceived in the same way as in traditional e-commerce. Indeed, the role of the algorithm, the logic of impulse buying and the power of influencers to influence purchasing decisions require more careful consideration. According to experts interviewed by mind Retail, the challenge is to build an offering in an ecosystem that functions first and foremost as a social network, before thinking in terms of a marketplace.
Cosmetics, fashion and food: the dominant categories in Europe
In Europe, the most popular categories in terms of sales are beauty, fashion and food. According to NielsenIQ figures presented at NRF Europe on September 16, 2025, in the U.K., the beauty category accounted for 26% of the platform’s sales in the year to August 31, 2025 (down by 3 points in a year), fashion for 20% (stable) and non-perishable food for 14% (down 1 point year-on-year). Home decoration followed with an 11%-share (up by 1 point), then sports and automotive with 10% (up by 1 point). For France, Alexandre Giraudeau, Director of Partnerships, did not specify the market shares of the best-selling categories.
Journaliste économique pour mind Retail depuis 2024, j’analyse la transformation digitale du commerce.