TikTok could have been the world’s prime app by downloads and client spending in 2023, but it surely was not the highest by precise utilization. Final 12 months, Fb once more maintained its №1 place by month-to-month energetic customers, adopted by different Meta-owned apps WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger — all of which have been forward of TikTok at №5. Now new knowledge signifies that TikTok’s progress has began to gradual, begging the query of whether or not the app’s transfer into e-commerce by way of TikTok Store is in charge.

In response to new knowledge from market intelligence agency Sensor Tower, whereas TikTok’s progress stays optimistic, that progress is decelerating. In 2022, TikTok’s month-to-month energetic customers grew a median of 12% year-over-year per quarter, however this determine fell to three% year-over-year per quarter in 2023.

The change comes on the heels of TikTok’s launch of TikTok Store within the U.S.

The video app started testing Store within the U.S. in November 2022 and people exams expanded in the beginning of final 12 months as extra manufacturers got here on board, together with PacSun, Revolve, Willow Boutique, and wonder model Kimchi Stylish, amongst others. Whereas the Store didn’t “formally” launch within the U.S. till September 2023, it was solely one among a number of efforts to translate the affect of TikTok movies — primarily the entire “TikTok made me purchase it” meme — into real-world gross sales.

Final summer time within the U.Okay., for instance, TikTok experimented with an in-app buying part known as “Stylish Beat,” which provided merchandise offered by TikTok dad or mum Byte Dance. TikTok additionally gives an associates program that enables creators to earn commissions from merchandise, as the AP and others have reported.

However sellers’ embrace of the buying platform has began to result in complaints, as Enterprise Insider famous in November, with some lamenting that TikTok Store was turning the app into an “ad-filled wasteland” and a “dystopian” house. Elsewhere on the internet, Redditors have been debating whether or not TikTok Store has “ruined” the app, which is now stuffed with “individuals dropshipping/promoting low cost merchandise,” as one Reddit consumer put it.

“Personally, I’m beginning to get actually irritated by how nearly each different video on my [For You Page] is somebody overhyping a product from the Store characteristic to attempt to get it to go viral and make plenty of commissions,” wrote Redditor u/megg-salad-sammich in September. “It’s nice that it’s a brand new avenue for creators to generate profits, however I discover myself scrolling much less and fewer as a result of I do know just about each video is simply making an attempt to get me to purchase some random factor,” they mentioned.

A search throughout Reddit finds many extra threads complaining of the identical factor all through final 12 months — saying how TikTok is “annoying” now due to TikTok Store and seeing advertisements each few movies is a irritating expertise.

Whereas TikTok customers are adapting to their favourite social community turning into an internet mall, TikTok’s Store Vendor app, which powers its e-commerce initiative, has grown.

Sensor Tower knowledge signifies the Store Vendor’s progress has been “strong” because the fourth quarter of 2022, rising 230% year-over-year as of the fourth quarter of 2023. Nevertheless, the app has solely a fraction of TikTok’s energetic consumer base — presently 1.4 billion as of the primary quarter of this 12 months. Store Vendor, in the meantime, has simply round 6 million month-to-month energetic customers, the agency reported.

Instagram might in the end profit from the consumer frustration round TikTok Store, on condition that the Meta-owned app eliminated its personal Store tab in January of final 12 months and killed off stay buying in March. This might probably make it extra acceptable to these desirous to keep away from extra direct calls to motion to buy in-app.

Meta’s transfer was triggered by broader business developments, which appear to not bode nicely for TikTok Store’s future. Reside buying had blossomed in the course of the pandemic, and e-commerce gross sales skyrocketed. However when issues returned to regular, social commerce (together with stay buying) was discovered to have made up solely round 5% of complete e-commerce gross sales within the U.S. as of 2022. That appeared to point that U.S. customers could not have been as primed to buy straight from movies, although they are clearly nonetheless influenced by on-line developments.

Nevertheless, customers aren’t but so upset with TikTok Store as to desert the app for Instagram Reels.

Sensor Tower discovered that Instagram’s month-to-month energetic consumer progress has been comparatively constant at “mid-single digits” and hasn’t been considerably impacted negatively or positively because the launch of the TikTok Store Vendor app.

Information from one other agency, App figures, additionally helps this conclusion however provides that, though TikTok’s income has been rising, its downloads have been stagnant or dropping greater than rising — a pattern that’s been happening for over a 12 months now, together with each globally and within the U.S.