Tuesday, July 18

#1 - 🛍️ TikTok is rolling out a "shop” tab

📰 TL;DR - Select users on TikTok are now seeing a new “shop” tab on their homepage, next to the For You page. This article has a screenshot so you can see what it looks like. Clicking through, users will see TikTok Shop — which appears to contain brands who are participating in TikTok Shop. It’s totally unclear how users who have access were selected, but clearly TikTok is experimenting with how to promote shopping in the app.

💡 Insight - I wish I could see the TikTok shop tab myself, but alas, I don’t have it. My spidey senses say the UK is getting most of this, since a lot of the screenshots I’m seeing show pound symbols. This seems like a step in a good direction, though. For brands using TikTok shop, it appears as a tab on your own profile page, but considering most people are using TikTok through the For You page, I question how much action that tab gets. Putting it on the home page offers more exposure. It also raises a ton of questions like how that tab is curated.

➡️ You can read the article here...

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#3 - 🎉 The power of entertainment

📰 TL;DR - Dash Hudson has put out their big social media trends report for 2023. To get it, you need a company email address (as in, not gmail/hotmail/yahoo) but this summary has some highlights. For example the need to be entertaining. The report found that brands that managed to have an actually entertaining social media presence are the ones that got ahead. And, interestingly, its beauty brands that have really nailed this down. They particularly call out Leneige and Kylie Cosmetics. Another interesting tidbit is that creators see higher engagement rates when they work with brands, and brands have higher engagement working with creators than posting on their own.

💡 Insight - I had a look at Leneige and Kylie to try and get a sense of what is actually considered entertaining, and it seems to be what that second point mentions: creators. Both brands make a point of working with well-known creators in their content. Kylie, of course, also has the benefit of Kylie herself. This would be a good report to cite when reaching out to influencers — you’re really boosting each other’s presence. Beauty brands are truly some of the most successful on platforms like TikTok, so they’re a great source of inspiration if your creativity is running dry.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

🎥 LIVE SHOPPING - Livestream shopping remains a touchy subject, but if you’re interested, this piece makes the case for it.

🧶 ETSY - Here are some tips from an Etsy shop owner who made nearly $1 million in her first year.

💼 E-COMM JOBS - Like many other spaces in tech, the e-commerce job market has been tough. This expert talks about why.

🧐 MICRO-INFLUENCERS - There’s a lot of hype around small influencers, but do they deserve it? This piece makes the case for and against micro-influencers.

#5 - ✊🏿 Diddy launches marketplace for Black-owned brands

📰 TL;DR - Sean “Diddy” Combs has put his personal brand and $20 million behind Empower Global, a marketplace specifically for Black-owned businesses. His inspiration is creating a Black Wall Street. It has launched with 70 brands and plans to add new ones monthly. The website itself is pretty slick and has a high-end feel.

💡 Insight - This follows my personal prediction that we’re going to be seeing more niche e-commerce marketplaces and platforms. While I do wish the site had more categories to choose from (rather than having to scroll and play with the filters), it looks pretty good. And if you’re a Black-owned business, it’s great to see options like this, although I will note it’s certainly not the first Black-owned marketplace out there. What’s really notable here is the investment and brand recognition from Diddy.

➡️ You can read the article here...