TikTok Launches Shop Credit Rewards in the U.S.

TikTok has rolled out a new incentive program in the U.S., offering TikTok Shop credits to users who invite friends to join the platform or actively engage in its in-stream shopping features. The initiative, presented as a “Limited Time Offer,” is part of TikTok’s broader strategy to expand its user base and drive in-app purchases.

The rewards program, visible on users’ “For You” pages, allows participants to earn credits that can be used for shopping directly on the app. The effort mirrors similar campaigns TikTok previously launched in Europe, which were halted after scrutiny by the EU Commission for potential violations of the Digital Services Act.

This U.S.-focused push aligns with TikTok’s dual goals: growing its user base and bolstering its position as a critical platform for American consumers. The timing is significant, as TikTok faces a January 2025 deadline to comply with a U.S. forced sell-off bill aimed at separating the platform from its Chinese ownership. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has argued that the bill effectively amounts to a ban, as the Chinese government has indicated it would block any sale of the platform.

TikTok has emphasized its extensive user base of 170 million Americans in its appeals against the order, suggesting that cutting off the platform would have far-reaching implications for creators and businesses. The Shop credits program may be an attempt to demonstrate the app’s economic impact and user loyalty ahead of potential regulatory action, and to incentivise more users to invite friends and grow the user base ahead of any major decisions about the platform’s future.

Beyond that, it simply provides an easy way to nudge users into bringing friends into the TikTok ecosystem. These credits have a dual purpose of pushing for more in-app sales, something that TikTok has been actively trying to achieve thanks to Douyin’s massive success in that area. This makes the credit system a fairly smart way to judge multiple avenues of success, although it isn’t clear how long the new system will actually last, and its impact on the platform heavily depends on how well it can tempt users into making that first purchase.

All of this combined means that the credits come at a very interesting time in the platform’s history, where TikTok is already majorly successful but may need deeper integration into the shopping side of social media to retain that success. Time will tell if it succeeds, but this credit system will – at the very least – provide users with some helpful benefits if they were already considering making a few purchases through the app. That alone could be enough to kickstart some in-stream shopping habits.