Infomercials Have A New Home On TikTok

We’ve all experienced the annoyance of accidentally leaving the television on overnight, only to wake up to an infomercial trying to sell a cleaning product or a pan you’ll never use. The droning voice reading off a 1-800 number isn’t exactly the ideal alarm clock. While this style of media may feel like a relic of the past, it seems we’re witnessing a vertical reincarnation of these infomercials becoming mainstream on one of today’s biggest entertainment platforms—TikTok. Let’s break down how we got here.

Going Live: TikTok’s Leap Into Live Streaming

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, live-streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming experienced a significant surge in active users. This explosion of social media video consumption served as a catalyst, transforming how we engage with live, real-time media today. Amid this shift, TikTok, rapidly rising in popularity, made it clear that it wanted a share of this growing market.

Recognizing the trend, TikTok launched TikTok Live, a feature allowing users with more than 1,000 followers to broadcast live directly on the platform. By 2022, studies revealed that one in five TikTok users tuned into live streams, with 62% of that audience watching daily. For many creators, TikTok Live has become instrumental in organic growth and community building. With interactive features like multi-guest hosting, polls, and battles, the creative possibilities and opportunities for audience engagement are endless.

A New Marketplace (TikTok Shop)

As TikTok entered 2023, it became evident that the platform had evolved into a hub for creators and drop shippers leveraging affiliate links and Amazon storefronts to market products to consumers. According to Statista, an estimated 37% of U.S. users made purchases either through profile links or directly on the platform in 2023, representing a 31% increase in buyer penetration compared to 2020.

In classic TikTok fashion, it was time to cut out the middleman. On September 12, 2023, TikTok launched TikTok Shop, a marketplace enabling users to purchase items directly on the app. In its launch press release, TikTok highlighted its vision to “bring shoppable videos and LIVE streams directly to For You feeds across the country – and give brands, merchants, and creators the tools to sell directly through shoppable content on the TikTok app.” Staying true to its reputation for interactive native features, TikTok Shop introduced In-feed Video and Live Shopping, Shop Ads, a Product Showcase, and most notably, an affiliate program—opening new opportunities for creators to boost their earnings on the platform.

QVC Meets TikTok

Now that users and brands had the tools in place, it was time to put TikTok Shop Live Streams to work. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have long been staples of holiday shopping in the United States. What once involved midnight madness and trampling crowds fighting over Tickle Me Elmo's has evolved into bots racing to secure coveted items in online carts before they sell out. But as I scrolled through my TikTok feed on Thanksgiving, I noticed a recurring trend that transported me straight back to the early 2000s: QVC-style live events featuring charismatic hosts showcasing products, complete with sales pitches and deals touted as “exclusive” and “only available here.”

I was stunned. Throughout the weekend, my feed became increasingly saturated with these live streams. Each was a top-to-bottom production, complete with clickable links that allowed viewers to purchase discounted items directly through TikTok Shop without leaving the stream. The brands behind these events weren’t small players, either. Names like Crocs, Ninja, Fanttik, and Govee Lights ran several-hour-long TikTok Shop Live Streams during the holiday shopping weekend. The parallels to old-school infomercial programming were striking: instead of calling a 1-800 number, viewers clicked a pop-up to buy. Instead of hosts fielding phone calls, they responded to live chats. Giveaways weren’t for the 10th caller but for a random participant in the chat.

As surprising as it was to witness this revival of a seemingly outdated marketing strategy, it also felt like the start of something new—a potential game-changer for the social media retail market.

A Look Towards The Future

I’m conflicted in my opinion about this new rebooted content style. On one hand, it perfectly aligns with what marketers often advise our brands and clients: meet consumers where they are. These live streams do just that. According to Bloomberg, TikTok’s sales are projected to reach $17.5 billion by the end of 2024. Forbes also reported that at the start of the year, 81.3% of TikTok Shop purchases were made by returning customers—a 64% increase from 2023. With an average of 500 to 1,000 viewers per stream, TikTok Live provides a direct channel to engage with this highly active and loyal Gen Z demographic in real-time.

On the other hand, as decentralized social media gains traction, we’re moving toward a future where users can easily switch platforms with minimal disruption. This shift empowers users to leave platforms if they’re dissatisfied with the content or features they’re offered. Ad fatigue is another factor brands can’t ignore. As marketers, we often advise creating ads that feel like user-generated content—a strategy embraced by platforms like TikTok and Meta. At a glance, these infomercial-style live streams might come off as intrusive ads or even spam to some users. This is a potential user mindset brands should carefully evaluate before diving headfirst into this tactic.

One thing I do know is that this is another pillar holding up the argument that the way consume entertainment, news, and live events are rapidly changing and evolving. Brands that are able to adapt will be the ones that come out on top. Who knows? Along the way, we may stumble across the TikTok version of Billy Mays or the ShamWow Guy.