TikTok Shop Expands Across Continental Europe

TikTok Shop operates differently from most e-commerce retailers because it did not begin as one. The platform grew out of the short-form video app, expanding from entertainment into buying and selling. The concept first appeared in China through Douyin, TikTok’s sister application. Southeast Asia adopted the model next under the TikTok Shop name, and the service reached Europe in 2021. Today, TikTok Shop connects millions of shoppers and sellers across the globe.

Continental Expansion in 2026

TikTok Shop launched in the United Kingdom in 2021, followed by Ireland and Spain in late 2024. The platform entered France, Germany and Italy in 2025. Continental Europe saw its first major expansion on June 15, 2026, when TikTok Shop opened in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Austria. TikTok Shop later disputed claims that it had planned a 2022 launch in continental Europe, stating it was focused on getting the UK offering right.

Europe has played a minor role in TikTok Shop’s overall business so far. The region accounted for only 7% of the platform’s total GMV in 2025. Southeast Asia generated 69% of the platform’s revenue that year, followed by the United States at 22%. This gap reflects the time TikTok Shop had to establish itself in Asian markets. The marketplace-led structure of Southeast Asian e-commerce also helped TikTok Shop gain share from incumbents like Shopee and Lazada. A young, mobile-first population and a culture that supports shoppable videos contributed to that growth. Overall, TikTok Shop is projected to reach €106.0 billion GMV in 2026. TikTok Shop’s most important single market remains the United States, followed by Indonesia.

TikTok Shop’s performance in Europe still depends heavily on timing. The UK generated €2.63 billion in GMV in 2025 and is projected to reach €4.89 billion in 2026. The remaining markets account for roughly one third of the continent’s total GMV, showing how much the UK dominates the region. Overall, Europe generated €4.07 billion in GMV in 2025, and the markets outside the UK account for only about one third of it.

In Europe, most purchases on TikTok Shop come from shoppable videos, which account for 64% of total sales across Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. German users show the strongest preference for video content, while livestreams contribute only a small portion of revenue there. Overall, livestreams account for 17% of GMV across the four markets. Product cards outpace them by 2 percentage points. However, in France and Italy, livestreams actually outperform product cards, whereas Germany and Spain favor the latter. Product cards function like digital storefronts, allowing purchases outside of videos or live sessions—similar to traditional e-commerce listings—but lack the interactive social features. Since most users visit TikTok for entertainment rather than shopping, product cards face an inherent disadvantage.

Differences in Shopper Demographics

TikTok Shop’s buyers are a diverse group. In the UK and Germany, the largest group of buyers is 30 to 39 years old and earns a middle income. Beyond this shared core, the two markets differ in key ways. Germany’s TikTok Shop audience is older, and its income profile is more spread out. In Germany, 46% of TikTok Shop buyers are 40 or older. In the UK, that share is 35%. The 11-percentage-point gap in buyers aged 40+ runs against the platform’s image. TikTok is widely seen as an app for younger users. In Germany, almost half of the people who buy through its shop belong to the older age groups.

When it comes to income, middle-income shoppers form the core of TikTok Shop in both markets. They make up 62% of buyers in the UK and 56% in Germany. Germany’s remaining buyers spread further toward the edges. 28% of German TikTok Shop buyers belong to the low-income group, and 16% to the high-income group. In the UK, these shares are 24% and 14%. A concentrated middle points to a platform that has reached the mainstream. Four years after launch, TikTok Shop in the UK draws most of its buyers from the broad center of the market.

In contrast, TikTok Shop launched in Germany in March 2025, four years after the UK. The platform is still building its German audience. At launch, TikTok Shop leaned heavily on discounted products in Germany. Low prices draw deal seekers first. The income data reflects that: at 28%, Germany’s low-income share sits above the UK’s 24%.

Wrap-Up: A Social Commerce Platform Breaks Into Europe. TikTok Shop combines product discovery with in-app purchases. It launched in Europe in 2021, starting with the UK. Since then, TikTok Shop has launched in nine more European markets, in four of them in June 2026. Timing matters. The UK remains TikTok Shop’s most significant European market. Two out of three euros of TikTok Shop’s European GMV are made in Britain.

But consumer preferences are also distinct on the continent: Shoppable videos generate the most GMV, ahead of product cards and livestreams. 30- to 39-year-olds form the largest buyer group on TikTok Shop in both Germany and the UK, though the two markets differ beyond that core. With its earlier launch, the UK draws a more concentrated middle-income audience. Germany, which launched in 2025, still skews older and more discount-driven. Overall, Europe is still an early-stage market for TikTok Shop. The UK shows what a head start can build: €4.89 billion in GMV expected in 2026. The rest of the continent sits at the beginning of that curve.