TikTok Shop is entering Poland at a time when online shopping has already become part of everyday life for consumers, and social media have long influenced purchasing decisions. The difference is that, until now, inspiration, recommendation and transaction have usually taken place in different places. A user saw a product on social media, looked for it in an online store or on a marketplace, compared offers and only then made a purchase.
TikTok Shop wants to shorten this process. A product is to be discovered, watched, recommended and purchased in one environment: the app where the user is already spending time. This is an important change not only for TikTok, but also for brands, online creators, marketplaces, logistics companies and payment systems.
We discuss whether social commerce can become a real sales channel in Poland with Professor Jolanta Tkaczyk, Head of the Department of Marketing at Kozminski University, and Dominika Kaczmarek-Ciesielska, assistant at the Department of Marketing.
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Is the launch of TikTok Shop in Poland a breakthrough for e-commerce?
Professor Jolanta Tkaczyk: I would not treat it as a single event that will change the entire market overnight. It is rather the next stage in the evolution of e-commerce, which we have been observing for more than a decade. First, consumers moved from traditional retail to online stores, then to marketplaces, and later to mobile shopping. Now we are increasingly seeing a shift from search commerce, meaning “I know what I am looking for”, to discovery commerce, where a product appears in front of the consumer thanks to content, recommendation, community or an algorithm.
This is an important change, because more and more purchasing decisions do not begin with a search engine or a price comparison website. They begin with contact with content. E-commerce is therefore moving from the transaction itself towards experience.
Dominika Kaczmarek-Ciesielska: From a market perspective, this is one of the more important events since Amazon entered Poland or Temu expanded. Not because TikTok Shop will immediately replace existing sales channels, but because it introduces a different shopping pattern. The user does not need to have a clearly defined need in advance. A purchase may emerge as a consequence of inspiration, emotion and contact with a creator.
What exactly is social commerce?
J.T.: Classic e-commerce was designed around transaction efficiency. The consumer identifies a need, searches for a product, compares offers and buys. Social commerce works differently. The starting point is not the purchasing need itself, but engagement with content. A product is embedded in a story, demonstration, recommendation or community conversation. The consumer does not have to search for all the information independently, because they receive it in a context that is attractive and understandable to them.
D.K.-C.: To put it simply, social commerce is sales contained within a social media platform. The user watches a video or a live stream, sees a product, clicks and buys without leaving the app. This distinguishes the model both from a classic online store and from a marketplace. In a store or on a marketplace, we usually begin with active searching. In social commerce, we often begin with watching, scrolling, interest in a specific person or interest in a piece of content.
J.T.: From the perspective of consumer psychology, three mechanisms are important here: social proof, parasocial relationships with creators and the reduction of cognitive effort. The easier it is to make a decision, and the more naturally a product fits into the content, the shorter the path from interest to purchase.
What changes when users can buy without leaving the app?
J.T.: In customer experience, we have known for years that every additional action reduces the probability of purchase. Moving to an external store, searching for the product again, logging in, switching between apps: each of these steps can stop a transaction. TikTok Shop eliminates several such moments at once. From the perspective of behavioral economics, it reduces the cognitive costs of decision-making. The user does not have to recreate the shopping path from the beginning. They can move from emotion to transaction almost immediately.
D.K.-C.: For brands, the measurability of activities also changes. Until now, TikTok has often been treated as an upper-funnel channel: it built awareness, reach and interest, but sales happened elsewhere. Now content can become a direct sales tool. A brand can not only see that a video had reach, but also check how that reach translates into a specific purchase.
Are Polish consumers ready to buy through social media?
J.T.: Contrary to appearances, the most important question is not whether Poles are ready to buy through social media. They have long been buying under the influence of content, opinions, recommendations and video materials. The question is rather whether they are ready to buy without additional verification of the product outside the social media platform. The foundations already exist: Polish consumers are digitally mature, online shopping is widespread, and recommendations and user reviews are becoming increasingly important in the decision-making process.
The biggest barrier remains trust, not technology itself.
D.K.-C.: Until now, the path was simply more fragmented: inspiration on social media, a link in bio, an online store, payment, delivery. TikTok Shop removes some of these stages. Poland also has very strong local shopping habits: fast mobile payments, convenient deliveries and parcel locker pickup. So the challenge is not to teach people online shopping from scratch. The challenge is to convince them that buying inside a social media app is just as safe and convenient.
What role will BLIK and InPost play?
J.T.: From the perspective of customer experience, this is one of the most important elements of the Polish launch. Trust in payment and delivery is crucial for completing a purchase. Polish consumers do not automatically trust new platforms. They trust solutions they know from everyday shopping. BLIK and InPost are no longer just services. They are part of shopping habits. Thanks to them, TikTok Shop does not have to be perceived as a completely new ecosystem. It can be seen as another point of contact with a process that consumers already understand.
D.K.-C.: This is a very strong localization move. Barriers in new sales channels often do not concern price or assortment, but trust in the process. If payment and delivery look familiar, the threshold for the first purchase is lower. One could say that, at the start, TikTok is borrowing trust from brands that Poles already know well.
Will TikTok Shop change influencer marketing?
J.T.: In my opinion, yes, although this does not mean the end of classic influencer marketing. What will change is the center of gravity. Until now, influencer marketing has been assessed primarily through reach, engagement and impact on brand awareness. TikTok Shop shifts attention towards sales. This is part of a broader trend of moving from influencer marketing to creator commerce. In such a model, the number of followers alone matters less and less. What matters more is the ability to build trust, the creator’s product competence, the quality of the community and real sales effectiveness.
D.K.-C.: Creators can become sales partners, not just promoters. This is especially important for smaller creators who do not have huge reach, but do have highly engaged communities.
The most interesting model will probably be a combined one: image campaigns will continue to build the brand, while affiliation will allow companies to connect this work with actual sales. For companies, this means a completely different way of thinking about cooperation with creators.
J.T.: However, transparency must be remembered. If the audience sees that the recommendation is honest and clearly marked, affiliation can increase sales effectiveness. If it is perceived as hidden advertising, it will quickly undermine the creator’s credibility.
What should companies understand before selling through TikTok Shop?
J.T.: The biggest mistake would be to treat TikTok Shop like another online store. In classic e-commerce, SEO, performance marketing, price and logistics are crucial. In social commerce, content production, storytelling, live commerce, cooperation with creators and speed in responding to trends become equally important. This means that not only the largest players can gain an advantage. Brands that understand their community well, can create engaging content and quickly test new formats also have an opportunity.
D.K.-C.: A company needs video competences, the ability to work with creators, an understanding of the affiliate model and operational readiness. In social commerce, the purchasing impulse is fast, so disappointment also comes quickly. Delayed shipping, poor customer service or inconsistency between the promise made in the video and the actual product can destroy trust very quickly.
Can TikTok Shop threaten Allegro, Amazon and online stores?
J.T.: I do not expect a scenario in which TikTok Shop replaces marketplaces. What is more likely is a specialization of shopping channels.
Allegro and Amazon dominate where the consumer has a clearly defined need and wants to compare offers. TikTok Shop will be strong where the decision is born under the influence of inspiration, recommendation and emotion.
In the literature on consumer behavior, we speak of two modes of decision-making: goal-directed shopping and exploratory shopping. Marketplaces win in the first case. TikTok Shop was designed for the second. I would therefore not see it as a direct competitor to Allegro. It is rather the next stage in the evolution of e-commerce, in which product discovery through content, communities and digital experiences plays an increasingly important role.
D.K.-C.: In the short term, TikTok Shop will not threaten the biggest players in Polish e-commerce. However, it may change shopping behavior in selected categories: fashion, beauty, electronics, lifestyle and impulse purchases. In the long term, large platforms should watch this model carefully. TikTok Shop does not replace platforms of intent, but it can capture part of the shopping budget wherever entertainment, recommendation and emotion turn into a purchase. This is especially true among younger consumers.
Interview by Paweł Siwek
