German E-Commerce Association warns of warning traps with TikTok store

The launch of the online sales function TikTok Shop on the Chinese company ByteDance's short video platform has triggered a certain amount of hype among marketing experts, as it allows goods to be sold directly to the public in clips and live streams. However, the German E-Commerce Association (Buvec) has raised extensive concerns. It warns: "Missing basic price information, non-existent manufacturer information and limited item maintenance options represent a legal gray area for retailers." The solution is therefore "currently not yet suitable as a fully-fledged e-commerce platform if you are reliant on legally compliant processes, transparency and data structure".

Buvec was founded at the beginning of 2025 and primarily represents small and medium-sized online retailers in Germany. According to him, a central problem with the new service is the presentation of base prices, which are crucial for the evaluation of discounts, for example: The association knows that "in many product groups, such as food, cosmetics or food supplements, it is mandatory by law". However, there is currently no reliable way to display base prices correctly and clearly in the TikTok store. This could put sellers in legal trouble – "and, in the worst case, in the warning trap".

Temptation: impulse purchases based on influencer recommendations

Transparency regarding the origin of products and suppliers is not only important from a legal perspective in online retail, but is also essential for customer trust, writes Buvec. In this respect, however, TikTok Shop appears to be "still immature –, which can quickly call into question the seriousness of the offer". Those who are used to the convenience of store systems such as Shopify, Shopware or WooCommerce will also be rather disappointed by TikTok's product management. There are hardly any options for adding attributes or variants to products: "The design options are minimal – neither can product texts be meaningfully structured nor can media such as PDF data sheets be integrated." The solution is simply unsuitable for more complex items or items that require explanation.

In general, TikTok has developed into a "serious player in e-commerce", Buvec has not failed to notice. The platform offers "enormous potential, especially in the area of impulse purchases". The target group is "young, ready to buy and constantly on the lookout for new trends", which influencers can exploit. However, Buvec CEO Thorsten Meyne is not yet convinced by the experiment: "What TikTok offers in terms of reach is currently lacking in legal substance." According to his colleague Ronny Freitag, the shopping offer should at best be seen as a supplement.

(vbr)