Gen Z can now buy luxury items on TikTok

When talking about Shein and Temu, two of the world's largest fast fashion companies, one of the selling platforms that comes to mind is certainly TikTok Shop. In an attempt to distance itself from the highly accessible - but not less profitable - image, the app has raised the maximum sales limit to nearly $5,000, to include vintage luxury items and second-hand goods among its offerings, controlled by verified sellers. We know that the average TikTok user belongs to Gen Z (63% of subscribers are between 10 and 29 years old), so there is a doubt about the interest of this demographic in branded exclusive goods. According to Vogue Business, the transition from dietary supplements and inexpensive costumes to luxury items will be a necessary step for TikTok Shop, precisely because Gen Z is one of the generations most interested in vintage. In fact, contrary to what discouraging data on the precariousness of young people's lives might suggest, the average age of Shein's customer is 35 years old.

For now, the new vertical of TikTok Shop dedicated to the sale of luxury items has been applied only to the US and UK platforms, in partnership with luxury resale companies. Luxe Collective, Break Archive, Sellier Knightsbridge, Sign of the Times, and Hardly Ever Worn It all already have modest success on the app as content creators, so the collaboration with TikTok will allow them to convert video views into sales even more consistently through dedicated live streams and the ability to create inventories on their profile. With the increase in the maximum selling limit, TikTok Shop has also increased the Seller Rate from 2 to 8%, a move that would compel many fast fashion retailers to abandon the channel, and as many pre-loved luxury item resellers to venture into it.

Just like the Shein and Temu haul videos, content showcasing the loot accumulated in second-hand markets also seems to be thriving on TikTok. There are also many collectors of makeup, accessories, and vintage fashion, such as Mina Le, Erin Parsons, and the Italian Giulio Marchioni. So, "VintageTok" is already a thriving market on the app, making it shouldn't be difficult for the platform to convert all interested parties into buyers. Since its launch on TikTok Shop last Friday, the second-hand luxury items store Luxe Collective managed to sell ten items, including a Louis Vuitton Keepall and a Wight, both at £1,500, a Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette at £900, a Bottega Veneta accessory, and a Fendi at £400. In total, the brand's live stream accumulated over 30,000 visitors. It is still early to predict if the new initiative launched by TikTok Shop will make the platform the new favorite space for Gen Z for second-hand shopping, but with these premises, success is practically guaranteed.