The Payoff for Staying Close to Your Core Customers
February 8, 2026
Earnings reports are showing a clear line between brands that stayed close to their core customer – and those now paying to recover that connection.
E-Commerce
On January 19th $8 billion in e-commerce sales could be looking for a new platform. That’s if the impending ban on TikTok in the United States comes into effect as planned.
In 2024, spending on TikTok Shop in the U.S. during January-November reached $6.5 billion. Full-year spending should exceed $8 billion, according to TabCut data.
The potential ban poses a serious threat, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that leverage TikTok for marketing and sales.
However, it could be a windfall for competing social media and ecommerce platforms that would be eager to pick TikTok Shop’s business.
The question is, which platform is likely to be next in line, if TikTok Shop is shut down?
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Markets
Earnings reports are showing a clear line between brands that stayed close to their core customer – and those now paying to recover that connection.
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