During this holiday season, many busy shoppers are turning to TikTok for unique gifts and collectibles. In addition to the TikTok Shop, users are tapping into TikTok livestreams for virtual personal shopping experiences, eliminating the need to visit physical stores. These livestreamers dedicate their time to scouring discount retailers like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls in search of trending products and hard-to-find collectibles.
Rita Colon, a full-time virtual personal shopper based in New Jersey, has been assisting customers for a year. She has shipped over 2,700 packages nationwide, specializing in sought-after items like hot pink Hello Kitty, Valentine’s Day blankets, and glamorous beauty tools. Viewers can secure items shown during her live streams by typing “reserve” in the comments, followed by making a payment including the item’s cost, a finder’s fee (up to $20), and shipping expenses. Once payments are received, Colon proceeds to make the purchase on behalf of the customer.
For Colon, the finder’s fee covers her time, transportation, and other expenses related to the service. On a successful day, she earns between $500 to $700, supported by her 12,500 followers. Another TikTok virtual personal shopper, Dominick Palguta from Virginia, sets a daily goal of around $220 by securing products with a finder’s fee, aiming for 22 items to reach the target. Despite the challenges, Palguta, with over 15,300 followers, adapts his schedule according to store availability and customer demands, such as the elusive Hello Kitty blankets.
With online retail sales projected to exceed $6 trillion this year, the demand for social media shopping experiences continues to rise. Evidently, over 107 million people engaged in social media shopping last year, marking a significant trend in consumer behavior. The hashtag “personal shopper” has generated over 300,000 videos, reflecting the growing interest in virtual shopping experiences. Creators like Jenny Billingham and @DoseofKandra have expanded their content to offer styling tips, fashion trends, and challenges to their followers.
As the industry evolves, virtual personal shoppers like Colon and Palguta play a vital role in meeting customers’ demands for unique and sought-after products.
Shopping services like live selling on TikTok aren’t just for the wealthy or the lazy. “Some of my services are for people who are disabled. They don’t like to leave the house. They may have social anxiety. They don’t like to stand for long periods of time. They may work two jobs and they’re not able to get to the store,” shared Colon.
Palgula pointed out the convenience of TikTok live selling, stating, “People are realizing that there’s this whole TikTok live selling atmosphere that you’re able to jump into and just shop whenever you want. … You’re sitting at the desk working and you’re able to just click it on rather than going out, sitting in the traffic and then going yourself.”
One of Colon’s loyal customers, Gerard Bautista, a resident of California working in mental health services, highlighted his shopping experience with Colon, stating, “Definitely over the hundreds of just, like, anything from big items to, you know, small little notebooks or things like that.”
Bautista shared the challenges of his busy lifestyle, mentioning, “I’m working, you know, 10 hours, 12 hours at times. So I really — there is no time today, and stores are closing. I can’t even feed myself sometimes, let alone shop.”
Colon finds fulfillment in assisting others with their shopping needs. Recalling a customer’s situation, she shared, “This customer that I am packaging for, when she first started shopping with me, she had just had surgery and she was bed-bound, so she couldn’t move at all. She couldn’t get out of the house at all. And I didn’t know that until she told me.”
She emphasized the importance of empathy in her role, stating, “You don’t know what’s going on the other side of the screen. All you see is the conversation that you’re having back and forth in the chat.”
These testimonials shed light on the diverse reasons individuals opt for services like live selling on TikTok, demonstrating that convenience and accessibility are key factors influencing their shopping choices.
