TikTok Shop Plus launches at $9.99/month for 1 million top US shoppers

TikTok Shop started charging for loyalty this weekend. The platform quietly launched TikTok Shop Plus, a paid membership costing $9.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, and offered it to more than 1 million of its most loyal U.S. customers.

The pilot lands just before TikTok Shop's Black Friday and Cyber Monday period, which kicks off Wednesday. It's the platform's latest push to grow U.S. retail sales as live commerce takes off outside Asia. Business Insider first reported in July that TikTok was testing a version of the program.

The pricing sits below the two U.S. membership giants it clearly mimics: Amazon Prime runs $14.99 a month and Walmart+ costs $12.95. TikTok Shop, which launched in the U.S. in 2023, already holds about 20% of the country's social-commerce market, per Capital One Shopping.

"TikTok Shop Plus is currently being piloted with an expanding group of eligible U.S. users," Patrick Nommensen, president of strategic initiatives at TikTok Shop, said in a statement to Modern Retail. "As we gradually scale access to the pilot, we'll continue to gather feedback and refine the experience, with the goal of delivering more value and convenience to shoppers."

What do members actually get?

The perk list reads like a checklist of Prime'sgreatest hits, with a few twists:

• Free shipping on eligible items marked with a "Plus" badge on the product page
• An extra 10% off select products
• Three monthly coupons: $5 off with no minimum spend, $10 off orders of $59 or more, and $30 off orders of $119 or more
• Instant refunds — up to two times per month — issued as store credit to the TikTok Shop balance before the buyer drops off the return

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Plus members will also get additional exclusive coupons and deeper discounts on select items, with specific offers displayed in the app.

In short, TikTok is paying real money to lock in its heaviest spenders before the most competitive retail window of the year.

How big is the bet?

The numbers around TikTok Shop suggest the membership play isn't premature. During the 2025 four-day Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend, sales surpassed $500 million, and sellers hosting livestreams saw 84% year-over-year growth across more than 760,000 sessions, per a press release.

Americans now spend roughly $43 million per day shopping on TikTok, according to Capital One Shopping. Nearly a third of U.S. TikTok users expect to buy a gift this Black Friday, per TikTok Shop's own data. Health and beauty products still dominate purchases, but the catalog keeps stretching into big-ticket territory like comforters and above-ground pools.

Brands are staffing up accordingly. Companies including Harry's and Stila Cosmetics have created dedicated head-of-TikTok-Shop positions. The U.S. storefront now hosts retailers of various sizes, from Vera Bradley and True Religion to Beachwaver and Mellow Sleep.

What comes next?

Next year raises the stakes. 2026 will be the first holiday season when Best Buy, Ulta Beauty and Sephora sell on TikTok Shop, giving shoppers more major retail names than in any previous year. This season also brings two new buying paths: an AI shopping assistant, and the ability to purchase directly from the For You feed without leaving the app.

The platform's footprint keeps widening abroad too. Earlier this month, TechCrunch reported a standalone TikTok Shop app in select markets including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

The economic case is already substantial. PF Global's TikTok Economic Impact Report, released last month, found that activity on TikTok helped generate $81 billion in GDP for U.S. businesses in 2025, and that 54 million Americans bought a product after watching a TikTok video last year.

"TikTok Shop is no longer experimental," Nommensen said at a summit in October. "It's now a key component to these brands' e-commerce strategy, and we're really seeing that shift accelerate as time goes by."

For marketers, the signal is plain: TikTok is now competing on retention economics, not just discovery. If Plus scales beyond the pilot, expect membership status to shape who sees which deals — and which sellers capture the holiday spend.