TikTok is dealing with regulatory troubles across the globe, but consumers in the U.K. don’t seem to mind. In the nation with the world’s sixth-largest GDP, TikTok revenue went up 50% last year, according to the app’s U.K. commerce lead Kris Boger.
Boger acknowledged that businesses are currently facing “a challenging period,” but he expressed his belief that the app’s year-over-year growth can be sustained. He cited the upcoming U.K. rollout of the app’s search ads as one initiative that will juice TikTok’s bottom line.
As lawmakers in Washington have put regulatory pressure on TikTok, ByteDance decision-makers have eyed expansion in regions outside the U.S. As far as ecommerce is concerned, the U.K. is one of the most logical targets for that effort. British consumers served as early test subjects for several TikTok features, including its Trendy Beat sales platform and its brick-and-mortar pop-up locations.
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The Times notes that 1.5 million U.K. businesses currently use TikTok. Boger argued that revenue numbers could continue growing as British culture takes a turn in the spotlight. The exec predicted that cultural happenings like the upcoming Oasis reunion will lead to a Britcore revival that will expand TikTok’s status as a “cultural engine.”
For TikTok, the U.K. also offers a measure of relief. The app’s operating status is more secure there than it is in America, and the Brexit of it all offers protection against regulatory pressure coming out of the E.U. These geopolitical factors help explain why TikTok promoted ad products like GMV Max in the U.K. after the Supreme Court upheld Congress’ ban attempt.
That’s not to say that U.K. lawmakers are unconcerned about TikTok’s effect on its young user base. In 2023, a British data protection watchdog issued a £12.7 million fine related to privacy breaches on the platform.
Even with that friction in mind, the diversification of TikTok’s business is still a worthwhile goal. Analysts have projected that TikTok’s global ad revenue could reach $32 billion over the 2025 calendar year as long as the app dodges a U.S. ban. That earnings potential gives TikTok a big incentive to reach new regions, and the U.K. is a significant target.
