TikTok is becoming a popular destination for busy holiday shoppers looking for collectibles and gifts this year. However, in addition to TikTok Shop, people are using TikTok livestreams to get virtual personal shopper services without physically visiting a store.
The livestreamers are regular shoppers who spend hours searching for hard-to-find fandom memorabilia or viral products in cheap department shops like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls.
The hot pink Hello Kitty is the object of everyone’s attention. blankets for Valentine’s Day. Alright. Rita Colon stated that they are searching for any throw blankets or glitzy brushes.
For a year, Colon, a resident of New Jersey, has been a full-time personal virtual shopper.
She claimed to have transported more than 2,700 items nationwide this year.
Watchers of her live feed put the word “reserve” in the comments section to secure products while consumers broadcast themselves sifting through merchandise in stores. After that, they send Colon the money for the products, the shipping charges, and her finders fee, which can reach $20.
Before checking out, she waits for the electronic payments to arrive in her account.
My time, gas, shipping supplies, tape boxes, bubble wrap, tire and brake wear, and oil changes are all covered by the finder’s fee, she claimed.
Colon, who has 12,500 followers, claimed that she makes between $500 and $700 on a good day.
Another Virginia-based virtual personal shopper on TikTok is Dominick Palguta.
I believe that many people believe that personal shopping is quite simple, but it isn’t at all. “It is a full-time job that requires eight hours,” Palguta stated.
“I want to reach my quota of about $220 per day,” he stated. Therefore, you can earn about $220 each day if you can get 22 things for a $10 finder’s fee. That’s what I usually aim for. That’s not always something I can do.
Palguta, who has more than 15,300 TikTok followers, stated that his timetable varies according on the particular store he works for.
He claimed that Hello Kitty blankets, which are sometimes available at various places and might be challenging to locate, are one of his clients’ most popular requests.
I usually only spend five to ten minutes in the store, and I do the tasks really quickly.
He said. But some days, like today at Burlington [Coat Factory], I have to wait around one hour to two hours just for them to bring out the blankets, because they re also working on a strict schedule.
Online retail sales are expected tosurpass $6 trillionthis year,according to the retail platform Shopify, with sales figures having climbed steadily over the last several years as consumers have had more access to shopping directly via social media platforms.
The business research firm eMarketer estimates that about 107 million consumers made purchases on social networking platforms last year.
The hashtag personal shopperis on over 300,000 videos, with personal shopper and virtual shoppers showing peaks of interest this year on Google Trends.
When the streamers aren t live, they post content to their pages advertising their hauls or rare items that haven t been claimed yet.
Other personal shopper creators have expanded their content, like Jenny Billingham (@jenny_billingham), who has over 210,000 followers. She posts about styling tips, fashion trends and challenges.
TikToker@DoseofKandra, who has more than 250,000 followers for her posts about being a personal shopper, has moved some of her content over to long form videos on YouTube.
But Colon and Palguta say the services 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, Colon said.
Palgula said: 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 repeat customers is Gerard Bautista, who lives in California and works in mental health services.
Asked how many items he has purchased from Colon, he said:
Definitely over the hundreds of just, like, anything from big items to, you know, small little notebooks or things like that.
Bautista said his lifestyle doesn t allow him to shop.
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, he said.
Colon said helping others brings her fulfillment.
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 said.
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.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!