How Smart Brands Are Navigating the TikTok Ban Uncertainty

The latest developments around TikTok offer advertisers a mix of clarity and continued uncertainty. According to Reuters, Oracle, along with Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, is part of a consortium set to acquire nearly 80 percent of TikTok’s U.S. business, leaving ByteDance with a minority stake of about 19.9 percent. Other companies, including Amazon and AppLovin have also expressed interest in bids.

At the same time, a “preliminary agreement” has been reached between the U.S. and China to restructure TikTok to avoid a full ban, as reported by The Washington Post. Yet, while this sale structure is taking shape, enforcement of the law banning TikTok has once again been delayed by executive order until December 16, 2025, according to Retail TouchPoints.

For advertisers, the uncertainty over ownership, algorithm control, and regulatory oversight is real. But the data tells a clear story: brands are still investing in TikTok advertising, and the platform continues to deliver results.

TikTok Advertising Traffic Has Grown in Q3 Despite a Year of Uncertainty

According to first-party data from the MikMak Shopping Index, TikTok has grown as an advertising channel in Q3, rebounding strongly after a dip earlier in the year. After analyzing TikTok commerce activity from more than 2,500 brands on the MikMak platform, here’s what we saw:

• In Q1, TikTok accounted for 12 percent of average paid media traffic.
• In Q2, share dropped to 10.2 percent, as speculation about the TikTok ban dominated headlines.
• By Q3, TikTok recovered and grew to 13 percent of average paid media traffic.

This growth demonstrates that advertisers are not backing away from TikTok despite political scrutiny. Instead, they are leaning into TikTok’s discovery model, recognizing it as one of the most important channels for commerce media. Even with uncertainty around a TikTok ban, brands know that they can reallocate spend if necessary. For now, they are taking advantage of TikTok’s ability to connect discovery to conversion.

This resilience also reflects a broader truth: media volatility is not new. Advertisers who move with agility and stay anchored in performance data are the ones who thrive when platforms face regulatory or structural change.

TikTok Has Seen Consistent Growth, Reaching New Daily Average Peaks in Advertising Traffic

Daily traffic data from the MikMak Shopping Index reinforces TikTok’s momentum. Over the past three months, TikTok’s daily share of advertising-driven traffic has consistently held between 15 and 20 percent, with several days climbing above 20 percent.

• The highest daily traffic share recorded was 21.7 percent on September 1.
• On September 17, the date of the most recent TikTok ban decision deadline, TikTok hit another peak at 21 percent.

These spikes are meaningful. They show that advertisers continue to trust TikTok as a reliable commerce media channel, even during regulatory flashpoints. In fact, performance often rises around key deadlines, suggesting that brands are not retreating but instead using TikTok to capture consumer attention while the platform remains fully operational.

For categories like Beauty, Personal Care, and Food and Beverage, TikTok’s role as a driver of upper- and mid-funnel engagement is especially valuable. According to first-party data from the MikMak Shopping Index, these categories see some of the highest engagement rates when campaigns are designed to move seamlessly from inspiration to purchase.

What This Means for Advertisers

The data shows that TikTok advertising is growing, but the regulatory backdrop is volatile. For brands, three themes emerge.

Flexibility matters. Brands are continuing to invest in TikTok, but they are doing so with a mindset of agility. If conditions change after December, ad dollars can be shifted. The important thing is to capture value while the platform delivers.

Discovery is still TikTok’s superpower. Consumers turn to TikTok for inspiration, entertainment, and product exploration. Even with regulatory uncertainty, this role is hard to replicate elsewhere. Brands that create content designed for TikTok’s discovery environment are still seeing outsized returns.

Data ownership is critical. With potential changes to algorithms and reporting, advertisers cannot afford to rely solely on platform-native metrics. First-party consumer insights give brands confidence in knowing what works and the ability to make fast decisions when environments shift.

Understand your Brand's TikTok Performance with MikMak Insights

Media and advertising are volatile, and TikTok’s future continues to evolve. The clearest way for brands to stay prepared is by grounding strategies in first-party consumer insights. According to the MikMak Shopping Index, this data helps advertisers understand how TikTok contributes to purchase intent and attributable sales, even as the regulatory environment shifts.

With the MikMak Insights API, brands can bring this intelligence directly into tools like Tableau, PowerBI, or Google Looker Studio, making it easier to track TikTok performance alongside other channels and retailers.

By knowing how your brand performs on TikTok within this evolving backdrop, you can adapt faster, invest smarter, and stay ahead of change. Schedule a demo today to see how MikMak can help.