Mr. Li has been operating in the TikTok US market for two years. At this time last year, his store's monthly sales could still steadily reach $80,000, but this year, it has dropped to just over $50,000.

What worries him more than the decline in performance is that the "hit formula" he has used for two years suddenly doesn't work anymore. In the past, as long as his team grasped a framework, mass-produced, changed the scene, or switched faces, they could get orders. But now, with the same editing routine and similar narrative structure, the content doesn't even enter the exposure pool and is directly restricted by the system. The cost of traffic has doubled, profits are as thin as paper, and the return rate is still rising.

Mr. Li's dilemma is actually a common situation in the circle.

Many people's first reaction is: "Is the US market not working anymore?" Some even directly pessimistically believe that the US market is simply not viable anymore.

But the latest data has slapped many people in the face.TikTok Shop recently revealed to Modern Retail: By 2025, small and medium-sized sellers in the US market with annual revenues below $15 million will see their sales surge by 66%. What does this indicate? It indicates that the entry of big brands has not squeezed out small sellers; instead, everyone is living better.

It's not that there are no opportunities, but the old way of operating that was almost like lying down and taking it easy no longer works.

A series of recent policy changes are also sending signals. During the mid-year promotion, the platform provides both traffic and subsidies, which is not only an opportunity to boost sales but also a way to filter people - when traffic comes, only those who can continuously produce original content can catch it. Coupled with the optimization of the return process and the tightening of compliance thresholds (taxation, certification), the old way of making quick money through "mismatched goods" and extensive management has become too risky to play.

So what should be done now? In fact, it's just one sentence: Treat content as a product, not as an advertisement.

Mr. Li's previous method of mass replication was essentially treating TikTok as a shelf e-commerce platform like Taobao. ButTikTok is a content field, and if you can't grab people in the first three seconds of a video, they will swipe away, and the cost is extremely low. Stop trying to fit into any fixed framework. You need to find the most touching point of your product and present it in a real, lifestyle way - talk about usage scenarios today, tell behind-the-scenes stories tomorrow, and let users speak for themselves the day after tomorrow. There is no standard answer for content, but it must have a "human touch".

Compared to big brands, small and medium-sized sellers have the advantages of flexibility and authenticity. US market users are very receptive to "brand attitude". Responding seriously in the comments section and actively solving after-sales issues, these details accumulate into word-of-mouth and repurchases. Instead of blindly stocking up, it's better to test products in small batches, see real feedback, and then iterate. The 66% growth data is there, the market is still expanding, but the dividend period has passed. The current US market is filtering out speculators who want to make easy money by relying on templates, and the remaining space is prepared for those who are willing to settle down to create originals and serve users seriously.

Mr. Li has also been making adjustments recently, cutting redundant material groups, hiring two editors who understand American local culture, and starting to try to let users appear on camera and tell the truth. Although sales have not returned to last year's peak, the return rate has dropped, and the repurchase rate has gone up.

He recently had a very appropriate comment: "In the past, it was a race to see who could copy faster, but now it's a race to see who can understand users better."