Heidi, Mark, Charlie and Dixie D’Amelio at Shopify’s D’Amelio Footwear Pop-up in New York City
Shopify
Charli D’Amelio is the second most followed creator on TikTok, and the 19-year-old former competitive dancer and her sister Dixie have earned tens of millions of dollars.
But D’Amelio isn’t sure how long he’ll be able to provide short viral videos to his 152 million followers. A bill to potentially ban TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has been introduced in the House of Representatives and has already received support from President Joe Biden.
Unsure which direction the political winds will blow, D’Amelio is looking to build his presence elsewhere. Her latest endeavor is a partnership with. Shopify to bring her family’s online shoe brand to physical stores.
“We have to remember that social media comes and goes,” D’Amelio said in an interview Friday at Shopify’s D’Amelio Footwear pop-up in New York. “There are new apps, new people, and exciting new trends. You can’t always be on top of everything.”
D’Amelio and other family members spoke to CNBC at the store’s opening. Given the political and national security concerns surrounding TikTok, creators are focusing on other ways to market their brands.
“When you start a brand…you get out of there,” said Mark D’Amelio, Charlie’s father and CEO of D’Amelio Brands. “It takes you out of that hamster wheel, and you’re less dependent on the platform.”
Members of the Chinese Communist Party’s House Select Committee introduced a bill last week that would require ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban. On Thursday, the committee voted 50-0 to send the bill to the House. Biden said Friday he would sign the bill if Congress passes it.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has denied any ties to the app and the Chinese Communist Party, but U.S. regulators and lawmakers have questioned the company’s Chinese ownership and the government’s request to access user data. have expressed concern about the possibility of sharing.
“There’s definitely some fear when it comes to social media because you never know what’s going to happen next,” Charli D’Amelio said.
D’Amelio became popular on TikTok in 2019 and was named the platform’s highest-paid creator two years later. forbes. According to the magazine, she and her sister earned a combined $27.5 million that year.
TikTok allows users to earn money through the app’s creativity program. This program is a reward system for popular videos longer than 1 minute. Creators can also earn money from brand partnerships and affiliate sales on the TikTok Shop, and followers can also send “gifts” to users during live streams.
Since the family’s rise to fame, its members have appeared on the Hulu reality show “The D’Amelio Show,” which just concluded its third season. The sisters have also worked with various fashion brands such as Prada, Burberry, and Puma.
Shopify’s logo is posted outside The Well building on Spadina Avenue in Toronto.
Lance McMillan | Toronto Star | Getty Images
In September 2022, the family launched the D’Amelio brand, with products such as D’Amelio footwear and the Be Happy Snacks popcorn line. The venture raised a $6 million seed round in 2022 from notable figures including Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and entrepreneurs Richard Rosenblatt and Eddie Cue. apple Senior Vice President of Services.Last year, the company raised $5 million from 5th Growth Fund.
The D’Amelio family partnered with Shopify to showcase their shoes at pop-up events in Los Angeles and New York. Shopify powers your store through the company’s POS system.
D’Amelio Brands will next open a permanent brick-and-mortar store, aiming to bridge the gap between the digital creator economy and the brick-and-mortar world, according to Shopify.
Shopify has reported a 5x increase in offline sales since 2019, indicating a significant shift in consumer behavior.
“Fans really want to come and feel the brand, meet the creators, touch and feel the products,” Jessica Williams, Shopify’s director of brand partnerships, said in an interview.
In 2023, offline sales accounted for $441 million of Shopify’s revenue. $7.1 billion in revenue, just over 6% of the total. This includes revenue from payments, subscriptions, and POS hardware.
clock: TikTok crackdown gains momentum
