On a balmy afternoon in Pike Place Market, you're bound to see a fish fly above the heads of a huddled crowd. But it's usually not a Super Bowl-winning Seahawk hucking the fish at Pike Place Fish Market.

Former Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse playing piscine pass with the fishmongers was the draw Friday, invited to Seattle's storied, almost 118-year-old public market to promote an e-commerce giant's new push to put the oldest of the old-school retailers in front of online shoppers.

Yes, you're now able to buy Seattle's most famous halibut while scrolling … on TikTok. Your move, Amazon.

TikTok Shop launched a little less than two years ago as a way for the social media giant to capitalize on its massive audience engrossed in a stream of videos calibrated to their interests.

TikTok already had a small presence in the Seattle area with a satellite office in Bellevue, but since launching an e-commerce platform the company has grown to roughly 1,600 employees in the city. Its workforce, split between two office towers, is in the backyard of the company's competitor, e-commerce behemoth Amazon.

Pike Place Fish Market, the vendor directly under the giant Public Market Center sign, is the first in the Market to sign up with TikTok. The fish market already does some online business on its own website, but it's never been available on a tech giant's platform.

Ryan Reese, co-owner of Pike Place Fish Market, said the partnership with TikTok came out of nowhere. The company emailed him and soon came down to the public market to talk about joining forces. Reese and his company had been using TikTok to promote the fish market, filming tutorials on how to prepare the fish and, of course, videos of fish tossing.

At first I was thinking, who's going to buy fish on TikTok? Are there 20-year-olds out there who are going to buy from us on it?" Reese said. "But then I realized, well I'm on TikTok and I'm pushing 50.

Reese said the fish market's online business has done well through its own site. Tourists visit the Market but aren't willing to buy fish and take it on a plane or a long road trip. They get back home and order a few fillets from Reese.

He said as soon as the retailer started offering fish on TikTok on Friday, and hosted a live event on the platform, he started getting orders.

Retailer, or social hub?

TikTok Shop isn't the world's go-to e-commerce store yet. When it comes to online shopping, Amazon is still king for Marlee Vancleave, 16, who was in the Market on Friday. She finds Amazon shopping more accessible, and said she frequently buys beauty products and clothing from the platform.

Vancleave, visiting Seattle from Iowa, bought herself a digital camera off TikTok Shop, but ended up giving it to her parents. She hasn’t bought food from the shop, but said she frequently sees different seasonings and spices trending. She said she’d buy food products if a specific item became extremely popular.

“I’d probably get hooked and get it,” Vancleave said.

For some, the ease and convenience of shopping on a platform like Amazon still holds the draw. But the impulsiveness associated with TikTok has changed a few of their shopping habits.

Ghadir Ramadan, 19, has had TikTok for years, first downloading it when it was known as Musical.ly. She’s bought items from TikTok before, purchasing a perfume when she saw it was on sale. Ramadan, who lives on Bainbridge Island, likes shopping on TikTok but still loves the free and fast shipping from Amazon.

TikTok's rise as a platform for creators is well-known.

Over the past half-decade, the Singapore-based company has grown as a formidable competitor to traditional social media companies. Meta-owned Instagram and Google-owned YouTube mimicked TikTok's concept of short, digestible videos from influencers and content creators.

The company's move into e-commerce is a shrewd one, marrying the marketing opportunity the platform provides to creators with items it can sell quickly to users.

Kearse, who launched Evergreen Golf Club after his NFL career, said he's been able to use the platform to grow his indoor golf business. Kearse has two locations, one in Redmond and one in Tacoma, that offer golf simulators and lessons.

“It’s just a new era of marketing, and I think it’s pretty cool,” Kearse said as he stood outside of Pike Place Market, wearing a Seahawks sweatshirt.

He said his business did radio ads in the beginning, but saw far more growth through social media and decided to invest more heavily in marketing there.

The Evergreen Golf Club TikTok page showcases the facilities’ amenities, piggybacking off popular audio trends and partnering with golf content creators. The page has had several viral videos with millions of views.

“Everybody went crazy,” Kearse said. “It was just like magic.”

The club has other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, but it's found the most marketing success on TikTok because of the app's fast pace and constant feed. While the club's TikTok page is used primarily to grow the brand and drum up excitement, Kearse said he’s also enjoyed the connections he’s found on the app with similar brands and facilities.

But for some users, TikTok's evolution into e-commerce clutters the social media and entertainment app. Paisley Gay said she’s seen TikTok transform since she first downloaded the app in 2021, and not always in the best way.

“I actually wish there was less marketing,” said Gay, 41.

But despite her wishes, she's actually considered skipping Amazon and shopping on TikTok for items like protein bars.

Fish might be a hard sell for Gay and her daughter Emma Gay, 21, who were both in the Market on Friday. Emma Gay said she probably wouldn't buy fresh items off TikTok since she likes to buy closer to home.

But both mother and daughter live in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively, so when they get home, Reese may hope they'll buy some halibut off TikTok.

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