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TikTok·Product Manager·Onsite - Product Sense / Strategy·Senior

Senior
Apr 2026

Summary

PM interview at TikTok with a product design question focused on trust and safety in e-commerce. One question, pretty open-ended, left me wishing I'd gone deeper on the technical side of things.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

How would you design a product to verify the authenticity of items being sold on TikTok Shop?

Product Sense & IdeationProduct StrategySystem Design
Author's notes

I went straight to user trust and seller verification flows, which felt right, but I think I underweighted the supply chain angle.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the goal: to build trust and reduce counterfeit goods on TikTok Shop, balancing buyer protection with seller experience. Then propose a multi-layered solution combining proactive verification (e.g., AI, blockchain) and reactive measures (e.g., user reporting, audits), and outline how you would measure success and iterate.

Pro tip: Emphasize a risk-based approach: not all items need the same level of verification. Focus resources on high-risk categories (e.g., luxury, electronics) and high-volume sellers to maximize impact while minimizing friction.

1. Define the problem and goals

Clarify what 'authenticity' means for TikTok Shop, the scope (categories, regions), and success metrics (e.g., reduction in counterfeit reports, buyer trust).

2. Identify key stakeholders and user needs

Consider buyers, sellers, TikTok, and brands. Understand their pain points and incentives to design a solution that works for all.

3. Brainstorm and prioritize solutions

Generate ideas across prevention (seller verification, AI image recognition), detection (user reporting, AI monitoring), and enforcement (penalties, removals). Prioritize by impact and feasibility.

4. Design the system and user flows

Outline how the solution integrates into the TikTok Shop experience: seller onboarding, product listing, purchase, and post-purchase. Include feedback loops.

5. Define metrics and iterate

Establish KPIs (e.g., % counterfeit items, time to removal, buyer satisfaction) and a plan for A/B testing and continuous improvement.

Key Points to Mention

  • Leverage TikTok's existing AI/ML capabilities for image and text analysis to detect counterfeits at scale.
  • Implement a tiered verification system: low-risk items require minimal checks, high-risk items require certificates or third-party authentication.
  • Incorporate user reporting and community feedback with incentives for accurate reports.
  • Partner with brands and authentication services (e.g., Entrupy) for expert verification.
  • Use blockchain or digital fingerprints for supply chain transparency where feasible.
  • Balance false positives (legitimate sellers penalized) with false negatives (counterfeits slipping through) by iterating on thresholds.

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.