By Adriana Martinez
May 6, 2024
18-year-old Jennifer Lopez started her own business as a street vendor after helping her father who introduced her to this family business. Located every afternoon in the city of Costa Meza, she offers different types of Mexican snacks such as elotes, esquites, chicharrones, granitas, homemade ice cream and more.
Lopez, native of the city of Los Angeles with Mexican roots, saw the opportunity to stand out on the social media TikTok where she now has thousands of followers. “I started approximately three months ago making videos because I saw that only males did it and not females, so I wanted to give it a try and see how it goes,” said Lopez.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, social media has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes to reach a broader audience, engage with customers, and ultimately grow their consumer base. Street vendors, in particular, have benefited greatly from using social media platforms to promote their products and services and attract new customers profitably.
Historically, street vendors have relied on foot traffic and word-of-mouth marketing and their special whistle to attract customers to their stalls or food trucks. However, with the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, street vendors now have the opportunity to reach a much wider audience and connect with potential customers on a more personal level.
In the meantime, they gain followers and profits through the app, and while making money on TikTok for street vendors is a relatively new concept, it is possible for those who are creative, persistent, and have a loyal following.
There are several ways to monetize a TikTok account, and the key is to engage with the audience and create content that resonates with them. Lopez explained that when she passed 10k followers she started earning money through each video depending on the views, lives and the gifts that users sent her. “I do generate in the app, and I make approximately $200 to $500 a week depending on the popularity of my videos,” Lopez said.
For Lopez it has become a habit to do livestreams for her followers every afternoon when she goes out to sell. This has benefited her greatly as her sales have increased and more customers from different places come to look for her cart to try and enjoy her distinctive mangoneadas and elotes. In her account she also shows that she often sells out all of her products.
But with TikTok at risk of being banned in the country as it has created national security concerns, creators like Lopez would be affected financially. “Personally, I hope they don’t ban it because they [the government] also benefit from it and it wouldn’t be a good thing economically for all of us,” Lopez said. “TikTok is helping in many ways companies, small businesses in many ways in getting more people.”
The popularity and benefits of livestreaming on Tiktok has reached all street vendors, such as Manuel Ajuco, an immigrant from Guatemala. He has not yet joined this trend due to his low number of followers, but he wants and plans to do so in the future. Ajuco supports social media platforms and those who use them. “I think it’s a good thing because a lot of people are growing thanks to the profits from TikTok,” Ajuco said in Spanish. Ajuco expressed that banning TikTok is not a positive thing. “I have seen on the news that the government wants to ban Tiktok but it is not good for anyone to ban it in the country, it does not benefit anyone.”
Social media also gives street vendors a platform to interact with their customers in real time. By quickly responding to comments and messages, vendors can build a loyal customer base and establish a strong relationship with their audience. This direct communication has allowed their customers to continue to prefer them. “Since I saw the videos of Jennifer’s mangoneadas with ice cream, I wanted to try them,” said Sonia Ortiz, who is a fan of Lopez. “I think TikTok is a good option not only for street vendors but for all entrepreneurs who want to make their businesses visible. because they benefit and publicize what they sell and thus generate more income that helps their families.”
The use of social media has revolutionized the way street vendors market their products and services today, allowing them to reach a wider audience. This trend seems to only be increasing as more and more people come together to harness the power of social media platforms.
“My message to people is to start doing it because you will never know what opportunities may come your way and don’t be afraid to try something new or different because many doors will open for you. So just do it,” said Lopez.
