TikTok Makes Big E-Commerce Splash in the United States, Launches Online Shopping

In a recent blog post on Tuesday, TikTok officially launched its e-commerce venture in the United States following several months of testing. This strategic move comes as ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, aims to leverage the immense popularity of the social media platform. With over 150 million users in the U.S., TikTok users can now discover videos and live streams that include links to purchase products directly from their feeds. The platform is also providing a range of tools to assist content creators, brands, and merchants in crafting engaging and shoppable content. Furthermore, TikTok has integrated its shopping service with various third-party platforms, including Shopify, Salesforce, Zendesk, and others, to enhance the overall shopping experience for its users.

TikTok is bringing online shopping through a series of features on its main app and is hoping to replicate the success of Asian platforms Shein and PDD Holdings' Temu.

TikTok's more than 150 million users in the U.S. will now be able to see videos and live streams with links to purchase items on their feed, as it offers tools to content creators, brands, and merchants to create shoppable content.

New features include a shop tab, where businesses can display their products with logistics and payments solutions powered by TikTok.

The social media firm said it also integrated its shopping service with various third-party platforms like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zendesk, among others.

TikTok's online marketplace, which was reportedly in the works in the U.S. since November, is available in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom.