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Shopping is now coming to TikTok!

This new feature—or, rather, the set of several features—aims to transform the app into a bustling marketplace where users can discover and purchase products without ever leaving the platform.

TikTok Shop includes several features, most of which we’ve seen on other social platforms over the years:

• In-Feed Video and Live Shopping: Users can shop directly from videos and live streams that appear in the For You feed.

• Product Showcase: Brands can curate product collections on their profile, allowing users to browse, read reviews, and make purchases.

• Shop Tab: A dedicated space for businesses to display their products, complete with product listings, shoppable content, and order management.

• Affiliate Program: Creators can now monetize their content by sharing products in videos and live streams, earning commissions in the process.

• Shop Ads: Brands have the opportunity to promote their TikTok Shops, ensuring users discover and complete purchases within the app.

• Fulfilled by TikTok: A logistics solution where TikTok handles storage, packaging, and shipping for merchants.

• Secure Checkout: Transactions on TikTok Shop are facilitated by trusted third-party payment platforms, ensuring a smooth and secure checkout process.

According to TechCrunch, TikTok has also integrated with popular commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, among others. This allows merchants to manage their TikTok Shop directly from their preferred platforms.

For those interested in learning more, check out these resources:

• TikTok Shop for Business

• TikTok Shop Seller Sign Up

• TikTok Shop Creator Center

Haven’t We Seen This Before?

Why, yes! It seems that all the big social platforms have added shopping features of some sort and some point or another. To give you a sense of how this TikTok evolution fits into that historical context, here’s a quick rundown of some of the more memorable features:

• Facebook Shop launched in 2020 to allow businesses to set up online stores on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook also tested and then discontinued an in-stream shopping feature back in 2018.

• Instagram Shopping also launched in 2020, allowing businesses to tag products in posts and profiles so users can click to view and purchase them.

• Buyable Pins came to Pinterest in 2015, letting users buy products featured in pinned images without leaving Pinterest. The platform has continued building out its shopping features.

• A Twitter/Shopify partnership was announced in 2022 to bring merchants' online stores directly into their Twitter profiles. Users can view and buy products without leaving Twitter.

• Snapchat’s shoppable ads came out in 2018. They also now offer shoppable lenses and filters.

• YouTube launched shopping capabilities for creators in 2022, which allowed for tagging and tracking products in videos, as well as connecting viewers to merchant sites to purchase.

Why it Matters

This is sure to be a big step for monetizing the TikTok platform. If done successfully, the ByteDance team should see their hold on their audience grow even stronger as users, brands, and creators double down on theit TikTok investments.

Note: Not everyone is happy. An article in Glamour, for example, points out that the ease of shopping directly from the app, while convenient, also raises concerns about impulse buying and financial responsibility.—especially given how addictive the app is known to be.

Time will tell if the criticism is warranted, and whether or not it has an impact on the way shopping pans out on TikTok.