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TikTok Shop Has Officially Launched In The U.S.
Is TikTok trying to be like Instagram? We all know Instagram has been trying to capitalize on shopping within their app for quite some now. But will TikTok be the next social media platform to add shopping into the mix?
Well, the TikTok Shop in the U.S. has entered the chat! This has been a long time coming, TikTok has been testing this feature since last November to directly compete with other online retailers. Back in June, TikTok began teasing this feature in the U.S. and some users were able to access the “shop” feed.
Now 150 million users can now shop through the app! The company announced the TikTok Shop will include live video shopping, a shop tab on the home screen, affiliate programs for creators, and ads to help boost shops! Also, the in-app shop allows all U.S. businesses to create and launch a shop.
Here you can see the different options for shopping on TikTok, making it super accessible for both creators and shoppers! Creators will be able to tag different products in their videos, whether it’s a live or just a regular in-feed video. If you want to become an affiliate, TikTok will allow you to promote your favorite products for a commission!
TikTok also stated that “US users’ payment information is managed by USDS and we work with third-party payment platforms to facilitate transactions on TikTok Shop”. Accessible and secure shopping is definitely a PLUS!
While the shopping feature is brand new to the US, TikTok is following suit to the success they’ve seen with their Asian markets. In-stream commerce is actually the main income stream for that market.
However, in the US, we’ve seen time and time again that users are hesitant to have shopping integrated with their social media experience! Users don’t want to be hit with shopping ads as they do their daily TikTok scrolls. It took a while for shopping to grow on users on Instagram and there are definitely still uncertainties.
It will be interesting to see how TikTok continues its testing moving forward. Only time will tell what exactly will stick with eCommerce in the US!