TikTok users will soon be able to buy products through short videos instead of ads.
In a new deal with the popular social media app, Shopify announced businesses will be able to create “mini-storefronts" by adding a shopping tab to their profiles.
Currently, the shopping pilot is only available for users in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
“The new partnership also means that Shopify merchants will be able to tag their products in their TikTok videos. This means that users of the TikTok app will be able to click on tagged products and this will take them to the merchant's storefront so that they can buy the items,” per Newsweek.
Kylie Cosmetics, the makeup brand started by Kylie Jenner, is one of the first businesses to take on the model.
“I have so much fun creating TikTok videos. That’s why I’m excited for Kylie Cosmetics to be one of the first to let customers shop directly on our TikTok!” said Jenner on Tuesday in a press release.
With an average of 32 million active users per month worldwide, TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2020.
“TikTok has been steadily developing its e-commerce features over the years, with tests that included the 2019 launch of the Hashtag Challenge Plus, which added a shoppable component to a hashtag, directing video viewers to shop a website from within TikTok,” per TechCrunch.
President of global business solutions at TikTok, Blake Chandlee, said in the announcement, "TikTok is uniquely placed at the center of content and commerce, and these new solutions make it even easier for businesses of all sizes to create engaging content that drives consumers directly to the digital point of purchase. We're thrilled to be expanding our partnership with Shopify and making TikTok more accessible than ever for their merchants."
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, already runs a large e-commerce market on the Chinese version of TikTok, known as Douyin.
