TikTok is one of several big-tech players that appears to leave no stone unturned in the push to dominate the U.S. live commerce sector.
The company just recently announced job vacancies that indicated plans to challenge Amazon with eCommerce fulfillment centers. Now the short-video giant has made a move by bringing TikTok Shop to American consumers.
Previously, TikTok Shop has been available to consumers in seven Southeast Asian nations along with the U.K.
The official TikTok Shop site quietly listed the U.S. as a place where businesses can register to the program. This would enable them to sell their merchandise directly via the TikTok app. The quiet live testing in the U.S. appears to be a direct challenge for Amazon.
Select U.S. businesses have already been invited to participate. The launch is another way the company is continuing to invest in the U.S. live shopping scene. Apparently, TikTok Shop brings in merchants, brands, and creators through in-feed live videos and a product showcase tab. Merchants will by paying a 1.8% commission over the first 90 days after they join the company before rates go up to 5%.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of adoption this gets in the U.S. and how that affects dominant players such as YouTube. The video streaming platform recently announced a 9-day shopping blitz that’s focused entirely on live shopping. The Alphabet company is also partnering with Shopify to integrate live shopping into videos on the platform.
