- TikTok unveils a new in-app shopping feature in its latest partnership with Shopify.
- TikTok users can now purchase items from sellers directly from videos and retailer profiles.
- Since the pandemic, e-commerce has increased, creating ways for social platforms to get involved.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
TikTok users can now shop directly in the app.
The new TikTok Shopping feature, announced Tuesday, lets Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account add a shopping tab to their TikTok profiles and sync their product catalogs to the app and creating a direct link to their online store.
Sellers can also link directly to their products in their videos by tagging them, allowing TikTok users to shop directly from videos, the company said in a press release.
Kylie Cosmetics, a beauty brand owned by Kylie Jenner, is one of the first adopters of this new feature.
"I built my business on social media; it's where my fans go first to look for what's new from Kylie Cosmetics," Kylie Jenner said in a statement released by Shopify. "I have so much fun creating TikTok videos, and I love sharing posts of my fans using the products. That's why I'm excited for Kylie Cosmetics to be one of the first to let customers shop directly on our TikTok!"
TikTok and Shopify first unveiled their partnership last October to US merchants with advertising on the app. Trying to develop its social commerce and e-commerce strategy, the partnership first allowed merchants to create and manage TikTok campaigns.
Now, by giving users a new way to shop, TikTok hopes to attract new customers.
"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," Blake Chandlee, president of global business solutions at TikTok, said in a statement. "We're thrilled to be expanding our partnership with Shopify and making TikTok more accessible than ever for their merchants."
Currently, this feature is only available in the US and the UK. Canada will be adding in the oncoming weeks, according to TikTok and Shopify.
Since the pandemic, 70% of Americans are shopping more online, according to data from ESET, a global cybersecurity company, Insider reported. Experts expect this trend to stay.
Last year, Facebook also added an online shopping feature for its users. Earlier in 2021, the social media company also partnered with Shopify to expand the accessibility of social commerce by integrating Shopify's Shop Pay buy button into Instagram and Facebook Shops.