It’s a truism at this point that every big social platform will dream of becoming its users’ favourite place to shop, and every one will fail to make it a reality.⁠
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TikTok, which has a reputation for getting users to purchase what they see on the app — a sentiment summed up in the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt — is betting it can buck the trend.⁠
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This week, the company rolled out its Shop feature to all US users, allowing people who go to the social network for a regular dose of animal videos, lip syncing and influencer posts to also purchase products directly within the app. Along with shoppable videos, the update introduces a marketplace where businesses and individuals can list items from yoga pants to slow cookers.⁠
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Shopping is a popular activity on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, with the app growing into an e-commerce powerhouse over the past few years. But what works in Asian markets doesn’t always work in Western ones. For years social media companies have tried to integrate shopping into their US platforms with little to show for their efforts. Instagram, for instance, removed its shopping tab from the home feed earlier this year.⁠
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Head to our #linkinbio to read more on TikTok’s Shop feature.⁠
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✍️ @marcbain_⁠
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