TiKTok rolls out in-app shopes in the US

While its in-app buying experience hasn't taken off as quickly as it would have liked, TikTok is gradually increasing its in-app purchasing choices and shifting its attention to in-stream commerce, with the platform introducing the first step of its TikTok Shops integration in the US late last week.



TikTok Shops, as seen in this example, are located on profiles in a different tab where users can browse products and even make purchases without leaving the app.

TikTok debuted Shops in the UK last year, followed by Southeast Asia, but it hasn't yet become an all-encompassing business solution within the app.

TikTok's Shops rollout in the UK was plagued by challenges, which were exacerbated by internal issues with personnel management and unattainable incentive targets. TikTok was forced to dial back its plans for an expansion into Europe as a result, but it is now focusing on the US market, which might be a much more lucrative drive.

The opening of stores with selected US companies is the latest in a series of initiatives taken by TikTok to increase the emphasis on in-stream buying.

TikTok has also been striving to promote shopping live-streams in order to increase commerce interaction, and even more intriguingly, it has been recruiting for jobs in US-based fulfillment centers, which would provide customers with expedited delivery and returns.

This might be a significant step toward transforming the platform into an eCommerce powerhouse, enhancing delivery performance and response based on sales activity within the app.

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