Your Business May Soon Be Able to Make In-App Sales on TikTok

Your business could soon be able to sell directly on TikTok. 

The popular video sharing social media app announced Tuesday it would offer an in-app shopping program called TikTok Shopping, expanding its partnership with the Canada-based e-commerce giant Shopify. The pilot will be available to all Shopify sellers in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as a limited group of sellers in Canada.

“From feta cheese to drugstore skincare, we’ve seen time and time again how a single TikTok has the power to drive new shopping trends and must-have purchases,” TikTok said in a press release. Viral TikToks have proved a powerful marketing tool for e-commerce and brick-and-mortar businesses alike, driving sales spikes and even national publicity. 

The new feature would allow businesses to capitalize on successful TikToks by linking them to specific products. Companies can also add a shopping tab on their account profiles that creates a “mini storefront” for buying and browsing. Shopify told The New York Times it intends to roll out the feature to all of its merchants in the fall.

“For all brands that have a solid product line that is properly and accurately promoted via TikTok, this is going to be an incredibly impactful tool,” said Noriko Roy, the co-founder and CEO of two Los Angeles-based marketing agencies, NK Agency and Digital New Age. 

Previously, in-store shopping was only available through TikTok For Business, the app’s advertising platform. However, Shopify sellers will still need TikTok For Business accounts to use the new feature, according to Shopify’s release. The company also said that sellers can request early access to TikTok Shopping via Shopify’s “TikTok channel,” an earlier integration between the two companies. 

Shopify and TikTok first partnered in October 2020, and it appears the companies  have further plans to support sellers on the app. “Through TikTok, countless brands have found a creative outlet to drive sales and make real connections with new audiences–and this is just the beginning,” the social media company said in the release.