TikTok May Launch Live Shopping in the US for Holiday Season
TikTok may be preparing for a major launch, reportedly bringing “TikTok Shop” to the US in time for the holiday shopping season.
Already one of the biggest social media platforms, TikTok is looking to expand into shopping. According to The Financial Times, via Engadget, the company is planning to outsource technology to launch its TikTok Shop for the US market.
According to the report, the company will work with “large brands,” using technology sourced from TalkShopLive. The format will be similar to Douyin, TikTok’s sister app in China.
Read more: Hotel Marketers Are Turning to TikTok…and You Should Too
When FT contacted TikTok for comment, the company neither confirmed nor denied the rumor.
“When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our community, creators and merchants in markets around the world,” the company told the FT. “These efforts include exploring partnerships which further support a seamless ecommerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem.”
One potential hurdle for the company is the privacy implications. TikTok is already under fire for sending user data to China, despite previous claims that US user data was handled by a US-based security team.
It’s a safe bet legislators and regulators will not be thrilled with the idea of TikTok gaining access to users’ financial and shopping data.
