Buying products through social media isn’t yet as common in the U.S., though Pinterest and Facebook-owned Instagram have made some inroads. Now the ecommerce platform has recognized TikTok’s untapped potential and is capitalizing on the app’s ability to make products and brands go viral. TikTok and Shopify announced a new way for businesses to sell to consumers. Shopify said that businesses will be able to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profiles to create a “mini-storefront” that links directly to their online store for checkout.
TikTok Live Stream Shopping is a new ecommerce experience being developed by TikTok that allows users to purchase select items from participating online retailers during a live-streaming event.
Livestream ecommerce is experiencing explosive growth in China. It is growing rapidly and continues to explode and evolve as a major revenue generator – estimated to reach $305 billion this year, by Forbes – with the technology driven concept swiftly taking off in the US.
Live commerce differs from regular commercials in that anyone beyond commercial brands can participate. Streamers range from ordinary store clerks and other amateurs to models and online influencers.
Livestream shopping can be a true companion to your retail business. At a time where distance is best, use it to digitally replicate the offline shopping experience and potentially attract new audiences in an authentic way.
Shopify and TikTok are planning to roll out new features in the future, including the ability for users to browse products and make purchases directly through the TikTok app. TikTok Shop operates like it’s still being tested. At the time of this writing, the feature still doesn’t have its own dedicated page. Yet despite the drawbacks, TikTok’s in-app shopping and live commerce feature seems promising in that it combines interactive videos – which TikTok creators have mastered – and real-time interactions between sellers and consumers. The feature will roll out to additional regions in the coming months, TikTok said.
Paid advertising can be a way, more innovative yet smart, to gain prospects other than your organic reach. Like the advertising model followed by Google and other platforms, now Tik-Tok is also ready to mark its presence there. Paid advertising amplifies your organic efforts and boosts your strategies to meet conversions and prospects with ease. Tik-Tok is offering a full-fledged set of advertising variants to help eCommerce brands engage and reach broader audience boards.
“I believe that TikTok e-commerce will soon be successfully implemented overseas, and TikTok will become an integrated platform for overseas social and shopping,” said an anonymous industry insider. Till inception, Tik-Tok’s journey was unpredictable, we can still not predict what surprises are waiting for us in the coming future. Their marketplace is also huge and covers audiences openly, so if you are still not on the list, you’re simply encouraging your competitors to mark there first.