This week, TikTok quietly made its way into the U.S. e-commerce market, where it will compete with Amazon and other retail businesses, especially during the coming holiday shopping season.
The TikTok Shop platform is already accessible in the U.K. and a few Southeast Asian countries, and it’s now available for the U.S. users.
TikTok is currently inviting U.S. businesses to participate in the new e-commerce program, with access eventually extending to international vendors.
The social media giant has indeed informed international sellers that TikTok Shop will soon be available to them.
A TikTok spokesperson said:
“We are always guided by demand and exploring new ways to enhance the TikTok experience. We’ve seen the positive impact of TikTok Shop, and we’re excited to continue experimenting with this new commerce opportunity to support businesses of all sizes and enable our community to discover and engage with products they love.”
According to one of the job posts on LinkedIn, TikTok appeared prepared to expand its e-commerce ambitions to the U.S. in October. The postings also showed that TikTok is intending to establish its own fulfillment center in Seattle, where Amazon is headquartered.
“The e-commerce industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and has become a hotly contested space amongst leading Internet companies, and its future growth cannot be underestimated. With millions of loyal users globally, we believe TikTok is an ideal platform to deliver a brand new and better e-commerce experience to our users,” said one of the job postings.