The eCommerce industry is set for more competition as Tiktok plans to unveil live shopping features in North America.
The social media platform is about to partner with Los Angeles-based TalkShopLive to bring their live shopping features to life.
After some experiments with similar shopping features in the United Kingdom, it looks like the US is the chosen place for the official launch.
Several sources report that Tiktok will provide the underlying technology and support live streams for brands who want to sell their products.
There is no agreement between Tiktok and TalkShopLive currently, although they are in the final stages.
TalkShopLive is not new to live shopping in eCommerce. The company has claimed to facilitate thousands of live streams each year. Apart from Tiktok, the company is also working with Microsoft MSN and Walmart on similar technologies.
Someone familiar with the plans Tiktok is making says that the social media brand wants TalkShopLive to help them manage the live shopping feature.
It is alleged that TalkShopLive will take about 10% of the sales made through the live shopping feature.
While speaking on the primary reason for launching this new eCommerce feature on their app, Tiktok said they are trying to give their users and community the best.
"When it comes to market expansion for Tiktok Shop, we are 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," Tiktok said.
More on Tiktok Live Shopping
The Tiktok live shopping feature is a move by the parent company to take some space in the eCommerce industry.
It is reported that the Tiktok shop will allow users to buy any product of their choice when brands have a live broadcast.
When Tiktok launches this eCommerce feature on their app in the US, it would be their first market outside Asia.
The live shopping feature is currently available in places like the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.
TikTok's sister app Douyin has already launched this feature, and there are claims that more than 10 billion products have been sold on the app.
While many Americans welcome this latest development, Tiktok is still facing some serious issues with the American government.
Because of fear of national security, the American government had given directives to Tiktok to accept new data security practices to secure the data of American users.
Potential Rivals
Tiktok's social media rival Meta has already tried to launch the live shopping feature on Facebook and Instagram.
However, Meta has recorded minimal success as they plan to close the live shopping feature on Facebook this October. For Instagram, it is reported that Meta is still giving Instagram live shopping some time to develop.
Some eCommerce experts have reacted to the news about Tiktok's eCommerce features saying that it is necessary, especially to bring in competition.
"Live streaming participation in the US is growing, albeit slowly compared to other countries such as China, which indicates that trial periods and consumer education are necessary to encourage the use of this tool on social media," Katie Hansen, an eCommerce analyst, said.