TikTok is looking for a partner to launch online shopping within the social network in the United States. To implement this function, it needs outsourcing.
TikTok is currently in talks with Los Angeles-based technology startup TalkShopLive, which specializes in online shopping. The main goal is to obtain the necessary resources to ensure the stability of the function when making online purchases. Opening a "store" on TikTok will give companies of all sizes and individual entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell their goods on one of the most popular platforms on the Internet.
It is known that TalkShopLive plans to set a 10 percent commission and charge it from each potential buyer. TikTok is expected to successfully cover the agreed costs shortly after the launch of the store. These are the only details of the upcoming deal that have been leaked to the Internet media. The lion's share of the conditions were not discussed at all, so there is not even a rough assumption about the timing of the implementation of online shopping in TikTok. The management of the social network has not yet given any comments on this topic.
Commercial features for TikTok are not new. In 2021, the social network entered into a partnership with Shopify to give business account creators the ability to integrate their catalogs into a special tab in the account. At the same time, it began testing its product for online shopping in the UK. A Financial Times report published in July noted that the company was disappointed with the results and was considering rethinking its plans to expand online shopping to Germany and the US.