TikTok is leaning in to its power in product discovery, partnering with Shopify to allow users to buy products straight from the app.
Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account will soon be able to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profiles and sync their product catalogues to create a mini-storefront that links directly to their online store for checkout, the companies announced today. The TikTok Shopping pilot is currently available to Shopify merchants in the U.S. and U.K. A select group of merchants in Canada will participate in the pilot in the coming weeks, and the feature will roll out to additional regions in the coming months.
One of the first brands to participate in the pilot will be Kylie Cosmetics, the cosmetics brands owned by Kylie Jenner.
"Creators are paving the way for a new kind of entrepreneurship where content, community, and commerce are key," Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, said in the announcement. "By enabling new in-app shopping experiences and product discovery on TikTok for the first time, Shopify is powering the creator economy on one of the fastest-growing social and entertainment platforms in the world. We are excited to help this next generation of entrepreneurs connect with their audiences in more ways—and with TikTok as a visionary partner."
This is the next step in Shopify and TikTok’s partnership. Back in October 2020, Shopify started allowing merchants to manage TikTok ad campaigns from within Shopify. TikTok says it is a “one-stop shop” for creating ad campaigns from Shopify. It also allowed Shopify merchants to use the TikTok Pixel, which is standard software code used by marketers to track performance online. Pixels can help measure when ads reach the right audiences and lead to actions, like website visits and sales.
As e-commerce and social media use has exploded, the social media platforms are vying to turn their platforms into product discovery and shopping destinations.
TikTok is one of the fast-growing apps, surpassing Facebook in July as the most downloaded app, according to SensorTower data. The short-form video app has helped brands large and small with product awareness and sales. Small businesses stayed afloat during the pandemic thanks, in part, to TikTokers finding their account, and big corporations like Amazon partner with influencers for Amazon hauls. The hashtag #AmazonFinds has 11.8 billion views.
Shopify has been steadily expanding behind the scenes. In June of this year, Shopify’s one-click checkout feature, ShopPay, expanded to Facebook and Google. That same month, Shopify also became Walmart’s first e-commerce platform partner. Pinterest expanded its partnership with Shopify in May 2021.
Shopify and TikTok have also partnered to bring product links to Shopify merchants, which can be used to tag products in organic TikTok posts. TikTok users can choose to shop directly from the merchant’s storefront or click a tagged product in a merchant’s TikTok video, which will take them to the merchant's online store for checkout.
"Our community has transformed shopping into an experience that's rooted in discovery, connection, and entertainment, creating unparalleled opportunities for brands to capture consumers' attention," Blake Chandlee, president of global business solutions at TikTok said in the announcement. "TikTok is uniquely placed at the center of content and commerce, and these new solutions make it even easier for businesses of all sizes to create engaging content that drives consumers directly to the digital point of purchase. We're thrilled to be expanding our partnership with Shopify and making TikTok more accessible than ever for their merchants."
