TikTok has quietly launched its shop pilot in the U.S., an in-app checkout feature that brands and marketers have been waiting for as they look to capitalize on the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend.

Brands in the beta so far include Pacsun, pop culture products boutique Three Little Mingos and beauty brand KimChi Chic. Apparel retailers Revolve and Willow Boutique also appear to be part of the test. TikTok is not confirming or naming merchants as part of the testing phase, according to a spokesperson. Revolve declined to comment.

The brand profiles feature a small bag icon (similar to the Instagram Shop tab icon) that shows various products and their prices. Users can click on products to see an in-app version of a product page, with photos and videos, and then choose to add the item to their cart, or buy now. Users can also add products from different stores to the same cart.

With Gen Z using TikTok and Instagram as search engines, and #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt approaching 40 billion views, the goal of the new shop feature is to help turn TikTok into a full-funnel sales platform. This could mean searches for “matte lipstick,” “best retinol eye cream,” or “casual summer office outfits” could potentially lead to real purchases.

Plenty of other brands have a Shop tab on their TikTok profile, including Walmart, Target, Olay, e.l.f,  Eos, Madewell, American Eagle and Ulta. But to complete a purchase, customers are taken to the brand’s website in-app.

For Pacsun, Revolve, Three Little Mingos, KimChi Chic and Willow Boutique, customers can place orders within TikTok by inputting their name, phone number, address and credit card information.

TikTok is also trying to attract older users, according to The Information, after adult users in the U.S. plateaued last year, and the ease of shopping may help change TikTok’s image of “that dance app for kids.”

Social commerce competition

Whether or not social commerce has large-scale sticking power in the West is yet to be seen. While Asian audiences are used to mobile shopping, U.S. customers would rather complete purchases on brand websites. 

Brands would rather they do that too. Putting a platform like TikTok between a retailer and a consumer means losing a direct connection to a customer and their data such as email addresses or credit card information. Pinterest, for example, has long tried to achieve native checkout but despite shoppable ad features and putting shoppable pins in one place, check out still happens on a brand’s website. Just this month, Instagram removed its dedicated shop tab from users' feeds, and it is also sunsetting livestream shopping.

The rollout has been a long time coming; TikTok first piloted live shopping with Walmart in December 2020, and then announced an integration with Shopify. In 2022, the platform introduced several other shoppable ad formats, but stumbled when the Financial Times reported that a shop pilot in the U.K. was shelved after creators lost interest. The platform pressed on and has been hiring for roles for future fulfillment centers. 

TikTok has also made headlines for national security issues, even being banned on certain campuses and on government cell phones.