TikTok has announced an expanded partnership with Shopify to dominate social media shopping.
Instagram and Facebook Live currently reign supreme, but TikTok is taking aim. TikTok introduced Shopify tools last October to allow merchants to optimize their TikTok marketing campaigns.
Soon, Shopify merchants with a TikTok for Business account will be able to add a new ‘Shopping’ tab to their TikTok profiles. This gives merchants a way to sync their social media presence with their storefront, creating a mini-storefront on their profile.
Imagine being able to browse an artists’ merch site directly from TikTok. It could be a way to massively boost sales for social media marketers – and a way to help TikTok further displace Facebook’s dominance.
Kylie Jenner is one of the early adopters of the TikTok x Shopify partnership. She is marketing her Kylie Cosmetics brand, which is available on TikTok now. The pilot is also underway with other influential social media personalities in the US, UK, and Canada. It will soon roll out to all Shopify merchants in the coming weeks. Anyone who wants to join the pilot can request access through Shopify’s TikTok channel.
Shopify and TikTok are also working on a product tagging feature for TikTok videos. It allows TikTok users to click the tagged product to be taken directly to the storefront for checkout. It’s a feature that has been pioneered by Instagram Shopping, allowing merchants to make sales with their photos and video uploads to social media.
“Creators are paving the way for a new kind of entrepreneurship where content, community, and commerce are key,” says Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify. “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.”
Shopify says its TikTok channel installation rate has increased by 76% from February 2020 to February 2021. TikTok Shopping allows checkout through the Shopify platform – giving already established merchants fewer steps to set up.