TikTok launches online shopping in the US

(Reuters) – TikTok has officially rolled out its e-commerce business in the United States after months of testing, according to a blog post on Tuesday, as its Chinese-owner ByteDance looks to capitalize on the popularity of the social media app.

TikTok is bringing online shopping through a series of features on its main app and is hoping to replicate the success of Asian platforms Shein and PDD Holdings’ Temu.

TikTok’s more than 150 million users in the U.S. will now be able to see videos and live streams with links to purchase items on their feed, as it offers tools to content creators, brands, and merchants to create shoppable content.

New features include a shop tab, where businesses can display their products with logistics and payments solutions powered by TikTok.

The social media firm said it also integrated its shopping service with various third-party platforms like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zendesk, among others.

TikTok’s online marketplace, which was reportedly in the works in the U.S. since November, is available in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil)