According to TikTok, its parent company ByteDance’s subsidiary is shipping and selling the goods that are being offered for sale in the “Trendy Beat” retail part of the app. The Financial Times first the news on the feature, which is presently undergoing testing in the U.K. The purchasing area provides well-liked products featured in viral films, such as equipment for removing ear wax.
The firm said in a statement on Thursday that the new e-commerce project is not being tested in the United States. Instead, it claims that it is concentrating on bringing new merchants to its TikTok Shop service, which enables brands to sell goods on the site.
TikTok’s e-commerce shift: From TikTok Shop to Trendy Beat
Though the new Trendy Beat function isn’t currently being tested in the United States, it very well may be. Last month, TikTok submitted a trademark application in the US for Trendy Beat, indicating that the test feature may soon be made available in the US. Clothing products such as dresses, scarves, hats, shoes, bathing suits, sleep masks, sweaters, skirts, shirts, suits, and more are included in the trademark application.
According to The Financial Times, “Project S” is the internal name for ByteDance’s intention to begin selling its items via the video app. According to the article, Project S makes use of TikTok’s knowledge of the goods that are becoming more and more popular on the app, enabling ByteDance to either buy or produce such goods. According to reports, ByteDance sources these products via a network of vendors.
The new feature is a departure from TikTok’s current e-commerce strategy, which is mostly represented through its TikTok Shop marketplace, and shows that the company is seeking to compete with retailers like Amazon and Shein. However, with this new function, TikTok would be selling its items instead of allowing companies to sell their products directly within the app as it does with TikTok Shop. With the new business model, TikTok will operate an online store in a manner like to how Amazon Basics and Shein market and provide their best-selling items.
TikTok tests the Trendy Beat shopping experience
The announcement comes as TikTok is now in the process of recruiting companies such as PacSun and Revolve for its TikTok Shop, which has been undergoing beta testing in the United States since November of last year. According to prior reports from the Financial Times, TikTok Shop has found great success in the markets of Asia. Still, the company has had a difficult time gaining momentum in the United Kingdom. Consequently, it should not be surprising that the corporation has decided to pilot the new e-commerce effort in the United Kingdom before considering introducing it in the United States.
It is important to note that while TikTok is still working on implementing purchasing functionality, many of the apps that compete with it are pulling back on their e-commerce efforts since they have not been successful in gaining popularity. In January, Instagram did away with its shop page and later announced that it would be discontinuing its live shopping operations. In August of 2022, Facebook also terminated the functionality of its live shopping service.
The TikTok app already has a significant impact on the buying behaviors of its users, even though the company is just in the first stages of developing its e-commerce activities in the United States. Because of the video app’s potential to inspire spur-of-the-moment purchases, the expression “TikTok made me buy it” has become rather common.
On TikTok, the word now has 7.4 billion views, while the corresponding hashtag has 59.3 billion views. The new in-app shopping feature would substantially drive more of these purchases by allowing consumers quick and direct access to a discovery and purchasing experience. Consequently, there would be a significant increase in the overall number of sales.
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