Short-video streaming platform TikTok is looking to launch its live shopping offering in the US and is looking to outsource operations associated with the feature. According to a recent report from Financial Times, TikTok has been in talks with TalkShopLive, a Califonia-based live-streaming-social-selling online network, to provide the infrastructure that’ll be needed for TikTok’s live shopping features.
TalkShopLive via its platform and technology enables creators and brands to sell goods through videos. It charges a 10 percent commission from sellers for its services. The partnership with TikTok is reported to likely see TikTok cover commission costs for the initial stage of the project. For now, the deal has not been finalized and it is still all speculation and rather too early to say if the shopping feature will go live or not.
TikTok which became a global sensation for its platform that lets users share short videos ventured into the e-commerce scene last year. It started offering e-commerce features after partnering with Shopify to allow businesses to integrate their catalog into a dedicated tab on their profiles. TikTok also provided these brands with the tools needed to create, run and monitor ad campaigns on its platform.
TikTok started testing a dedicated Shop feed to highlight products being sold by businesses and brands on its platform in June. It has been testing the live shopping feature in the UK since last year. The UK is its first market outside its home continent for testing the feature. According to a Financial Times report in July, the project failed to meet expectations and the company was thinking of expanding the feature to other countries like the US and Germany.
TikTok failed to provide details on the kind of partnership it seeks to expand its live commerce offerings. In a statement, it, however, said that “When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our Community, Creators, and Merchants in markets around the world. These efforts include exploring partnerships that further support a seamless e-commerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem.”
Other social media technology companies that have teased the live shopping feature include Amazon and Meta, formerly Facebook. Meta, however, announced last month that it was putting a stop to the feature to focus on reels.
Ibhadojemu Lucky Emmanuel is a graduate of Education and Economics from the University of Benin. He has a passion for tech and business and has been writing professionally for over a period of five years. He's written across various topics and segments and knew tech-business was it when he first stumbled on it. He has a great passion for music and arts, and wants to visit as many countries as he can someday.
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