TikTok competes with Facebook through e-commerce
TikTok plans to massively expand e-commerce in the US, as it competes head-to-head with the Facebook giant.
The China-owned video app briefed advertisers on a number of new features for 2021, such as a tool that allows users of the most popular platform to share product links and automatically earn a commission via any sale.
Content creators won't necessarily need a link with the brand itself, and will be able to link to whatever products they like
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, aims to allow brands to display a list of their products through the platform, according to a report from the Financial Times.
It is also said: The app publishes live shopping, which is the mobile version of TV shopping channels, where users can buy goods with a few clicks after seeing them displayed by TikTok stars.
This comes after testing the direct shopping feature with Walmart, which was announced late last year.
And it seems that TikTok is about to skip offering the desktop experience and go straight to e-commerce.
These tools allow TikTok, which has announced a partnership with the e-commerce platform Shopify, to compete with Facebook head-on.
Last year, Facebook introduced tools through its Instagram photo-sharing app in some countries to make it easier for people to purchase goods, as well as a digital shopping channel via the main Facebook site.
Meanwhile, Instagram introduced Reels, which is a scrollable version of a Tik Tok feed.
The current advertising system is still under development, and an executive at an ad agency said: The product and content have not matured the way advertisers wanted.
The platform had plans this year to continue developing its ad platform, which allows brands to easily place their ads online rather than manually calling a salesperson, putting it in line with larger competitors.
It also aimed to improve its ad targeting tools, including user tracking.
Last week, TikTok announced its first big deal with advertising agency WPP, giving the London-based agency early access to its latest TikTok ad product.
The move worried competing social media platforms, as the large audience of young, partially untapped users is the biggest attraction of the TikTok platform.