TikTok is testing new e-commerce features

According to foreign media reports, TikTok has recently been testing a new in-app shopping feature, and even placed the store button directly next to the recommendation page.

As can be seen from the picture, there is a "Shopping" button next to the recommendation page. Users can simply slide the screen to instantly jump from the video interface to the shopping window full of various novel gadgets.

However, this feature is still in the internal testing stage, so only a very small number of users can see this button.

In fact, TikTok has been testing adding a third section to the main page. Some time ago, TikTok also tested adding a "Nearby" button, which would contain some local content of the user, but after a period of testing, the response was mediocre.

So, recently TikTok has turned its attention back to e-commerce functions to see whether a page full of various products would be popular with users.

After testing, some users found that as long as they clicked the "Shop" button at the top, they would be directly transferred to the TikTok Shop section, and a variety of products would instantly come into view.

It is understood that this feature is TikTok's latest attempt in the field of e-commerce, with the aim of finding a way to best stimulate users' desire to shop. At present, TikTok has figured out the growth model of e-commerce in Southeast Asia.

Now, TikTok's sister app Douyin's main source of revenue is live streaming sales, and this strategy is also effective in TikTok's sites such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

But so far, Western users are not very interested in combining social media and shopping. They are still accustomed to shopping offline or on dedicated e-commerce platforms.

TikTok has been trying to change the consumption habits of Western users. The first one it tried was the live streaming sales model it is most familiar with, and then it tested in-app shopping functions such as "popular beats".

From the current perspective, TikTok is still looking for a direction that suits itself. I believe that once the future direction is clear, its e-commerce path will surely move forward in greater strides.

TikTok

E-commerce