Despite online shopping not catching on in the way that social apps may have hoped for, TikTok chooses to remain defiant- stubborn even, as it continues to push ahead with its various in-stream commerce projects. With that being said, TikTok’s launching a new process with selected retailers in the app. AdAge reports that a small set of US retailers seemingly now have a new in-stream shopping tab added to their profiles.

“Brands in the beta so far include Pacsun, pop culture products boutique Three Little Mingos, and beauty brand KimChi Chic. Apparel retailers Revolve and Willow Boutique also appear to be part of the test. TikTok is not confirming or naming merchants as part of the testing phase, according to a spokesperson.”

Shop Now

The new in-stream shopping flow includes a shop overview and a direct purchase flow, all built into the app itself, as opposed to the regular TikTok shop process, which reverts users back to the retailer’s website to convert. As noted multiple times before, TikTok’s Chinese sister app, Douyin, has seen big success with in-stream commerce, which actually generates the majority of its revenue from in-app purchases.

That’s in the East. In the West, people are having a harder time feeling the same way. Live shopping has always been touted by Douyin’s success, but while almost every major social app has given it a go, almost all of them have also scaled their initiatives back, with some even completely abandoning ship. Just this week, Instagram announced that it’s removing its live shopping elements.

Following the pandemic, which saw a surge in online shopping, many experts predicted that this would change the way consumers looked to buy, ushering in a new wave of eCommerce growth. However, given the nature of predictions, they don’t always happen as expected. The moment physical stores reopened, most people went back to old shopping habits, and no one can really blame them – nothing beats the feel of physically touching and trying on a brand new pair of the latest NMDs from Adidas.

TikTok, in particular, has felt the sting of this, given how it’s reliant on in-stream purchases as part of its broader plan to offer its best creators more revenue potential. If TikTok users don’t follow similar patterns to those on Douyin, that’ll limit TikTok’s revenue opportunities, forcing it to consider other options – which is why it continues to try out all sorts of eCommerce tools and options, in the hopes of re-engaging users as it does so.

The Wrap

Will that work? Data does support the claim that TikTok is increasingly referring to the app as an alternative search engine of sorts, the logical expansion of which would translate to more in-stream shopping, and in the end making a purchase. It could still be a viable pathway to more success, but for the most part, it’s still mostly an uncertainty, because changing the perspective of an entirely different cultural hemisphere is anything but easy.

Sources

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