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Americans may be closer to getting the TikTok Shop feature just in time for the holidays.
US merchants are now able to sign up for TikTok Shop if they’re interested in selling products directly to consumers through the video-sharing app.
“TikTok Shop is an innovative new shopping feature which enables merchants, brands and creators to showcase and sell products directly on TikTok through in-feed videos, LIVEs, and the product showcase tab,” a message on the official site reads.
The shopping feature is currently only available in the UK and seven regions of Asia.
Although the site to register a business to sell on the platform is up and running in the US, it’s not available to every business owner. Currently, those attempting to register must provide an “invitation code” to access the application.
According to the TikTok sign-up site, merchant corporations must provide a US company registration document to apply while individual sellers need a US-issued passport or driver’s license. Applicants can expect a response a day or two after submitting.
A report from Semafor said the app is only inviting select businesses to sign up, but it’s unclear which companies received the invitation.
The Bytedance-owned app advertised “higher quality traffic,” “better consumer experience,” and “seamless creator collaboration” to merchants who register.
Although it costs nothing to apply, TikTok takes a commission from each sale, the site reads.
“The commission fee for each product sale is 5%. This is reduced to 1.8% for the first 90 days after successful registration, and then the commission rate reverts back to 5% after the 90 days,” the site explains.
The app began testing a “Shop” feed tab in Indonesia, according to a June report from Techcrunch, and previously partnered with Shopify to allow users to shop in-app in 2021.
On Tuesday, Financial Times reported the restructuring of TikTok’s US Operations to place former North America general manager Sandie Hawkins at the helm of TikTok Shop US.
“She will be a valuable partner . . . as (e-commerce) becomes a critical part of our client needs and TikTok builds on many of the native behaviours we already see on the platform,” global solutions executive Blake Chandlee said in a Monday note to staff, FT reports.
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