The now trending short-form video app, TikTok, has delved into commerce. The app grants users the privilege of linking e-commerce sites to their profile on the video app. The app has as well extended the ability to let content creators send their followers/viewers to websites featuring activities such as shopping.
In an announcement made by the company, it stated that the new features are aimed at making the app more user-friendly, i.e improving user experience while using the app.
One of TikTok’s owner and a spokesperson for ByteDance explained that:
“We’re always experimenting with new ways to improve the app experience for our users. Ultimately, we’re focused on ways to inspire creativity, bring joy, and add value for our community.
Fabian Bern, founder of Uplab an influencer Chinese startup, had first noticed the new features and immediately took to the social networking platform Twitter to share his view of the benefits which the new feature offers.
Twitter and Instagram have long allowed this feature whereby users may attach a URL linking their bio to the third-party site. A bunch of influencer on the social networking platforms have used this functionality to promote whatever cause it is the support, from news to fashion and a few others.
According to popular belief, if the feature is retained in the short-form video app, the face of social e-commerce will take on a new look. In recent time, other social networking platforms have had the shopping feature implemented a long time ago, an example is the chinese social networking platform QQ.
TikTok which has become a popular and influential player in China, India and Southeast Asia market has without doubt distorted the e-commerce market for such traditional players like Amazon.
