• by Colin Kirkland , July 15, 2023

TikTok is testing a “Shop” tab that displays an additional product-based feed beside users’ regular “For You” and “Following” tabs. 

Social media expert Matt Navarra shared screenshots (above) of the test format of the feed option, which connects users directly to a TikTok Shop display featuring shopping organizational categories such as orders, messages, favorites and vouchers. 

Products are listed below in picture form, with prices and savings percentages, as well as a list of deals for the day. 

TikTok’s experimental shopping feed also has a shopping cart and a “live” option.   

Parent company ByteDance made livestream shopping massively popular in Asian markets through TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, Douyin. But consumers in other markets have been slow to embrace the capability. TikTok’s previous test of a live shopping feature with select retailers drew lukewarm results in Western markets. 

To break through the skepticism, the short-form video app has continued to introduce ecommerce features, including “Trendy Beat,” which showcases products made by TikTok itself. 

TikTok’s Shop feed is the latest effort in a corporate initiative dubbed “Project Aquaman.” That includes plans for global fulfillment centers and an ecommerce supply chain enabling streamlined product delivery and returns — a necessity if TikTok wants to take on ecommerce giants like Amazon in the U.S. 

Users can likely expect more ecommerce features rolling out on the app in the coming months, as TikTok strives to unlock the keys to becoming an integral part of Western consumers’ shopping habits.