TikTok, Shopify announce selling partnership

TikTok and Shopify announced Tuesday that they will be partnering to offer merchants the option to sell items directly in the short-form video app for the first time.

TikTok is piloting the shopping feature for some Shopify merchants in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in the coming weeks.

“Our community has transformed shopping into an experience that’s rooted in discovery, connection, and entertainment, creating unparalleled opportunities for brands to capture consumers’ attention,” said Blake Chandlee, president of global business solutions at TikTok.

The partnership will eventually help the many brands that have unlocked new customer bases on TikTok sell directly to consumers within the app.

One of the merchants in the pilot program is the Kylie Jenner owned Kylie Cosmetics, which has racked up two million followers on TikTok. 

“I have so much fun creating TikTok videos, and I love sharing posts of my fans using the products,” Jenner said. “That’s why I’m excited for Kylie Cosmetics to be one of the first to let customers shop directly on our TikTok.”

Shopify already works with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to facilitate merchant sales.

“By enabling new in-app shopping experiences and product discovery on TikTok for the first time, Shopify is powering the creator economy on one of the fastest-growing social and entertainment platforms in the world,” the company’s president Harley Finkelstein said in a statement.