TikTok Says It Will Be Launching Live Shopping in the US
TikTok has partnered with TalkShopLive to bring live shopping to the video-sharing site. It’s based on the same model as QVC, where sellers create a channel and add products. Then, when the live show begins, the products appear in a sidebar, where buyers can add them to their carts and check out. TalkShopLive takes a 10 percent commission on each sale. The company will also integrate its technology into TikTok.
TalkShopLive integrates with TikTok
As of now, TikTok has not announced any specific launch dates, but it is said to be in the final stages of finalizing its partnership with TalkShopLive, a Los Angeles-based startup that specializes in live social shopping experiences. This partnership will allow TikTok to offer live streaming to the North American market, where it will allow users to buy directly from live streams.
Live shopping is a popular feature on popular social video platforms like YouTube and Facebook. It allows users to buy and sell products through videos, and it is a good way to promote products. TikTok has been making moves to bring this feature to the US and is reportedly in talks with some of the biggest brands and retailers. TalkShopLive will provide the technology behind live streaming and will take a 10 percent commission on sales made through its live streaming service.
The new feature is already being tested in the UK, and the company is looking to expand it to other countries. While the feature isn’t ready to launch in the US yet, it’s expected to go live sometime in late 2022.
TikTok shuts down Facebook Live Shopping
Facebook and TikTok have announced that they will stop developing live shopping features. The social media giants will focus more on the Reels video feature and will stop supporting it. The decision to stop developing Live Shopping features is an indication of the continuing convergence of social media and e-commerce. While the live shopping features are popular in Asia, they have not yet gained widespread popularity outside the region.
Although the platform is still active in Europe and other western markets, live shopping is not growing as fast as it could. The design of the feature and the algorithms used to rank content could be hurting TikTok’s potential growth. As a result, it could be difficult for the company to attract top-tier content creators and monetize it. The lack of growth prospects of the platform is a significant concern for TikTok’s growth plans.
Facebook has decided to shut down its live shopping feature after 2021. The feature was introduced to give creators a platform to showcase products, similar to what QVC offers. It was an experiment that proved wildly popular in China but failed elsewhere. Hence, it was decided to discontinue the feature and focus on the Reels platform, which is a rival to TikTok. In the meantime, users can continue to use Facebook Live, but they will no longer be able to tag products in their videos. However, the videos that have already been uploaded can still be downloaded via the Creator Studio.
TikTok faces scrutiny from US lawmakers over ecommerce push
TikTok has recently become a popular social network among teens. However, the company is facing scrutiny from US lawmakers over its data security and ecommerce push. A report by BuzzFeed revealed that the parent company of TikTok, based in China, has access to personal information of US users. The company has also been accused of repeatedly misrepresenting its privacy practices, corporate governance, and data security. Senators are calling on the company to take immediate action to address these concerns. They also urged the company to take steps to make its user data more secure.
The investigation was prompted after the US Senate Intelligence Committee requested the Federal Trade Commission investigate the social media giant. US lawmakers are concerned about TikTok’s aggressive marketing strategy aimed at young users, and many have linked the platform to physical and mental health harms.