TikTok partners with Shopify in latest step to expand its e-commerce efforts

Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account will soon be able to sell directly from their Shopify storefront

The pilot programme is currently available to Shopify merchants only in the US and UK

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TikTok began testing online retail features in Indonesia and UK earlier this year. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:02pm, 25 Aug 2021Updated: 11:05pm, 25 Aug 2021

TikTok, the hit short video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is expanding its online retail efforts through a partnership with Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify that will allow US and UK users to buy directly through the app.

Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account will soon be able to sell directly from their Shopify storefront, according to a joint release from both companies.

The pilot programme is currently available to Shopify merchants only in the US and UK, while a select group of merchants in Canada will also be able to participate in the coming weeks. Shopify said it expects the feature to be rolled out to additional regions later this year.

Following Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up, is ramping up its effort to expand its e-commerce business in overseas markets.

TikTok began testing online retail features in Indonesia and the UK earlier this year.

At stake is a US$4.2 trillion global e-commerce industry, according to a 2021 forecast from the Adobe Digital Economy Index.

In the UK, e-commerce growth outpaced the US, growing at 66 per cent year on year in the first three months of 2021, reaching US$39 billion in spending, the Adobe report said.

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