This Monday September 28, 2020, file photo, shows as a logo of a TikTok smartphone app on a user message on a smartphone screen in Tokyo (AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato, file)
Popular short video app TikTok, still under US government control for its Chinese ownership is getting closer to becoming a market for buying products
Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a deal with TikTok that allows merchants to create « shoppable » video ads that drive customers to online stores
The partnership was announced on Tuesday amid stalled negotiations for Walmart to buy a 5% stake in the video app Walmart’s planned investment is part of a government-forced deal that would save TikTok from a threat of ban by President Donald Trump and would advance Walmart’s ambitions for the world of « social commerce » «
« If you are watching a TikTok video and someone has an item of clothing or an item that you really love, what if you could quickly purchase that item? » Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC earlier this month « This is what we see happening in countries around the world and it intrigues us, and we would like to be a part of it »
ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok, already runs a thriving social media market on Douyin, its twin video app for the Chinese market.Purchasing products through social media websites is not yet as common in United States, although Pinterest and Facebook-owned Instagram have made strides and TikTok started making it easier for businesses to connect to themselves from the app last year
Shopify said that its merchants will be able to select the product they want to promote Next, video ads will automatically be generated that could appear in a user’s TikTok video feed and entice customers to Shopify for payment.
TikTok said in a prepared statement Tuesday that Ottawa-based Shopify would be an « ideal partner to help us develop and expand our business capabilities globally. »
What TikTok’s negotiation partnership with Walmart means unclear Walmart and Shopify are on good terms, partnering with Amazon in June on a deal that allows Shopify’s small businesses to be listed on Walmartcom
Trump said over the summer that he would shut down TikTok unless ByteDance sells its US assets to a US company, citing concerns that the Chinese government could spy on user data
ByteDance in September offered US authorities a partnership with Walmart, California-based tech company Oracle and other US investors to ease national security concerns over the Trump app expressed support for the idea but officials did not ‘have not officially approved
Trump’s attempt to ban TikTok has also been delayed after next week’s U.S presidential election after the company sued in federal court to end the order
The Ottawa headquarters of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify is pictured Wednesday, May 29, 2019 THE CANADIAN PRESS / Justin Tang
Shopify, E-commerce, TikTok
News from around the world – CA – TikTok video app takes a look at e-commerce with the Shopify deal
