In what I can only assume is a carefully established scheme to ensure my long-term personal and financial disappearance, Tik Tok and Shopify on Tuesday announced a new partnership that will allow users to make purchases from the app directly from the streaming platform for the first time.
Shopify, an e-commerce platform, and TikTok, a short-form video app where people run milk cartons, said the new partnership will allow participating Shopify merchants to add purchase tabs to user profiles and will also ensure that product links are nested in applicable TikTok posts. According to the New York News, Shopify expects to extend the feature to all its retailers next fall.
While TikTok’s bite-sized content has long been a literally endless scroll of content designed to waste time, this will be the first time TikTok has explicitly designed a pilot program to waste its money. It’s a company that makes more than a little sense for a platform that has something to sell to everyone, whether it’s book recommendations, makeup, cleaning products, or new food items. And, while the feature pilot will only allow in-app purchases for merchants, it could also be an advantage for line creators, assuming they would, in fact, make commissions for affiliate links.
The clothing has gained strong support for the app in recent months; look no further than the recent rain of Alabama Brotherhood Girls post OOTD test videos, or “dress of the day,” that Shopify president Harley Finkelstein told the Times it’s a symptom that social media is becoming “the new town square” for consumers seeking help or recommendations on what products to buy.
According to a survey TikTok conducted in the autumn with London market researcher Walnut Unlimited, there are more than 4.6 billion views on the hashtag # tiktokmademebuyit, which certainly makes you wonder if there are any thing or not in the idea that it may be financially prudent to make it easier for you to buy things. Kylie Jenner, the makeup and skin care brand of which Kylie Cosmetics is reportedly one of the brands to be tested in the pilot program, told the Times that the ability to shop from the app is fundamental to the success of their lines.
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“The ability to buy my products directly on these platforms is so important because that’s where our audience first goes,” said Jenner, whose TikTok account currently has 34.9 million followers.
Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook already offer purchases from the app, so it makes sense for TikTok to join the crowd. It’s just a horrible development for me on both a personal and financial level.