TikTok quietly launches a standalone TikTok Shop app

TikTok has softly launched a standalone TikTok Shop app successful prime markets arsenic it continues to grow its e-commerce ambitions. The app volition connection personalized merchandise recommendations, the quality to store done unrecorded streams and short-form videos, app-exclusive deals, in-app checkout, bid tracking, and lawsuit support.

The app, which was archetypal spotted by societal media advisor Matt Navarra, is disposable successful Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines connected iOS and Android.

The motorboat of a standalone app gives TikTok Shop a accidental to scope shoppers beyond the main TikTok level and vie much straight with established e-commerce apps similar Amazon and Temu. It besides suggests that TikTok is prepared to put much heavy successful societal commerce by giving Shop its ain dedicated destination alternatively than simply keeping it wrong the main app.

TikTok did not respond to TechCrunch’s petition for remark regarding the rollout.

It’s chartless whether TikTok plans to merchandise the app much wide and bring it to the United States. If TikTok does bring the app to the U.S., it would beryllium competing not lone with Amazon and Temu but besides with big-box retailers similar Walmart and Target, whose customers person grown accustomed to routinely ordering done the stores’ apps.

According to the app’s description, users volition beryllium capable to entree escaped shipping offers and exclusive first-order benefits, on with “secure payments for harmless checkout.” By offering users app-exclusive deals, the institution is incentivizing them to store successful the app alternatively than the main TikTok app.

Interestingly, the motorboat creates thing of a full-circle infinitesimal successful the rivalry betwixt TikTok and Amazon. While Amazon antecedently introduced a TikTok-like short-form video feed called Inspire to gully consumers’ attraction distant from apps similar TikTok and thrust income connected its level instead, TikTok is present making a akin play successful reverse. With its caller standalone commerce app, TikTok is looking to gully consumers distant from platforms similar Amazon and substance much purchases wrong its ain ecosystem.

The motorboat marks different measurement successful TikTok’s efforts to subdivision retired beyond societal media. Although the institution was erstwhile chiefly focused connected societal networking and entertainment, TikTok has gradually ventured into caller areas.

Beyond TikTok Shop, the institution has added games, edifice guides, sports hubs, edifice booking, and microdramas, and is besides exploring payments.