Opening up itself to the domain of social commerce popular short video app TikTok has decided to allow some of its users to add links to e-commerce and other websites in their profile and direct there viewers to shopping website.
TikTok said that the launch of these new features is a part of there usual experimentation practice to enhance the user experience on their platform. The feature of TikTok first came to the notice of founder of Chinese startup Uplab, Fabian Bern. He tweeted a video in this regard on Thursday.
BREAKING: TikTok launches 'link in bio' & 'social commerce URLS' in videos @MattNavarra @TaylorLorenz @sarahintampa @TechCrunch @thenextweb @techinasia #tiktok pic.twitter.com/HczzHOHCNf
— Fabian Bern 法比安 (@iamfabianbern) November 14, 2019
The video shows that TikTok users can easily add URLs to there bio directing their viewers to a third-party website. TikTok’s close rival Instagram has provided this option to its users from quite some time which is used effectively to direct profile visitors to e-commerce stores, video platforms, news articles etc. However, this all is not unregulated as Instagram has strict rules limiting the extent of these activities.
This new social commerce experiment is expected to disrupt the industry figures and pose a challenge to the traditional e-commerce domain. In markets of South East Asia, China, and India Social media companies and messaging apps have started to lure customers through their core services by introducing shopping features.
Also Read: After US, Instagram Will Now Hide ‘Likes’ Count In India
In these markets, social commerce is becoming a popular and promising aspect with a scope to give a tough fight to the e-commerce domain giants like Amazon. What’s interesting to see is that major tech firms like Facebook are taking into this domain.
Facebook backed an Indian startup Meesho on its marketplace hinting that it has eyes on reaping the benefits from the wave of social commerce. A spokesperson from TikTok said, “Ultimately, we’re focused on ways to inspire creativity, bring joy, and add value for our community”, talking about the experiment.
TikTok’s experiment comes at a time when Instagram is beginning to expand a test in which it hides “likes” from public view. A move that has caused concerns for influencers, who count on likes to inform advertisers of their reach.
Also Read: Instagram Stories Launches ‘Instagram Reels’ To Lock Horns With TikTok
TikTok which recently launched an education category on its platform in India has over 180 million users and over 1,000 influencers on its platform from the country.
Popular short video app TikTok has come up with a new experiment. The company has decided to take it into the domain of social commerce.
