May 5, 2024

TikTok itself becomes a shopping platform: blocking links to third-party stores

TikTok blocks links to third-party shopping offers. A small video service from China is changing its strategy to become a kind of shopping platform itself. Banning links changes a lot for creators and e-commerce providers.

Store operators must use TikTok’s own stores

Like the Chinese business portal Caixin I mentioned yesterday that TikTok is changing the way it handles links to external online stores — they simply won’t be there. Until now, it was still possible to simply include links to external websites on the platform, where products promoted in the videos could be purchased.

TikTok now wants to become a shopping paradise itself, which is why external links to online stores are blocked. The corresponding changes were implemented three years ago in the Chinese version of TikTok, which operates there under the name Douyin.

Changes apply from September 12, also to Europe?

As of September 12, 2023, links to online retailers can only be implemented on TikTok if they set up their own TikTok store. By doing so, the company wants to ensure that more transactions are carried out via its own platform and that it retains control over the merchandise, goods and services offered, according to the report. TikTok has already made corresponding changes to the information pages for business customers on its platform. The first indications that TikTok also wants to offer its e-commerce platform in the US and other markets outside of China have been for some time, with talk of a launch in August.

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It is not yet clear if the changes will also be implemented in Europe. On its website for business customers, TikTok has so far only stated that TikTok Shop, i.e. the platform’s shopping functions, is available in the USA, Great Britain and some Asian countries.

summary

  • TikTok blocks links to third-party shopping offers
  • The change aims to turn TikTok into a shopping platform
  • From September 12, 2023, only your own TikTok stores will be allowed.
  • The goal: to control more transactions across your platform
  • The changes are already visible on the business customer pages
  • The TikTok e-commerce platform is also planned to be rolled out in the USA
  • The availability of the shopping function in Europe is still not clear

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