TikTok, a social media platform that is sweeping the e-commerce scene, announced on Thursday that it will introduce a new feature called TikTok Shop, which will enable direct purchases within the app, on Monday in France, Germany, and Italy.
Since last December, TikTok Shop has been operational in Spain and Ireland.
Now, users may purchase goods from an online store and through buying links in films and live content without ever leaving the app.
On the shop tab, customers will be able to search for “specific products, discover current promotions and manage their orders, while accessing personalised recommendations in the form of lists and interactive content with integrated shopping functionality”, TikTok said.
Outside of the European Union, TikTok Shop is already available in twelve nations, including Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
A number of French brands, such as the eyeglasses producer Izipizi and the bag manufacturer Cabaia, are supporting the launch.
The platform informed AFP that “proactive moderation” would be used by the shop to deny access to “content with links to TikTok Shop products” to those under the age of 18.
Given how popular TikTok is among kids, French lawmakers have established a commission of inquiry to investigate the psychological consequences of the app on kids and teens.
The arrival of TikTok, whose parent company is Chinese, in e-commerce is also of concern to numerous French retailers.
Leading French trade federations last week asked the government to take “immediate measures” to protect French companies from e-commerce platforms such as Temu, Shein and TikTok Shop amid fears that the latter are a source of “unfair competition” at a time when those fears are exacerbated by a wave of US trade tariffs.
