TikTok Integrates Shopping on Amazon with New Features

TikTok has announced a new partnership with Amazon, allowing users to shop for Amazon products directly through the social media app. The new feature seeks to capitalize on the growing “social commerce” trend—mainly driven by Gen Z and Millennial consumers—whereby users of social media apps can shop for products while engaging with content.

Since launching in the U.S. in 2018, TikTok has rapidly gained popularity, largely due to its coveted “For You” feed algorithm, which provides personalized content recommendations. The new partnership with Amazon includes product listings that will appear in these feeds—a significant shift that will seamlessly integrate marketing content among videos from popular influencers. TikTok users will be able to purchase the products with a single click through the integration of their Amazon accounts.

A product going “viral” on social media can have significant low-cost marketing benefits, but it is difficult to predict. Ecommerce businesses often send their products to social media influencers relevant to their brand or product, hoping that the product will be reviewed or featured in widely viewed videos. TikTok’s new partnership with Amazon offers a simplified avenue for businesses looking to reach new audiences and increases the chances that their product content could go viral.

Amazon product listings on TikTok will naturally include real-time pricing, Prime eligibility, key product details, and delivery times. This feature will streamline the shopping experience for users, eliminating many of the steps required in traditional online shopping and significantly reducing the likelihood of products being abandoned in check-out.

TikTok, which has over 150 million active U.S. users, has previously implemented policies to support businesses on its platform. The partnership with Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace, seeks to cement TikTok’s role in the social commerce landscape.

Both TikTok and Amazon have pushed for greater cross-platform collaboration to maximize the potential of social shopping. TikTok has offered subsidies to sellers and major discounts on shopping days like Black Friday to encourage both sellers and consumers to use the platform. Meanwhile, Amazon’s integration with TikTok follows partnerships with other social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

TikTok and Amazon predict continued growth in social commerce, driven by changing shopping habits of younger generations. Analysts report that more than 40% of Millennials and Gen Z consumers already start their product searches on TikTok. According to Deloitte, social shopping is growing at around 18% per year. The trend is far more popular in China, but experts predict it will take a stronger hold in Western markets in the coming years.