By Olivier Bergeron / Unsplash
Online shopping has become a major axis at TikTok. Media reports suggest that the Chinese social network has plans to build its own warehouses in the United States, which would put it in competition with Amazon.
Online shopping has become a major axis at TikTok. Media reports suggest that the Chinese social network has plans to build its own warehouses in the United States, which would put it in competition with Amazon.
It was on LinkedIn that news site Axios discovered TikTok's new project. According to the various job listings published on the professional social network, TikTok is looking to recruit new employees for its future supply chain: "With millions of loyal users globally, we believe TikTok is an ideal platform to deliver a brand new and better e-commerce experience to our users. We are looking for passionate and talented people to join our global fulfillment centre team, together we can build an e-commerce ecosystem that is innovative, secure and intuitive for our users," reads one of the job ads.
For TikTok, the objective is clear: capitalize on the sale of products that are trending on the app. The social network has facilitated a veritable commercial success for some products thanks to videos that have gone viral. Many influencers already offer Amazon links to the products they recommend, directly from their TikTok profile.
Theonline shopping sector represents a major area of growth for the application. Recently, the Chinese giant doubled down on its interest in online shopping by launching a new pilot project in the United States aimed to facilitate live shopping events. Back in 2021, the app teamed up with Shopify to offer some merchants the ability of integrating a direct link to their online store.
After shaking things up in the realms of music and job searches, the Chinese giant now appears to be stepping on Amazon's toes by planning to open a logistics center for selling products. If this new project could have an international dimension, with the launch of a new network of warehouses, the team appears set to be based in Seattle, according to the location indicated on the Linkedin job descriptions. According to Axios, TikTok does not seem to be planning to develop its own shipping and delivery service but could work directly with vendors to facilitate deliveries... For now.
