TikTok has announced the launch of its in-app e-commerce feature in Ireland and Spain, bringing TikTok Shop to its first market in continental Europe, an expansion that comes just ahead of a potential ban in the US.
TikTok announced on Tuesday the roll-out in Spain, where its 20 million monthly active users (MAUs) can shop while watching short videos or live-streaming sessions without leaving the app, according to a statement on its website.
In a separate statement on the same day, the company said its 2.2 million MAUs in Ireland will get access to TikTok Shop “this week”. The roll-out is the result of a partnership with Guaranteed Irish, a local organisation representing foreign businesses in the country.
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The company said merchants on the platform are registered locally in each market.
The company did not immediately respond on Wednesday to emailed questions about whether merchants from other countries, especially China, would be allowed to sell to Spanish or Irish buyers. The cross-border model is widely used in other markets, including the US, UK and six Southeast Asian countries.
TikTok has been preparing for the launch for months, inviting merchants as early as August to join for the anticipated Spain launch, the South China Morning Post previously reported.
The Spanish service remains invite-only for now, but any established businesses in the country can sign up starting from February, according to its website. Although Ireland was also listed as invite-only, TikTok said in its statement that Irish merchants could sign up now.
TikTok Shop set up a studio for influencers to live-stream from the CES 2024 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January while it was facing mounting political scrutiny in the US. Photo: Matt Haldane alt=TikTok Shop set up a studio for influencers to live-stream from the CES 2024 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January while it was facing mounting political scrutiny in the US. Photo: Matt Haldane>
The expansion marks TikTok Shop’s first push into Europe since its UK debut in 2021. Plans for the continent have been postponed several times, first to summer 2024, and then to October, the Post and Bloomberg News previously reported.
Beijing-based ByteDance is under pressure to find new sources of revenue for its flagship product, as TikTok faces an uphill battle in the US to overturn a law that requires it to sell its American operations by January 19 or be banned from the country’s app stores.