TikTok might be opening itself up to third-party sellers.
The company recently published a page called TikTok Shop: Seller University, which outlines how brands and third-party sellers can set up their own stores, accept payments and interface with customers all inside the app. The page was first noted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. Sources confirmed to Modern Retail that TikTok is testing TikTok Shop in Indonesia, and that it is an extension of ongoing commerce-related tests.
The test arrives after the Financial Times reported that TikTok is working on a series of new e-commerce features, including a product catalog option for brands, a live-stream shopping program and an affiliate marketing system that lets individual TikTokers earn commissions on sales they facilitate. According to the Seller University site, all of those features would be available through TikTok Shop, the third-party seller program in beta. And it suggests that TikTok is building out a third-party marketplace even more sophisticated than its closest rival, Instagram Shops.
Source: Modern Retail