Although it has proven popular in Asia, TikTok's own e-commerce platform (opens in a new tab) is unlikely to make it to the US after several initial hiccups in the UK.
According to the Financial Times (opens in a new tab), the social media company has now "dropped plans" to expand its "QVC-style" shopping experience to several European countries and the United States due to its failure to gain traction. and business. concerns. Staff.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain are just a few of the countries where TikTok hoped to gain a foothold when it came to live online shopping, a phenomenon that has taken countries like China by storm.
The same article reports that several influencers who previously participated in the pilot program had decided to leave and that the shopping platform was not achieving its goals. This despite TikTok offering financial incentives for people to sell on the app.
Sell on the TikTok store
A 9to5Mac article (opens in a new tab) notes that almost half of the staff involved in the European trial had resigned, while a company executive in charge of TikTok Shop in Europe had to be replaced due to comments he made. about maternity leave. , a workers' right in which he "did not believe."
Long working hours, late arrivals and a heavy workload are just some of the reasons staff quit. TikTok claimed that employee shifts should "match customer usage patterns" and that the company had tried to avoid such breaks in routine as much as possible.
The news comes nearly a year after the Chinese company initially partnered with Shopify, a shopping program that saw Kylie Jenner sell her own line of cosmetics on the social media app.
Instagram has its own store where users can find products recommended for them based on various data points, like who they follow, and while TikTok's attempt was unsuccessful this time, it's unlikely to abandon this growing market.
