TikTok tests new shopping section to sell its own products

In a move that could challenge e-commerce companies like Amazon and Shein, popular short video app TikTok is experimenting with a new in-app shopping section named Trendy Beat, where it’s planning to offer and sell the products of its parent company ByteDance.

As reported by TechCrunch, the company confirmed that it has started testing the product in the United Kingdom, but said that the tests haven’t been expanded to the United States yet.

Instead, its main focus for the US market is currently adding new merchants to its TikTok Shop feature, which lets brands showcase and sell their products on the popular short video platform.

With the new initiative dubbed ‘’Project S’’, on the other hand, TikTok is planning to sell the products produced by its China-based parent company ByteDance.

However, TechCrunch notes that the company filed a trademark application for Trendy Beat in the United States last month, suggesting a potential expansion into the American market soon.

The news comes at a time when other social media companies are reducing their e-commerce efforts. Instagram, for example, killed its live-shopping feature earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, TikTok is seeking up to $20 billion in its e-commerce business in 2023, according to sources familiar with the matter who recently spoke to Bloomberg.