TikTok has grabbed the world’s attention in recent years, averaging 73 million American users every month. The app knows exactly what you like, and now it’s rolling out phase two: selling you something with every single video. TikTok is testing out a new feature that will identify objects in a video automatically, and encourage viewers to “find similar items on TikTok Shop,” according to Bloomberg.
TikTok Shop launched in September and has quickly been littered with cheap, fake products. However, the online marketplace is profitable, raking in $US4 million every day in the United States. Only approved influencers and brands could link to products on TikTok Shop, but now the platform is experimenting with turning every single video into an ad.
The feature does not require content creators to even tag products because it’s all done automatically. The platform that has been perfectly, algorithmically curated to your tastes now wants to push TikTok Shop in every single post.
TikTok did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.
The e-commerce feature of TikTok is becoming the Wild West of online shopping from offering fake snail slime for your face to selling black market vapes to children. Those vapes are also not the first instance of harmful products being sold to teens on the platform either.
TikTok confirmed to Bloomberg that it’s currently testing out this feature with some users, which would represent the largest integration of TikTok Shop into the platform to date. The e-commerce venture looks to combine the highly accurate discovery algorithms of TikTok with a seamless shopping experience, like an Amazon store attached to every video.
The new feature essentially turns all of us into influencers, making every post on TikTok an ad for any products in our videos. Content creators get commissions on product purchases nowadays, but it’s unclear if users will receive commissions on products they unintentionally sell as a result of this feature.