TikTok, the short-form video giant, is pushing its social commerce ambitions to the next level with the rollout of its “Identify Similar Products” setting.
According to social media expert Lindsey Gamble, This powerful feature seamlessly directs viewers to the TikTok Shop tab, offering them a curated selection of related products based on the content they’re watching.
How does Identify Similar Products work?
You can find this setting during the final stages of video creation (after editing, etc.) by clicking “More Options”.
Here is everything you need to know:
- Default status: It’s enabled by default, but creators always maintain the ability to toggle it on or off
- Eligible content: The feature applies to videos featuring product reviews, tutorials, promotions, displays, or other relevant product use cases
TikTok’s algorithm will analyze the video content and suggest similar items to viewers under the TikTok Shop tab.
Why this matters?
This move comes on the heels of TikTok’s earlier experiments aimed at making all videos shoppable. Here’s what this new setting means for TikTok, brands, creators, and shoppers:
- TikTok’s benefit: A more streamlined and intuitive shopping experience aligns with TikTok’s goal of becoming a major e-commerce player
- Creators’ potential concerns: While useful, some creators might find it disruptive as it could take viewers away from their videos
- Encouraging adoption: To make this feature more appealing, TikTok could enhance visibility for videos with the setting enabled, similar to their strategies with longer videos and photos
Besides, an affiliate component would be a huge win-win. Creators earn a cut of the sales revenue their videos help drive, while TikTok supercharges its shopping ecosystem.
The evolution of TikTok’s shopping features
TikTok’s “Identify Similar Products” is the latest in a series of social commerce initiatives launched by the platform. Previously, TikTok began testing the ability to make any object in a video shippable under the name of TikTok Shop.
This underscores the platform’s dedication to transforming the way we discover and purchase products online.
How does this compare to Douyin?
China’s Douyin, the original version of TikTok, has seen massive success with this strategy. Douyin generated over $270 billion in direct product sales in 2023.
TikTok is clearly hoping to recreate that success in Western markets.
Will western users embrace in-stream shopping?
While TikTok user spending is increasing steadily, Western audiences haven’t shown the same enthusiasm for in-stream shopping as their Chinese counterparts.
However, TikTok’s rising popularity as a product discovery tool could pave the way for greater acceptance of in-stream buying.
Featured image credit: Olivier Bergeron/Unsplash.
