In a pioneering move towards blending social media engagement with online shopping, TikTok is advancing into e-commerce by subtly promoting products through non-commercial videos.

TikTok is now harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to sift through content, pinpointing items within videos that could potentially catch the buyer's eye. This initiative, currently in its trial phase, is part of the TikTok Shop venture, an e-commerce platform nested within the app. Notably, these prompts to shop are being integrated without the content creator's knowledge or financial benefit from ensuing sales—a departure from the earlier practice where creators could earn a commission through tagged products.

According to a TikTok representative, this feature is being tested among a select group of users in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is not certain if it will be rolled out more broadly. TikTok's technology focuses on machine-object detection to spot products and then suggests similar items available on their marketplace.

This feature came to light when an Insider reporter noticed a shopping prompt on their video. Reporter Shriya Bhattacharya was featured at a Diwali celebration, donned in traditional South Asian attire, when a "Shop now" button appeared, suggesting viewers browse "more wedding dresses on TikTok Shop." The button led to the general Shop tab, not a curated selection of wedding apparel.

Though Bhattacharya's video was not wedding-related, her attire could be interpreted as bridal, which might have triggered the AI's recommendation. This highlights the potential for TikTok's AI to contextually misinterpret content.

A quick look into TikTok Shop's offerings, for example, throws up an array of bridal gowns, with prices reaching up to the high hundreds.

This strategic move reflects TikTok's larger ambitions to fully embed e-commerce into the user experience, showcasing the company's robust effort to make online shopping through the app a mainstream activity. From shipping deals to Black Friday promotions, TikTok is betting big on shopping.

TikTok's steps echo a broader trend where platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Google have employed machine learning to visually tag and suggest products, each incorporating it into their user experience uniquely. Whether it's using Pinterest for wedding planning or finding fashion inspiration on Instagram, social media's role in e-commerce is clearly expanding, with TikTok's latest initiative marking the latest evolution of this trend.

Sources: https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-tests-using-ai-detect-products-in-videos-drive-sales-2023-10

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