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TikTok creators will soon be able to sell original merchandise within the app.
Having always had the potential to become an eCommerce powerhouse, TikTok is finally rolling out integration for in-app merch purchases this September.
Teaming up with custom apparel platform Teespring, TikTok users across the globe will now be able to advertise and sell personal merch within their profiles much like Instagram and YouTube. No doubt buzzing off the cash cow heโd just acquired, Teespring CEO Chris Lamontagne proudly declared: โThis marks the first time that creators can sell their own merchandise directly through TikTokโ.
Around 7,000 creators familiar with 2020โs most downloaded app have been selected to test the beta program, which is intended to provide another way of monetizing popularity and generating in-house income on TikTok.
To this stage creators had been able to secure their own brand deals for sponsored posts, while TikTokโs $200 million โcreator fundโ allowed the biggest influencers to sustain themselves financially through the app alone. Now, merch sales are all but certain to become the most lucrative revenue stream for the majority of users.
Creators can now sell merchandise on TikTok. The opportunity is thanks to a partnership TikTok has reached with Teespring. According to 'USA Today,' there are over 7,000 creators in the U.S. associated with the e-commerce platform. pic.twitter.com/OIkDcPliy4
— KFI AM 640 (@KFIAM640) September 2, 2020
New affiliate Teespring boasts a great reputation already for rewarding its users, having paid out $80 million in creator profits over the past two years, according to a recent press release. Now, in cahoots with TikTok, these revenues are set to skyrocket in the years ahead.
Chinaโs local version of TikTok, Douyin, has already made eCommerce a central focus of the app – generating upward of $120 million in retail revenue last year – and showing for the first time that short-form video content can be effectively monetized. Though a little late, its Western sibling is finally set to join the party.
The search for a US buyer for TikTok is still very much on, with Microsoft, Triller, and Oracle in something of a three-horse race for the signature worth a purported $30 billion. Latest developments will only make the prospect of a deal even more attractive as we approach the September 15th deadline.
