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TikTok Announces New Partnership with Shopify

The agreement will allow Shopify merchants to create TikTok ads for their wares and track conversions.

Video sharing social media platform TikTok has entered into a new global partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify, presenting a new opportunity for Shopify customers in promo to market their products over social media.

iPhone with TikTok logo on screen

The new TikTok channel from the Shopify App Store gives merchants access to the TikTok for Business Ads Manager tool, which allows users to create targeted In-Feed video ads on TikTok along with conversion tracking using the one-click TikTok Pixel tool.

“TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment platforms with over 100 million highly engaged users in the U.S. alone,” Satish Kanwar, vice president of product at Shopify, said in a statement. “The TikTok channel means Shopify merchants — even those without a strong TikTok following of their own yet — can connect with these new audiences using content that feels authentic and genuine to the TikTok experience.”

Shopify has more than a million merchants, and both the e-commerce giant and TikTok say the partnership will eventually include additional in-app shopping features. For now, Shopify is offering merchants a $300 ad credit to start using TikTok for their marketing efforts. The new TikTok channel is available to U.S.-based merchants for now, and will be accessible to those elsewhere in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia next year.

“We are delighted to partner with Shopify and provide a channel for their merchants to reach new audiences and drive sales on TikTok,” said Blake Chandlee, vice president of global business solutions at TikTok, in a statement. “We’re constantly exploring new and innovative ways to connect brands with our users, and Shopify is the perfect partner to help us grow and expand our commerce capabilities globally.”

TikTok says it’ll begin rolling out new features that link TikTok users with Shopify merchants’ products, though no specifics as to features and timing have yet been announced. TikTok has already allowed users to add e-commerce information in bios, created “Shop Now” buttons for videos, and launched shoppable hashtags. In September, TikTok partnered with custom merchandise e-commerce service Teespring to allow for shopping within the app.

This latest development means that promo firms with Shopify e-commerce capabilities may have opportunities to market their products with TikTok, which is a social media favorite among members of Generation Z in particular.

Social commerce has been an ongoing focus for the world’s largest social media platforms as people spend more time on their networks during the ongoing pandemic. In May, Instagram rolled out Instagram Shopping, a slew of monetization tools in an effort to shore up their struggling influencers. Meanwhile, its parent company Facebook unveiled Facebook Shops to help small firms do e-commerce business over the platform while brick-and-mortar locations were forced to shutter during shelter-in-place orders.