TikTok is set to partner with Los Angeles-based TalkShopLive to launch its live shopping platform in North America by outsourcing its operations, according to the Financial Times.
According to the Financial Times report, the companies are still finalizing the arrangements, and no contracts have been signed as of yet. TikTok Shop, a live shopping platform owned by Bytedance, is now available in Asian markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. According to the report, it debuted in the United Kingdom last year.
TikTok Shop allows users to purchase products via links on the app during live broadcasts, and the TalkShopLive app from Los Angeles operates on a similar concept. On its website, TalkShopLive describes itself as a “live streaming, social buying and selling platform.”
Last year, TalkShopLive signed an agreement with Walmart to provide shoppable content via embeddable videos on Walmart.com.
The reported cooperation comes at a time when TikTok, which has the United States as its largest market, is under scrutiny from US lawmakers who are questioning the Chinese-owned app’s user data safeguards.
