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TikTok Shop to expand to Germany, France, Italy next week amid uncertainty in US
The move marks a major expansion of the short-video app’s e-commerce operations in Europe as it faces a looming ban in its largest market
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TikTok is set to launch its e-commerce business in Germany, France and Italy on March 31, marking a significant expansion in Europe as the company faces uncertainty in the US around the country’s sell-or-ban law.
The short-video app’s TikTok Shop feature, which allows users to buy goods directly on the platform, will be available to users in the three markets by the end of the month, according to a Thursday post on TikTok Shop’s official WeChat account.
The move follows the platform’s roll-out of the feature in Spain and Ireland in December. It launched in the United Kingdom in 2021.
The company, a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, is targeting “qualified cross-border merchants” to provide high-quality goods and services to consumers in Europe and grow their businesses, the company said. Merchants operating under TikTok’s “full-custody” model – where the platform manages listing, advertising, shipping and after-sales services – can expand to the new markets as soon as they have prepared European Union compliance documents, it added.
Self-operating merchants, however, will need an invitation to join.
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The expansion confirmed Post reporting in February that TikTok Shop was inviting merchants to open on the platform in the three countries. The e-commerce feature may also be expanded to Japan in June, and there are plans for a Brazil launch, although the date is not known, the Post previously reported.
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