TikTok Phases Out Storefront for TikTok Shop

TikTok

TikTok announced that it will discontinue its Storefront feature on September 12th.

Storefront enabled Shopify and other e-commerce merchants to sync their product catalogs, add a dedicated shoppable tab to their TikTok profiles, and include product tags in their videos. As an alternative, TikTok is promoting its new e-commerce solution, TikTok Shop.

There have also been reports that TikTok plans to block external e-commerce links such as those to Amazon, but it has denied these claims.

Why it Matters: TikTok has been gradually promoting TikTok Shop over the past few months, aiming to build a robust e-commerce business. The discontinuation of the Storefront feature and the potential ban on external links could help the platform gain more traction in this sector. However, these moves are not without risks, particularly concerning the latter point.

While TikTok has denied any plans to ban external e-commerce links, the idea is not entirely far-fetched. A few months ago, some creators found themselves unable to add links in their bio to app stores.

As a platform committed to supporting creators, banning external links like Amazon could be counterproductive. Many creators monetize their TikTok efforts by promoting Amazon affiliate links. Restricting the ability to share these links would not only reduce the income for creators but could also encourage brands that focus on boosting sales for their products on Amazon to seek partnerships with creators on alternative platforms.