TikTok is continuing to explore the potential of eCommerce development with “Trendy Beat,” a section of the platform where it will offer products for sale to be shipped by a subsidiary of its parent company, ByteDance.
“Trendy Beat” will offer the direct sale of trending products from TikTok videos, a step further from its current TikTok Shop offering, which allows brands to sell their products through the video content platform.
A report by The Financial Times states that ByteDance internally refers to the eCommerce development as “Project S.”
The “Project S” strategy focuses on identifying trending products on TikTok and then manufacturing or acquiring those products for direct sale to users.
If “Trendy Beat” proves to be successful, it could be a source of competition for eCommerce platforms like Amazon Basics in the future, which operate similarly. However, social media shopping sections have not yet experienced long-term success.
TikTok competitors, such as Instagram and Facebook, have scaled back their eCommerce efforts. Facebook shut down its shopping feature in 2022, with Instagram following suit and removing its shopping tab in January.
TikTok, meanwhile, is experiencing ongoing success in Asian markets but is currently struggling to gain stability in the U.K. and U.S.
“Trendy Beat” is set to have a trial period in the U.K. before the U.S., although a trademark application for “Trendy Beat” has already been filed in the U.S. According to the trademark application, “Trendy Beat” will primarily sell apparel such as dresses, footwear, bathing suits, sleep masks, sweaters, skirts, and more.
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