TikTok and Pinterest team up with Amazon for in-app shopping

Amazon has struck new deals that will give people the option to shop without having to leave TikTok or Pinterest, according to The Information. Users will be able to purchase items from the Amazon ads the pop up within either platform. Typically, clicking on an ad would take a buyer to Amazon’s interface, but this deal will let them check out from within TikTok or Pinterest using the payment method and shipping address saved on their Amazon account.

The Information says it has seen screenshots of the ads, which show more information than usual, including items’ prices, their estimated shipping times and whether they’re eligible for Prime shipment. Take note that users will have to link their social media accounts to their Amazon profiles first before they’re able to seamlessly shop from within their apps. “In-app shopping with Amazon is available for select products advertised on TikTok and sold by Amazon or by independent sellers in Amazon’s store,” a company spokesperson confirmed to the publication.

Amazon’s new deals reportedly expand on its previous agreements with Meta and Snap under an initiative that’s internally called Project Handshake. Similar to these newer arrangements, those previous deals made it possible for Snapchat and Instagram users to purchase items from within their apps. As The Information notes, though, it’s not quite clear why TikTok has entered the agreement when it’s been trying to grow its own shopping platform. TikTok brought live shopping to North America in 2022, and it added more relevant features, such as a dedicated shop tab and live stream shop buttons, last year. In addition to the fact that Amazon shopping could undercut sales on its own platform, TikTok could also end up getting banned in the US unless ByteDance, its parent company based in China, agrees to sell it.

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