TikTok tests Buy Direct: in-feed checkout for brands outside TikTok Shop
TikTok announced Buy Direct, one-click checkout from the For You feed where the brand stays merchant of record, plus an AI Shopping Assistant for brand product pages. Both are in limited, eligibility-based testing; separately, GMV Max now counts affiliate commissions, coupons and referral fees for TikTok Shop sellers.
TikTok announced on October 5, ahead of Advertising Week New York, two shopping tools that work outside its TikTok Shop marketplace. Buy Direct lets users buy from a brand with one click from the For You feed without leaving the app, while the brand stays the merchant of record. Shopping Assistant is an AI chat agent that answers shoppers' questions on a brand's product page inside TikTok's in-app browser. Both are in eligibility-based testing: advertisers have to ask their TikTok sales contact, and TikTok has not published markets, fees or a rollout date.