Shopify has expanded its relationship with TikTok to bring shopping tabs and product discovery to the video-sharing social network.

The multinational e-commerce platform said that social media shopping has become one of its fastest growing channels. From February 2020 to February 2021, installs across the company's social commerce channels increased by 76 per cent.

Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account will soon be able to add a shopping tab to their TikTok profiles and sync their product catalogues to create a mini-storefront that links directly to their online store for checkout.

"Creators are paving the way for a new kind of entrepreneurship where content, community, and commerce are key," said Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify. "By enabling new in-app shopping experiences and product discovery on TikTok for the first time, Shopify is powering the creator economy on one of the fastest-growing social and entertainment platforms in the world.”

Shopify and TikTok have also partnered to bring product links to Shopify merchants, which can be used to tag products in organic TikTok posts.

Users can choose to shop directly from the merchant’s storefront or click a tagged product in a merchant’s TikTok video, which will take them to the merchant's online store for checkout.

"Our community has transformed shopping into an experience that's rooted in discovery, connection, and entertainment, creating unparalleled opportunities for brands to capture consumers' attention," said Blake Chandlee, president, global business solutions at TikTok. "TikTok is uniquely placed at the centre of content and commerce, and these new solutions make it even easier for businesses of all sizes to create engaging content that drives consumers directly to the digital point of purchase."

The TikTok Shopping pilot is currently available to Shopify merchants in the US and UK.

A select group of merchants in Canada will participate in the pilot in the coming weeks, while the feature will roll out to additional regions in the coming months.

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