TikTok could be planning a live shopping functionality for the U.S.

TikTok might be planning to launch a live shopping service in the U.S. according to a news release by Semafor.

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According to the media outlet, TikTok is trying to bring a version of China’s $400 billion live shopping industry to the United States. 

The information was exposed as ‘internal company information reviewed by Semafor’ The plan, a person familiar with the matter said to Semafor, is part of a wider global initiative that TikTok leaders have dubbed “Project Aquaman.”

This project will be carried out through a decentralized network of at least 20 TikTok Shop partners, including small Chinese social media agencies and U.S. tech startups specializing in live-streaming e-commerce. 

Tiktok fishing for ‘live shopping hosts’  

According to Semafor, a number of U.S. TikTok Shop Partners have posted job listings for live shopping hosts in California, New York, and New Jersey over the past several weeks. 

Many note that hosts will be trying on wigs, which have become a popular product category on TikTok. One livestreaming agency warns applicants that they are looking for people who already have “200K OR MORE Follower [sic] Only !!!”

TikTok has gone to great lengths to teach its partners what it believes are the best ways to sell products via live streaming, according to internal information reviewed by Semafor. It has hosted training webinars in China and the U.S. and provided partners with detailed learning materials. 

TikTok goes over even the smallest aspects of hosting a successful stream, such as what kind of lighting to use, how hosts should dress, and the optimal time to go live - which it says is 9:30 PM EST - according to Semafor report.