TikTok Shop Stuck in Limbo

TikTok’s bid to join the e-commerce race in the U.S. has hit a speed bump, with the company delaying the release of its shopping platform as it struggles to attract merchants to the platform.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has postponed opening the shop to all sellers, which was initially planned for early spring, until at least June, according to people familiar with the matter. The sources said that the launch date could get pushed back even further due to merchants’ concerns about a possible app ban as well as slow adoption of live-streaming e-commerce in the U.S.

They added that following a preliminary test launch with a limited number of retailers last year, TikTok struggled to attract more sellers, pushing back its second phase of expanding the test pool until late March.

The delay in opening shops is a setback for ByteDance in its most profitable market outside of China.

Despite the report, TikTok said that the launch has not been delayed and that the company is still expanding its testing in the U.S. by inviting more merchants to join as interest grows.

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