Recent reports have suggested that TikTok’s ecommerce platform, TikTok Shop, will soon arrive in the U.S. Now, those rumors have been all-but-confirmed.
Axios discovered “more than a dozen new job openings” that indicate some of TikTok’s staffing plans. As the company prepares to bring its Shop stateside, it appears to be taking cues from the most successful tech company in the country. It is hiring employees who will work at Amazon-style “fulfillment centers” in the U.S. Several of the listed jobs are located in Seattle.
Some of the openings reference TikTok Shop by name. “By providing warehousing, delivery, and customer service returns, our mission is to help sellers improve their operational capability and efficiency, provide buyers a satisfying shopping experience and ensure fast and sustainable growth of TikTok Shop,” reads one of the job descriptions.
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The workers at TikTok’s fulfillment centers will take on a variety of jobs, ranging from warehousing to logistics to customer service. One post references a “global ecommerce service,” which suggests that the American version of TikTok Shop could link up with fulfillment centers in other countries. The app reaches millions of shoppers in regions like Southeast Asia.
TikTok Shop’s expansion to the U.S. isn’t official yet. A company spokesperson told Axios that TikTok aims to provide “a selection of merchants which offer a range of product options as well as delivery options” as part of its live shopping push. The spokesperson added that TikTok’s commercial “focus” is on the regions where the Shop platform is already live.
The first attempt to expand TikTok Shop to the West came in the U.K. British creators and consumers didn’t deliver the numbers TikTok needed, so the app rolled back its ecommerce expansion earlier this year.
The American market, however, will offer TikTok Shop a chance at redemption. Based on the timing of these job postings, don’t be surprised if TikTok Shop gets an official U.S. launch ahead of the holiday season.
