E-commerce has become the new social media battleground. TikTok and Shopify have joined forces in a first-of-its-kind commerce partnership. The million-plus merchants on Shopify in the US will now be able to take advantage of TikTok’s global scale to reach new and highly engaged audiences in select markets throughout North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia from early 2021.

“We are delighted to partner with Shopify and provide a channel for their merchants to reach new audiences and drive sales on TikTok,” added Blake Chandlee, Vice President, Global Business Solutions at TikTok. “As social commerce proliferates, retailers are recognizing that TikTok’s creative and highly engaged community sets it apart from other platforms. We’re constantly exploring new and innovative ways to connect brands with our users, and Shopify is the perfect partner to help us grow and expand our commerce capabilities globally.”

The TikTok channel allows merchants to create and connect their TikTok For Business account and deploy in-feed shoppable video ads directly within Shopify. Merchants select which product they want to feature, and video ads are automatically generated that drive to their Shopify stores for checkout. Ready-made templates designed specifically for commerce mean merchants of any size can take advantage of the TikTok channel using their existing imagery or video.

“We’re thrilled to be the first partner to welcome TikTok to the world of commerce, particularly right now, as our merchants prepare for a busy online holiday shopping season,” said Satish Kanwar, Vice President of Product at Shopify. “TikTok is one of the world’s fastest growing entertainment platforms with over 100 million highly engaged users in the US alone. The TikTok channel means Shopify merchants—even those without a strong TikTok following of their own yet—can connect with these new audiences using content that feels authentic and genuine to the TikTok experience.”

Shopify and TikTok will also collaborate to test new commerce features over the coming months that will further empower merchants to expand their paid and organic reach in video and on profiles.