TikTok Reportedly Bringing In-App Shopping to Spain and Ireland

TikTok is reportedly planning to roll out in-app shopping for users in Spain and Ireland.

The launch could come as soon as October, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday (July 23), citing sources familiar with the matter.

Those sources say the launch will be smaller than previously planned, though TikTok is preparing to bring its shopping portal, TikTok Shop, to other areas of Europe in 2025.

PYMNTS has contacted TikTok for comment but has not yet gotten a reply. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the launch in Europe, but said the platform will “continue experimenting with this new commerce opportunity to support businesses of all sizes and enable our community to discover and engage with products they love.”

According to the Bloomberg report, the sources say TikTok has recruited about 40 workers in Spain, which would make it one of the company’s biggest eCommerce operations in Europe. The report noted that plans for a more understated debut in Europe could indicate that TikTok wants to expand without facing deeper regulatory scrutiny.

This news follows an earlier report by Bloomberg that TikTok had planned to bring the Shop feature to Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Ireland earlier this year, but held off on that expansion to focus on its American eCommerce business.

Meanwhile, PYMNTS last week examined the growing role of social commerce in retail, and the way younger consumers are seeking shopping inspiration from influencers.

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that while only 13% of consumers said they had made a purchase in the last month at least partially because of a social media influencer or celebrity, that share more than doubled for members of Generation Z.

In contrast, only 22% of zillennials (younger millennial and older Gen Z consumers born between 1991 and 1999) and millennials had done the same, as had 20% of bridge millennials (the generation between millennials and Generation X). The share dropped sharply to 6% of Gen X consumers and just 2% of baby boomers and seniors.

Those older consumers said were more likely to be influenced by articles and recommendations from friends and family.

As social commerce evolves, influencers have the ability beyond product promotion to engage in storytelling, adding an authentic layer that lands with their audience, as Kit Ulrich, general manager of creator shopping at LTK, said in an interview with PYMNTS last year. She said the shift has the potential to democratize the promotion of diverse brands.

“Creators are becoming this new distribution channel that can do that very authentically,” Ulrich told PYMNTS.