TikTok Shopping was meant to allow the Chinese social media platform to capitalize on the popularity of live shopping in the Western world. The group has now abandoned the project due to a less than positive response after having been tested in the United Kingdom last year. 

This news was reported by the Financial Times a few weeks after the media outlet revealed a series of resignations within the London e-commerce team of the company. The Chinese group was accused of inappropriate management within this team. This information had led to the replacement of Joshua Ma, who managed the European activity of TikTok Shop, the division in charge of the development of the live shopping solution.

The launch of TikTok Shopping had been announced by the Chinese group itself in the summer of 2021. After a test phase initially planned for the British, European and Canadian markets, the company had planned to fully extend the service to France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the first half of 2021. The U.S. market was expected to follow suit.