TikTok unveiled two major commerce initiatives on Monday: an AI-powered shopping assistant and a streamlined in-app checkout option that enables purchases straight from brands.

The Shopping Assistant is described by TikTok as a conversational AI agent built to guide users through product discovery and buying. According to the company, it can grasp context and retain information about user preferences and needs over the course of a conversation. It delivers real-time shopping support powered by AI, covering things like product specifics, delivery details, sizing, stock availability, and even assistance with finalizing a purchase.

On the checkout side, TikTok says users will be able to buy directly from a brand with a single click right from their For You feed — the app's primary, algorithm-curated video stream.

These additions could help TikTok claim a larger share of users' shopping activity, and potentially more transaction revenue, without directing them to other platforms. By combining a shopping assistant with direct payment capabilities, TikTok is transforming its impulse-driven discovery feed into a space where users can both get their product questions answered and complete a purchase immediately.

With an AI shopping assistant built right into its app, TikTok also seems to be aiming to keep users on its platform when they have product questions, instead of having them turn to external AI tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The company says these new features are being developed alongside commerce platforms and payment providers, including Salesforce, Shopify, Shoplazza, and Stripe, among others.

While TikTok Shop — the app's internal marketplace — has served as the platform's primary vehicle for its ecommerce goals, these new features expand its strategy beyond the existing shopping hub. Instead of depending on TikTok Shop to generate purchases, the social network is now weaving shopping tools more directly into the wider app, including the For You feed.

This expansion arrives as TikTok's sway over shopping keeps expanding. Per TikTok's Economic Impact Report released last week, platform activity contributed to $81 billion in GDP for U.S. businesses, while 54 million Americans reported buying a product after viewing a TikTok video.

TikTok Shop made its U.S. debut in September 2023. The market research firm eMarketer projects it brought in roughly $15.8 billion in U.S. sales in 2025, accounting for approximately 18% of all U.S. social commerce.