TikTok's AI Shopping Tool Favors Brands as It Streamlines Checkout

TikTok has introduced a Shopping Assistant that answers customer questions using information supplied by the brand. Its Buy Direct feature lets shoppers pay in one tap while the brand remains the seller. The changes come as TikTok generated $15.8 billion in U.S. sales last year, raising questions about whose interests the assistant serves.

TikTok's Shopping Assistant answers shopper questions using details the brand supplies, and Buy Direct allows one-tap payment while the brand stays the seller. TikTok's U.S. sales totaled $15.8 billion last year. The rollout raises questions about whose interests the assistant serves. These features sit within a broader shift in which social platforms shape product discovery, checkout, and customer service. For small businesses, that shift may affect visibility, costs, and control over customer relationships.