TikTok is testing a paid membership program called Shop Plus, offering free shipping and discounts for $6, $10 or $15 monthly, Business Insider reported.
TikTok is testing a paid membership program for U.S. shoppers, Business Insider reported Friday, citing screenshots of the offering. The program, called TikTok Shop Plus, is built into the social media company's eCommerce platform and offers perks like free shipping and discounts, similar to Amazon Prime.
The report gives an example: a hair product that usually sells for $57 was marked down by $10 for Plus members, who also received free three-day shipping. TikTok is testing the program at three price points: $6, $10 or $15 a month, the screenshots showed.
A former TikTok Shop employee told Business Insider the launch of a membership program could help the company keep users from leaving the app to make purchases.
"TikTok, for a long time, watched a lot of their bottom-funnel buyers go over to Amazon," they said. "I think TikTok is really trying to squash that and capture as much of those final conversions as they can."
Other major eCommerce players – Walmart and Target – have similar membership programs aimed at boosting loyalty through free shipping and special discounts, Business Insider noted. TikTok Shop Plus is the latest in a series of product releases and strategy shifts that align with Amazon's services, including full-service shipping and fulfillment for merchants and speedy delivery windows.
In other eCommerce news, PYMNTS wrote last week about Amazon and Walmart competing to control a longer, more fragmented cycle of consumer attention. PYMNTS Intelligence research found an estimated 244 million U.S. consumers, or 93% of adults, shopped at least one of the two company's recent shopping events, up from 135 million the prior year. The share of consumers who took part in neither promotion plunged from 48% to 7%.
The bigger crowd came with a catch. Shoppers cut their spending. The research found average spending at Amazon dropped from $360 in 2025 to $308, while Walmart's average fell from $484 to $326.
"That trade-off offers a preview of the next phase of promotional retail," the report added. "The biggest shopping events may attract more people than ever, but they are also becoming less capable of concentrating consumer spending in one place."
PYMNTS has contacted TikTok for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.
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