TikTok has reportedly added retail executives who were previously with Amazon and Meta to help build its eCommerce businesses in the United States.
They will replace the social media platform’s U.S. general manager of eCommerce, Sandie Hawkins, who will leave the company, TheMessenger reported Wednesday (Aug. 9), citing an article from The Information.
The new executives joining TikTok are Nicolas Le Bourgeois, currently chief operating officer of Flip and formerly director of Amazon’s U.S. marketplace, and Marni Levine, who was previously vice president of global support operations at Meta and vice president of supply operations and engagement at eBay, according to the report.
TikTok did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.
It was reported in June that the company is looking to massively expand its eCommerce business, with the goal of growing it from $4.4 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) to $20 billion.
To do so, the company is banking on Southeast Asia as well as America and Europe.
The aim of expanding its eCommerce business in the U.S. comes despite threats from Washington to ban the app over concerns about national security, the report said. At the same time, building ties with American brands could give TikTok allies as it battles U.S. politicians and courts.
TikTok’s marketplace, TikTok Shop, has achieved success in Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam but has had difficulty gaining traction in the United Kingdom, where it was launched two years ago.
The company has also started selling products directly through its platform via a shopping feature called “Trendy Beat,” which showcases popular items featured in videos.
Unlike TikTok Shop, where other vendors can sell items and the platform earns a small commission from those transactions, the company is said to retain all proceeds from sales made through the Trendy Beat feature.
In July, TikTok spent a week running a brick-and-mortar pop-up shop in London that was not open to the public, but instead showed prospective merchants and creators how they can sell online via the social media platform.
The shop enabled these merchants to meet with TikTok experts to learn about social selling.
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