Ordering Food Delivery From TikTok Might Actually Become A Thing
Renowned for absurdly adorable animal clips and stupid stunts, it's a little strange to consider that there was actually a time before TikTok — a time when such entertainment could only be accessed on one of the many other social media sites (and, before that, only animated cave drawings).
However, after its very first launch in China in 2016, Business of Apps reports that TikTok has grown a monthly user base of at least 1.2 billion. That's an awful lot of dance videos being watched. So, it's natural in the business world to recognize that all these regular viewers form part of a goldmine of sales opportunities much deeper than traditional advertising.
Since TikTok recipes could have you cooking like a star, it seems that food could be the next big thing to drive profitably for the app and, more specifically, its parent company ByteDance. According to CNBC, ByteDance has a plan to start rolling out a food delivery service on the Chinese version of TikTok — a scheme which could eventually launch in other parts of the world. But how will ordering food from TikTok actually work and will it be a success?
TikTok could expand its interest in food sales
Ordering food online for delivery has always been fairly straightforward and convenient, which probably explains why 69% of people claim to be ordering takeout at least as often (if not more) than a year ago, reports GlobeNewswire. This creates a lucrative market for ByteDance to potentially appeal to.
It's common on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, for restaurateurs to promote their businesses through live streams, according to CNBC. ByteDance's initiative enables viewers to purchase exclusive discounts from the video, then allowing them to choose a time within two days for their food order to be delivered. Once evaluation of the scheme is complete, a decision will be made about whether to roll it out further — potentially to a wider global audience through TikTok.
TikTok already has an interest in generating cash from selling food. TikTok ghost kitchens were set up to sell popular meals dreamed up on the social media app, while in the U.K. TikTok enables users to buy fresh food from certain brands. With its growing food experience and confidence, it's quite likely that takeout delivery through TikTok would be a success.