TikTok is hiring more staff to improve its e-commerce technology: According to its job portal, the company wants to hire several employees in the US to improve the shopping experience with features like virtual try-on and AI-generated shopping tools.
The company has several job openings in Seattle and San Jose for algorithm engineers focused on e-commerce and generative AI. According to the job ads, staff will focus on building tools for “generative product creativity,” “product material generation and optimization,” virtual try-on and other tech-enabled shopping features.
Virtual try-ons often use augmented reality to show users whether an outfit will look good on them before they buy, but companies like Google are also experimenting with using AI to help users see how an outfit will look on models with different body types.
TikTok already offers clothing try-on templates for standard videos on its AR platform Effect House, and the company may be considering bringing a similar feature to its e-commerce platform Shop. Given the popularity of AR filters elsewhere in the app, it wouldn't be too big a leap for the company to bring the technology to Shop to make the process of selling clothes and accessories more engaging.
TikTok wouldn't be the first Social media platforms can also try this out: In recent years, Instagram and Pinterest have introduced AR-powered try-on features that let users try on makeup and other products. Walmartand Amazon is also experimenting with various try-on features for sneakers and other clothing items.
Given that users are already accustomed to using camera filters in other types of videos, TikTok and its social media peers may have an advantage over traditional e-commerce apps when it comes to getting people to test out virtual clothes.
TikTok is desperately searching for ways to boost sales in the competitive U.S. e-commerce market dominated by Amazon, and shopping is a big focus for the company this year: About a third of its current open U.S. jobs are e-commerce-related, according to TikTok's job portal.
However, TikTok Shop's growth has been relatively slow in 2024, with order tracking platform Route reporting a 35% increase in order volume between January and June, while e-commerce app Shein saw a 63% increase in the same period.
A TikTok spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests from Business Insider for comment on its plans for virtual try-on and other AI-powered e-commerce features.
