TikTok is working on improving search functionalities and has quietly launched a new feature that allows users to use a photo they took or uploaded to find similar items in the TikTok Shop.
Jonah Manzano, a social media analyst known for testing experimental features of the app, discovered the new search feature on TikTok. On X (Twitter), Manzano shared a screenshot of a tab prompting users to "find similar objects with image search."
There are many potential applications for the image search function. Some users may take pictures of specific products to see if these items (or similar and cheaper alternatives) are available for sale on TikTok Shop.
TikTok Shop already had a search bar, but to use it, shoppers had to rely on written descriptions.
Image search offers an easier and simpler solution, similar to the capabilities already available on the world's leading search engine. Google Lens provides features akin to TikTok's new feature.
Access to image search in TikTok Shop is limited to users in the United States and Southeast Asia. If you live in one of those regions and have the latest version of the TikTok app, you should be able to see a camera icon on the right side of the TikTok Shop search bar. Clicking on this icon will bring up the new image search function.
TikTok recently revealed that TikTok Shop now has over 15 million sellers worldwide, including more than 500,000 in the United States.
Over the past two years, industry leaders like Google have been wary of TikTok's rise as a search engine. To capitalize on this trend, the ByteDance-owned app has updated video descriptions to allow for more searchable keywords.
While some users may prefer TikTok as a search engine, the app has many reasons to continue development in this area. Search ads, introduced by TikTok last year, provide a valuable revenue stream. Meanwhile, content creators can benefit from TikTok Search Insights, which reveal the most searched topics on the app.
For TikTok, more searches lead to more data that can be leveraged for ads and features for content creators. With more support for search coming to TikTok Shop, the more than 500,000 sellers in the U.S. are also poised for potential sales increases.
