TikTok Shop Plus test brings Prime-style perks to US shoppers

TikTok Shop Plus is being tested as a paid shopping membership for U.S. users, Business Insider reported Friday, citing screenshots reviewed by its journalists. The trial would add free shipping, discounts and coupons to TikTok’s commerce platform, extending its push to keep more shopping activity inside the app.

The reported membership resembles programs used by larger U.S. retailers to tie delivery benefits and promotions to recurring subscription payments. Business Insider said the screenshots showed TikTok testing monthly prices of $6, $10 and $15, with the available terms apparently varying during the trial.

What is TikTok Shop Plus?

TikTok Shop Plus is the name of the reported membership product within TikTok Shop, the company’s eCommerce service. According to Business Insider, members receive shopping benefits such as free shipping, product discounts and coupons, rather than a broader media bundle.

Business Insider described one example in which a hair product listed at $57 was offered with a $10 member discount. The same example showed free three-day shipping for Plus members, according to the report.

PYMNTS said it contacted TikTok for comment and had not received a response. TikTok has not publicly announced the membership program in the material described by Business Insider.

A former TikTok Shop employee told Business Insider that a subscription offer could help TikTok reduce the number of shoppers who discover products in the app but complete purchases elsewhere, including on Amazon. That would address a common problem in social commerce: attention and purchase intent can start on a content platform, while the final transaction shifts to a marketplace with trusted delivery, returns and account credentials.

A paid retail membership typically works by exchanging a recurring fee for benefits that lower friction at checkout. Free or faster shipping can make smaller orders easier to justify, while member-only coupons can give shoppers a reason to complete the purchase on the same platform where they found the product.

How does the test fit into TikTok’s commerce strategy?

Business Insider reported that TikTok Shop Plus follows other moves that bring TikTok’s retail operations closer to the services offered by Amazon. Those include merchant support for shipping and fulfillment, along with faster delivery options for shoppers.

The approach would place TikTok alongside retailers that use membership programs to encourage repeat purchases. Business Insider noted that Walmart and Target also operate subscription or membership offerings built around benefits such as shipping and discounts.

The competitive backdrop is a U.S. online retail market in which major shopping events are drawing more shoppers while individual spending has weakened, according to PYMNTS Intelligence research cited by PYMNTS. That research estimated that 244 million U.S. consumers, equal to 93% of adults, shopped at least one recent Amazon or Walmart promotional event, up from 135 million a year earlier.

PYMNTS said the share of consumers who skipped both promotions fell to 7% from 48%. At the same time, average spending declined: Amazon’s average dropped to $308 from $360 in 2025, while Walmart’s fell to $326 from $484, according to the research.

Those figures point to a more crowded battle for retail loyalty, with platforms trying to convert attention into repeat transactions. For TikTok, the reported test suggests that commerce features are becoming a larger part of its effort to compete for both discovery and checkout.

This story draws on original reporting from PYMNTS.