As X continues developing its X Money payment process, TikTok appears to be pursuing in-stream payments as part of its own expanded shopping push.
According to Bloomberg, TikTok is exploring expanding TikTok Pay to users in the U.S., which would let American users send money to other profiles in the app via DM.
TikTok Pay is already active in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, allowing users to pay for products directly in the app. In some markets, TikTok also offers TikTok PayLater, which splits purchases into a series of payments.
Facilitating direct payments in-stream could significantly affect in-app purchase rates, since the immediate response option drives impulse purchases — particularly during livestreams.
That has been a key driver of sales activity on Douyin, the China-based version of TikTok. Per Walk the Chat, Douyin now highlights Douyin Pay as a key in-stream transaction option.
The numbers back the structure. A report in ScienceDirect found that livestreams accounted for more than 40% of Douyin's total e-commerce sales in 2024.
TikTok has seen a significant rise in in-app shopping activity. A recent Momentum Works report estimates:
On that growth curve, reducing payment friction is a logical move. With the structure already operating in several markets, U.S. expansion is less a technical question than a regulatory one.
TikTok's U.S. operation would presumably need to obtain money transmitter licenses in U.S. states before proceeding. State-by-state acquisition means a full rollout takes time.
The bottleneck in live commerce is checkout, not content. What Douyin demonstrates is not the power of livestreaming but the conversion that appears when the distance from stream to payment collapses. Worth auditing in any live commerce operation.
Social platforms entering payments is a pattern, not an isolated move. X has been reworking its DM composer as groundwork for a payments layer. Messaging as the payment entry point keeps recurring as a design.
What brands should prepare is upstream of payment. Selling the moment checkout opens requires product data, inventory integration, and live scheduling already in place. U.S. expansion is not confirmed, but the preparation window is not after the announcement.
TikTok already runs payment infrastructure in several markets, and its U.S. GMV more than doubled in a year. What remains is a procedural gate of state licensing. Whether the "40% from live" structure Douyin proved can be reproduced in the U.S. is the open question.
Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, where users can pay for products directly in the app. Some markets also offer TikTok PayLater for installment payments.
Per Bloomberg's reporting it is under exploration. Proceeding would presumably require money transmitter licenses in U.S. states.
Immediate checkout sharply raises impulse purchase conversion. A ScienceDirect report found livestreams drove over 40% of Douyin's total e-commerce sales in 2024.
Momentum Works estimates roughly $50 billion in GMV for the first half of 2026, up 92% year over year, with $11.8 billion from the U.S. market — a more than 100% annual increase.
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