Before TikTok Turned Into a Rival, Amazon Saw a Potential Partner

Late last year, Amazon executives met with their counterparts at TikTok parent ByteDance to propose a novel idea: creating a new advertising format that would let customers buy items from Amazon ads on TikTok without leaving the app, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.

A partnership could have been a breakthrough for both companies. Amazon knew ads on TikTok that provided the ability to buy things immediately could help Amazon reach more impulse shoppers, rather than the people who typically visit its website already knowing what they want to buy. But the informal talks did not get very far, according to the person with direct knowledge of the discussions. Instead of partnering, ByteDance would soon start challenging Amazon’s e-commerce business more aggressively with the U.S. launch of TikTok Shop.