This could be interesting. Till TikTok gets banned that is.
Today, CapCut, the video editing app published by TikTok owner ByteDance, has announced a new “Commerce Pro” package, which is designed to help retailers create better content for their online channels.
As explained by CapCut:
“Whether you’re producing content for social media or enhancing storefront visuals, whether in images or videos, CapCut Commerce Pro empowers you to create professional, engaging content that drives business results. Perfect for those looking to streamline their creative process and elevate their brand presence.”
The offering includes a range of TikTok- aligned commerce creation tools, including a process that can create video clips based on just your product URL, as well as various means to include shoppable links in your clips.
It also includes some of TikTok’s more advanced selling options, including access to TikTok’s AI avatars, which can “help bring your content to life, assisting with everything from product demonstrations to explainer videos.”
Virtual avatars like this have been a big hit in China, and TikTok’s hoping that they’ll resonate with Western audiences as well, and with this feature, you’ll be able to create and use these digital characters in various video promotions.
There’s also a new “Virtual Try On” element:
“Select an AI model to virtually try on products and generate photos, showcasing your product.”
CapCut Commerce Pro also enables scheduling and auto-publishing across multiple channels, as well as performance insights to manage your process. There are even seasonal templates for events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday to customize your promotions.
It’s a good package, which will no doubt appeal to retail creators, providing a range of options for your promotions.
And CapCut, in general, is a good video editing tool, not just for TikTok, but for your promotions on other channels as well. However there is a question as to whether CapCut will remain available in the U.S. if TikTok is eventually removed from the U.S. market.
TikTok is currently facing a forced sell-off in the U.S. due to security concerns related to its links back to its Chinese homeland. In theory, TikTok could be used by the Chinese government for information gathering and/or dissemination purposes, and U.S. senators have voted to force the app into U.S. ownership, or be removed from the nation.
Chinese officials, who view the move as “bullying behavior” by the U.S., have vowed to oppose the ruling, and to force TikTok’s withdrawal from America, as opposed to selling the platform to a U.S. owner. Which means that the sell-off bill could, in effect, result in a ban for the app, and if TikTok’s on the outs, then other Chinese apps, especially those owned by ByteDance, could also be pulled from the U.S. market as well.
So if TikTok goes, then CapCut is expected to follow, so if you are looking to increase your reliance on an editing tool it is worth noting that CapCut could disappear sometime next year. There’s still a long way to go before TikTok’s end date is confirmed, or if it will actually be banned, with the company pushing ahead with a legal challenge.
But again, worth noting in your calculations.
In terms of pricing, CapCut Commerce Pro is available via a “freemium” model, with the first 200 seconds of video you create in the app available for free, before you’re forced to switch to a payment model, at $US26 per month or $US250 annually.
Which seems like a reasonable amount, and with some cutting edge elements, it could be worth the price. Barring other consideratons.
CapCut Commerce Pro is now available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Brazil, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
