Amazon among bidders to buy TikTok’s US business

Amazon has submitted a last-minute bid to buy TikTok’s US business as the deadline looms for the platform to find a non-Chinese owner.

The retail giant is understood to have submitted an offer through a letter to US vice president JD Vance and ecommerce secretary Howard Lutnick, The New York Times reported.

However, sources told the publication that the Trump administration was not taking Amazon’s bid seriously.

The etailer’s interest in the platform could be seen as a way for it to gain a foothold in the social commerce craze that has seen many users bypass traditional shopping websites in favour of purchasing within the app.

Users are able to buy everything from clothing and beauty to toilet rolls and fresh meat via its TikTok Shop channel.

Amazon had previously launched its own version of discovery commerce, with an in-app feature called Inspire that offered users a feed of shoppable short-form videos and photos. However, it was scrapped just 14 months after its launch.

TikTok took on the ecommerce giant’s Prime Day last year, with its own week-long sales event offering users up to 50% off discounts from brands including Sweaty Betty, Made by Mitchell and L’Oreal Paris,

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