TikTok is rolling out new features in its goal to transcend its identity as a short-video platform and transform into a more comprehensive digital ecosystem. Among the company's latest steps are the Must Eat guide prepared for restaurant discovery, plans to send money via messages, and services focused on shopping and travel.
The Must Eat feature announced by the platform aims to provide users with restaurant recommendations from within the app. While venue videos that have become popular on TikTok have long influenced users' dining preferences, the new guide aims to make this discovery experience more organized.
Must Eat uses more than 40 million posts and reviews to offer city-based restaurant lists. Users can search using filters such as cuisine type, price range, rating, and location. Venue pages also include details such as operating hours, star ratings, and price information.
This move brings TikTok closer to a structure that combines different services such as local discovery, shopping, reservations, and payments, moving it beyond being just a social media app for content consumption. This model is reminiscent of the "super-app" concept that is particularly common in China.
There are also notable developments on the payment side. As Bloomberg previously reported, TikTok is working on a feature that will allow users to send money to each other directly through messages. If the feature is implemented, it is expected to use the TikTok Pay infrastructure. This service is already used for TikTok Shop purchases in Southeast Asia.
According to a report published by Reuters in March, the company applied to the Central Bank of Brazil to operate as a fintech company offering credit and payment services. However, no official date has been announced for when the peer-to-peer money transfer feature will be launched.
TikTok's expansion steps are not limited to this. Launched in the US in May, TikTok GO allows hotels, tourist attractions, and experiences to be found through video, search, and location pages. Users can also complete availability checks and reservation processes within the app.
TikTok Shop stands out as one of the platform's fastest-growing areas. The service, which began its testing process in 2021, was launched in the US in 2023. According to eMarketer data, TikTok Shop sales increased by 407 percent in 2024 and 108 percent in 2025, reaching 15.82 billion dollars. The company's share in US social commerce is expected to rise to 24.1 percent in 2027.
The platform is also developing new tools to keep users within the app in the areas of sports, music, and entertainment. While content such as a dedicated hub for the FIFA World Cup, match schedules, and scores are offered, the company is moving forward with partnerships like Apple Music instead of an independent music service. This picture strengthens TikTok's goal of transforming from a social media app into a multi-functional digital hub.
News Source: 12punto
