ByteDance is testing food delivery service via its Chinese version of TikTok

Key Points

• ByteDance's Douyin is testing a type of food delivery service in China "in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu that enables merchants to promote and sell 'group-buying' packages."
• Restaurant owners often livestream on Douyin to market their business. While doing this, they can offer discounts. A user can then purchase that offer and choose a time for the food to arrive.
• The model is very different from Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me which are both on-demand food delivery services, much like Uber Eats.

ByteDance's Douyin has been trialing a food delivery service since December as it looks to expand its business beyond advertising.

Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images

ByteDance told CNBC on Wednesday that it has been testing a type of food delivery service in China via its short video app Douyin, potentially pitting itself against major e-commerce companies like Alibaba and Meituan.