TikTok is testing a new image search feature for shopping on its platform. The feature, first spotted by X user Jonah Manzano, allows TikTok users in the United States and Southeast Asia to take or upload photos to find visually similar products available for purchase on TikTok Shop.

Users with access see a camera icon in the TikTok Shop search bar. They can snap a photo, such as of a restaurant plate they like, to surface lookalike items for sale on TikTok. They can also upload any image, enabling visual search for affordable alternatives to pricey items found elsewhere online.

According to TechCrunch, while TikTok Shop already permitted text-based product searches, this image search capability represents new territory for the video-sharing app. It aims to compete with tech giants like Google and Amazon, which have long offered visual search tools.

Google executives acknowledged in 2022 that TikTok was beginning to divert traffic from Google’s core Search product. With image search for shopping, TikTok’s ambitions extend beyond challenging Google and taking on Amazon’s e-commerce dominance.

In late April, TikTok revealed that over 15 million sellers use TikTok Shop globally – 500,000+ in the U.S. It has invested hundreds of millions in platform safety and staffing for TikTok Shop.

TikTok is building shopping features like image search to drive more user time and purchases within its ecosystem despite facing potential U.S. restrictions on Chinese ownership.