There’s a fascinating new development on the TikTok landscape as the popular video-sharing platform has begun testing an in-app shopping feature in a fresh attempt to entice U.S. users into an integrated social media and shopping experience. This strategic maneuver exhibits a "Shop" tab in selected U.S. users' interface, wedged comfortably between the "For You" and "Following" feeds. Curated with a scrollable array of seemingly random products, some tied with in-app trends, the tab ensures a premium placement in the user interface.

This fresh shopping initiative is the brainchild of TikTok's revised eCommerce strategy, focusing on viral products backed by a consortium of China-based suppliers. Firstly trialed in the U.K., this strategic approach is slowly making its way into the U.S. market. The move is a testament to the encouraging success witnessed by the Chinese version of TikTok, "Douyin," where in-stream commerce is now the dominant revenue stream. The concept is also gaining substantial traction in other Asian markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

However, the real challenge lies ahead as the Western consumer mindset leans towards traditional physical shopping or dedicated eCommerce apps rather than combining social media and shopping experiences. It appears that the task of convincing Western users to make in-stream purchases is giving TikTok a tough puzzle to solve. The initial efforts with live-stream shopping, quite successful in the Chinese market, were met with a cold response and a subsequent scaling back in the Western market.

Undeterred, the resilient platform geared up and altered its focus towards in-stream shops and product showcasing options. While these tactics managed to garner a lukewarm response, it hasn't been enough to become a game-changer in TikTok's operations. Now, the platform is attempting yet another tact, one that could be far riskier as per initial insights, pushing the boundaries on short-form video networking.

In conclusion, TikTok's new venture displays products from various Chinese outlets previously barred from Amazon for forging customer reviews. Hence it carries a significant risk. Potential issues might arise if the products prove substandard or misleading, in turn causing users to distance themselves from the TikTok shopping experience indefinitely. Lessons can be learned from Facebook's in-stream sleuthing ordeal, where scams led to a preference shift towards trusted shopping platforms among users. Without a firm basis of trust comparable to giants like Amazon or eBay, it may be arduous for social apps like TikTok to mold consumer behavior in their favor.