Everything You Need to Know About TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is revolutionizing the e-commerce landscape, and if you haven’t explored TikTok Shopping yet, you’re in for a game-changer!
Launched in 2022, this native shopping platform has already generated over $17.5 billion annually, quickly establishing itself as a powerhouse in the market. Just the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt racks up a staggering one billion views per week.
Whether you’re a budding e-commerce brand or looking to break into a new marketplace, TikTok is the place to be.
So, grab your ring light and your brightest ideas, because we’re about to guide you on a journey that’ll transform those likes into sales faster than a viral dance challenge.
In the TikTok Shop universe, your next viral product is just a video away. Our guide on TikTok Shopping will be the perfect boost for your business, ensuring that when your followers say, “TikTok made me buy it!” – they mean it.
TikTok Shop is essentially the social media giant’s native ecommerce solution that enables sellers, creators, and affiliates to sell products directly on the platform using features such as live shopping or shoppable videos.
Although TikTok shop was recently launched in 2022, it has managed to generate approximately $7 million per day, totaling an average of US$17.5 billion annually.
Fundamentally, TikTok Shop offers a seamless shopping experience directly within the TikTok ecosystem, making it easier for brands to leverage the platform’s vast audience to sell products. Of course, it also makes things easier for consumers as they can browse and purchase products in a centralized marketplace within the TikTok app. Unfortunately, TikTok does have its share of controversies as it has faced criticism related to misinformation, fake reviews, and scams since its launch.
TikTok Shop represents a totally new frontier of ecommerce. By integrating social media engagement directly with shopping has resulted in a highly unique environment that enhances product discovery and purchasing convenience.
Unlike traditional ecommerce platforms, TikTok shop allows users to browse and purchase without leaving the platform. Shopify, for example, depends on external traffic. A seamless integration of social media and ecommerce creates a more engaging and immersive shopping experience. Moreover, it’s highly effective as it blends entertainment with commerce.
also read: Integrate Shopify and Amazon for Record-Crushing Sales: Here’s How
Of course, there are other features that help TikTok Shop stand out:
Before you set up a TikTok Shop, you’ll need to check if you’re eligible. If you are eligible for a TikTok Shop Seller Account based on all criteria, then we recommend you follow these simple TikTok Shop Seller sign-up steps to get started:
To set up a TikTok shop, you will need to begin by registering a business account. Of course, setting up a business account is completely free. Unlike a personal account, a business account a ton of features that aren’t commonly available. For example, access to TikTok Ads Manager and access to advanced analytics that can help you effectively optimize your business.
Once you have your business account, you will have to register as a seller with TikTok officially. Head to the seller registration portal and fill out the application. Upload the required documentation, including your ID, proof of residency, and any proof of business ownership.
When you’ve followed all the above steps without any errors, you should receive an email regarding your application status in a good day or two. Once accepted, you will be able to use all the TikTok’s shopping features.
The last step is to link your TikTok account to your TikTok Shop and start selling on the social media platform. You’ll now be able to add products and promote your shop in your bio and/or in your content.
To connect your TikTok Shop to your TikTok account, follow these steps:
TikTok Shop’s features make it incredibly easy for consumers to discover, research, and purchase a product. Usually, the moment they see it in a feed. As a seller, you don’t have to jump through hoops to set up a new discoverability funnel. TikTok’s ecosystem is designed for new users to seamlessly discover your product. In fact, a whopping 70% of TikTok users constantly discover new brands on products on the platform.
They can directly purchase your product from an in-feed video, your seller page, or via the shop tab. This is extremely beneficial for sellers or creators as they can acquire customers on a single app.
Sellers also have the added benefit of running TikTok Live Shopping, where sellers and creators can broadcast a live stream to showcase and sell products. Viewers on TikTok Live Shopping can add items to their shopping cart and buy products without leaving the app!
TikTok Shopping also makes payment processing seamless for sellers and buyers. As a seller, you don’t have to worry about getting PayPal or Stripe approval as TikTok’s native payment processing doesn’t require a ton of documentation and application turnover time.
Here’s a mix of some low-hanging fruits and advanced tips to help you increase your sales with TikTok Shop:
Although this may sound obvious, you’d be surprised as to how many sellers don’t optimize their product listings, only to lose out on potential sales due to discoverability or desirability issues. Therefore, you must look to improve the following components of your listings:
High-quality visuals always convert better than low-quality that could potentially impact your brand. We recommend you invest in professional photography to ensure your product images are clear, well-lit, and visually appealing. High-quality images are essential as they are often the first impression potential customers have of your products.
Additionally, you will also need to invest in dynamic product videos that showcase your products from multiple angles. After all, TikTok is a short video platform. So, you’ll need to go al out when it comes to your product videos.
Create engaging and entertaining videos of your products used in various contexts. Always highlight the benefits and features of your product. Most importantly, use TikTok’s Editing tools to add music, effects, and transitions that align with your brand’s aesthetic.
Your TikTok strategy should be consistent. Specifically, you should maintain a consistent brand color and visual style across all of your product listings. This includes using similar backgrounds, fonts, lighting, color schemes, and anything else that ensures that your brand is easily recognizable.
Other than visuals, you will also need to optimize your descriptions and the text portion of your listings for maximum conversions. When optimizing your product titles on TikTok Shop, keep it to under 34 characters to ensure they are fully visible in the search results and on your mobile devices. Don’t skip keywords or worse go with a gut check. We recommend you do extensive keyword research to ensure that there are tons of people searching for said keyword. Of course, make sure that the keyword accurately describes the product and its main benefits.
Leverage the TikTok Shop search feature and other keyword research tools to zero in on golden keywords. Additionally, competitor analysis will come in handy when you’re trying to identify relevant and high-performing keywords for your products. Naturally, we recommend you use these keywords across your listing titles and descriptions. Of course, use them as tags to improve visibility in search.
This keyword research will also come in handy when you’re running TikTok ads (which is an absolute must).
Other than SEO optimizing your product listings, ensure that the descriptions and overall copy is clear and detailed. It should essentially be as readable (use bullet points and natural language) and compelling as possible. Moreover, it should highlight the features and benefits of your products. Include information on materials, dimensions, and any usage instructions.
Including storytelling elements in your descriptions can be a game-changer as it can create an emotional connection with potential buyers. You can always share the inspiration behind the product, its creation process, how it solves a specific problem, or even customer testimonials to make the listing more relatable and engaging.
It’s important to note that interactive elements can drastically improve your conversion rate. TikTok’s shoppable video feature offers just that. You can essentially add a link to the video and your customers buy your product directly by clicking the link on the video without ever leaving the app and potentially losing the sale.
TikTok thrives on trends. Therefore, it rewards creators that use trending music, and popular challenges. It’s also important to note that TikTok’s algorithm favors relevance more than popularity.
Therefore, if you use the right hashtags, build a connection with your viewers, and encourage engagement through likes, comments, and shares, the algorithm will heavily reward you.
Discoverability will be your primary challenge to overcome. Well, that’s unless you’re a major brand and even then you will need to stay relevant. Therefore, you will need to take active measures to promote your brand. You need to make sure to choose the perfect hashtags as they play a vital role in organizing and classifying content on TikTok Shop. When it comes to hashtags, try to include a mix of popular and niche hashtags to reach a wider audience by targeting specific customer segments.
We strongly recommend you purchase the branded hashtag feature as it can help take your TikTok Shop to the next level. With this feature, you make it easier for users to shop for products related to a sponsored hashtag. You tie together a paid-for hashtag with a particular challenge you set for TikTok users.
This can enable the smooth flow of TikTok users to your TikTok store. The Hashtag Challenge Plus is $160,000. Although it can cost a pretty penny, it is extremely beneficial as it helps your brand scale consistently.
The moment you’re TikTok shop is approved, we recommend you create TikToks to build hype around your store. Additionally, make it informative and show your audience the location of the shopping tab and how to buy your products.
Another effective way to engage with your audience and promote your TikTok Store would be to leverage TikTok Live shopping events. Announce your live shopping well in advance through your TikTok feed, stories, and other social media channels. Use countdown stickers and reminders to build anticipation and maximum attendance.
During the live event, make use of TikTok’s interactive features like polls, Q&A sessions, and product stickers to keep viewers engaged. Highlight the benefits or unique features of your products in real time, and answer questions. Offer exclusive discounts to drive immediate purchases. However, you will have to build a sense of urgency.
When the Live event has concluded, your job isn’t completed. Create a highlight reel and share it on your feed for those who missed the live session. This provides a form of continuous
After the live event, create highlight reels and share them on your feed to reach those who missed the live session. This also provides a continuous promotion for the products featured in the live event .
TikTok is more of a social phenomenon than a traditional social media platform. To succeed on the platform, you would require a deep understanding of its native trends, subcultures, and internal context. As a business looking to thrive on the platform, it’s best to partner with influencers to drive your brand forward.
For example, Guess launched the #InMyDenim challenge, partnering with influencers to create engaging content that resonated with younger consumers. The campaign helped reposition their brand image in the U.S. market.
When executed creatively, influencer marketing can not only help you rebrand, but it can also help you achieve specific campaign goals, including direct sales. By combining TikTok Shopping and Influencer Marketing, you essentially don’t have to nudge the customer to leave the platform, drastically skyrocketing sales. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to partner with Influencers who really align with your brand as this authenticity will be present in their tone and overall communication. Most importantly, brands tend to succeed when they give the influencer the creative freedom to express themselves.
Paid promotion of impactful organic content leads to amazing customer acquisition on TikTok. In addition to ads, you should make use of all the other features to promote your TikTok activities and opportunities to as many people as possible.
Experiment with different ad formats such as in-feed ads, Branded Hashtag Challenges, and branded effects to find what resonates best with your audience. Each format offers unique ways to engage users and promote your products. Keep trying out different methods and double down on what works best.
You must use TikTok’s advanced targeting options to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. Additionally, create a custom audience list based on past interactions with your content and run remarketing campaigns to re-engage these users. Of course, make sure to use new creatives. They didn’t convert on the first one for a reason.
When running ads, it’s important to continuously test multiple different ad creatives, copy, and targeting options to optimize your campaigns. Therefore, split testing should be a part of your process.
To effectively sell on TikTok, you must think like a creator. After all, each social media platform has its most effective content formats/trends that work best for the platform audience. And to effectively establish trust and succeed on TikTok, you need to be as authentic as possible.
When it comes to the specific tactics or strategies to establish trust with your audience, you will need to rely on your brand vision, mission, guidelines, and even TikTok-specific nuances to succeed. The spammy brands or stores on TikTok tend to flame out quickly.
For inspiration, it’s best to look at brands that have done this right like Chipotle or NBA, and reverse engineer their campaigns, and creator collaborations and draw inspiration from their posts/videos.
Creative content that uses TikTok’s native elements like sounds, filters, and reactions tends to do better. Of course, it’s not that simple either. You will still have to think of ways to creatively structure your video. Perhaps look to spin current pop culture conversations to your advantage.
You can also think out of the box and come up with clever content to show your audience a peek under the hood of your brand. You could also create straightforward educational content where you can plug in your products organically as solutions to problems. Ultimately, a split test approach will help you zero in on the most effective type of content.
There are geographical restrictions for TikTok Shops. Therefore, the first step is to determine your eligibility based on your location. TikTok Shop is currently available in the following countries:
If you reside in any of these countries, you can set up a TikTok Shop under one of the following categories: Seller, Creator, or Partner. Here’s a detailed look at each category:
Sellers are brands or individuals who primarily sell products via TikTok Shop. To become a TikTok Shop Seller, you need the following:
Once you have all the necessary documentation and information, you can apply to become a TikTok Shop Seller. It’s important to note that the Sellers/Merchants use TikTok Seller Center as their all-in-one commerce platform. Meaning, it’s the centralized hub from which they manage their inventory, orders, and customer service.
Creators can also set up a TikTok shop. However, it’s slightly different. Creator TikTok shops essentially earn commissions through the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program. It’s a program that allows you to link products in your videos and Lives, Creators can also showcase their Shops on their profile via a Showcase page. Ultimately, they earn a commission for every sale generated through their links.
TikTok Shops for partners is extremely similar to Amazon’s Partner Network. It’s a shop that businesses/agencies can set up to provide professional ecommerce services or technology for Sellers and Creators. This service is designed to support the broader TikTok Shop ecosystem by offering specialized services to enhance the shopping experience.
Here are some examples of successful sellers on TikTok Shop:
Sooslick is a prime example of how TikTok can elevate small businesses. This women owned fashion brand soared to viral success through TikTok Shop Affiliates. By collaborating with creators who showcased their stylish shapewear in engaging videos, they saw a significant boost in sales and views. Their innovative product and authentic content resonated with a wide audience, leading to massive scale.
Now, this shop is a great example of a single product brands killing it on TikTok. Focusing on ultrasonic cleaners for jewelry, this shop with around 26,000 followers has seen great success. One of their videos reached 3.6 million views, and they’ve sold nearly 1,500+ cleaners through TikTok Shop.
This selling hair accessories saw significant growth through their TikTok shop. Their scrunchie videos went viral, leading to increased sales and brand awareness. Dasha, the owner managed to rake up a ton of conversions by offering discounts.
It’s important to note that there is no clear evidence that TikTok Shop will steal user information. However, it’s also important to recognize that TikTok has faced scrutiny over data collection practices, including allegations of collecting clipboard data and potentially sharing user data. Although these are allegations, there may be a “risk” of sensitive information being accessed by unauthorized parties.
TikTok Shop’s Privacy Policy states that they collect user information like collect user information like contact details, device IDs, IP addresses, and browsing history. Now, this is standard practice and this data is usually used for purposes like order fulfillment, user support, and targeted advertising. You should be aware of what information is being collected.
Companies using TikTok Shop must also ensure that they are following relevant data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. This is to avoid potential data breaches and security risks. After all, improper handling of user data could lead to leaks.
The ease of virality and business growth using the social media platform has also resulted in a bunch of scams. According to the Better Business Bureau, a good chunk of TikTok users have experienced potential scams from dishonest third-party sellers on the platform. Fake or compromised seller accounts could misuse customer information.
Ultimately, it’s necessary for your to implement ethical and transparent business practices. Moreover, TikTok Shop has security measures in place. However, Sellers should exercise reasonable caution when collecting personal information. The platform’s data practices are still evolving. Therefore, we recommend staying informed regarding any new data privacy changes.
Changing the shipping price on TikTok Shop is fairly simple. All you need to do is follow these steps:
As we wrap up, it’s clear that TikTok Shop isn’t just a fleeting trend; it’s a revolutionary platform reshaping the e-commerce landscape. Especially, as everything from customer acquisition to purchase happens on one platform.
This presents a unique opportunity to build large businesses quickly. Moreover, there is the added benefit of engaging with a younger audience who’s no stranger to impulse purchases.
This seamless integration of social media and e-commerce enables you to effectively build a community around your brand while driving sales
The key to success on TikTok Shop lies in staying agile and creative. The platform is constantly evolving, and what works today might not work tomorrow. Of course, you will also have to keep an eye on emerging trends, collaborate with influencers, and not be afraid to experiment with new content formats.
Additional Read: TikTok strategies to boost your Amazon business
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