Everything You Need To Know About TikTok Shop
The debut of TikTok Shop has reinforced the fusion of entertainment and commerce, much like Instagram Shopping. Previously made available in the U.K. and select countries in Southeast Asia, TikTok Shop has quietly entered the U.S., with brands like Kylie Cosmetics spearheading the initial trial.
While it’s yet to be known whether the Western market will be as receptive to the feature, it is apparent that TikTok boasts one billion monthly active users. Furthermore, the platform’s study with Kantar revealed 90 percent of users say they take action (like, share, follow, and buy) after watching a TikTok.
Therefore, if TikTok Shop offers a remarkable shopping experience coupled with such favorable consumer behavior, it would be a wellspring of revenue for brands and content creators using TikTok for business.
Now, let’s explore TikTok Shop in this blog.
What Is a TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is a new shopping feature that allows creators, brands, and merchants to highlight and sell their products directly on the platform. With its product showcase tab, in-feed videos, and LIVEs, the TikTok for Business feature eliminates the need for redirecting users to external websites.
The promises of TikTok Shop to merchants include higher quality traffic to your shop, better consumer experience with a fast yet frictionless checkout, and seamless creator collaborations through the Affiliate Marketplace.
What Is TikTok Live Shopping?
TikTok live shopping is when brands or creators run a live stream to showcase and sell their products while viewers tune in. Viewers can then add items to their TikTok shopping cart while watching the live stream. This feature allows for real-time interaction and immediate purchasing, enhancing the overall shopping experience on the platform.
Who Can You Use TikTok Shop?
Sellers, creators, partners, and affiliates can use TikTok Shop. However, as mentioned above, the feature is limited to selected regions. Before you can begin using TikTok for business, here are some helpful definitions:
- TikTok Shop Sellers are brands or merchants who can join to scale their eCommerce business on the platform. Sellers can link their Shopify website to their TikTok Shop.
- TikTok Shop Creators are content creators on the platform who can earn commissions by promoting products through TikTok live shopping or in-feed videos.
- TikTok Shop Affiliates are essentially creators and sellers who partner with one another to attract customers and increase sales through affiliate marketing plans.
- TikTok Shop Partners are professionals who provide TikTok marketing and eCommerce services to creators and sellers on the platform. Those in eCommerce or digital marketing talent agencies can join in this category.
How To Register for TikTok Shop
While TikTok shopping is operational in the U.S., not every brand or merchant can register at the moment. Those who try to register in the U.S. are asked to provide an “invitation code.” It is unclear which brands received the invitation or how to get one. For those who can register, the site’s instructions are straightforward. If you still need a personal TikTok account, create one first. Once you have a personal account, switch it to a business account to access TikTok Shop.
- Sign up with a phone number and email address or with a TikTok account.
- Complete the application form, uploading necessary documents such as a business certificate and your passport or driving license.
- Wait for the application result that will be sent to your email in one to two days.
- Link your TikTok account to your TikTok Shop account.
Then, to move forward with your TikTok shopping journey, add new products to your shop via the Seller Center. The TikTok Shop Seller Center is where you manage your shop, inventory, promotions, orders, affiliate partnerships, and customer support.
If you’re using TikTok for business while operating an eCommerce website, you can link your TikTok shop to a Shopify, Square Online, BigCommerce, or Lightspeed (Ecwid) store. Doing so also allows you to sync product catalogs to quickly populate your Product Showcase tab, encouraging many to explore TikTok for business.
How To Use TikTok for Business
Although it is free to set up shop on TikTok, requiring zero listing or subscription fees, the platform takes a commission on your sales. For the first 90 days, the sales commission is reduced to 1.8 percent and will revert to 5 percent after.
The interface of TikTok Shopping is very similar to Instagram Shopping. Therefore, brands that already engage on the latter platform will find it easy to transition and reach a new audience. But remember, TikTok Shop is currently limited to unknown U.S. merchants.
Here’s how to use TikTok for business effectively:
1. Optimize Your Product Catalog
Your shopping tab serves as your storefront on TikTok. As with any actual store, no one is drawn to a disorganized storefront; the same is true for your product catalog. Pay attention to the quality of each product image and your shop’s overall look and feel to attract customers effectively.
2. Let Your Customer Base Know About Your TikTok Shop
Tell everyone as soon as you get access and successfully set up TikTok Shop. As a simple TikTok marketing strategy, you can create a TikTok that demonstrates to your audience how to use your shopping tab and where to find your products.
3. Invest in Shopping Ads
Shopping Ads is TikTok’s other initiative for its growing commerce solutions, but it is also limitedly available. Under one objective, Product Sales, which means to increase sales, the ads come in three formats:
- Video shopping ads
- Catalog shopping ads
- LIVE shopping ads
Outside of Shopping Ads, TikTok also provides more options to advertise on the platform, including in-feed video, image, and carousel ads, which you can know more about through TikTok Ads Manager. Big-name companies like Fenty Beauty, Guess, and Chipotle advertise on the platform, tapping into the platform’s billion active users globally.
4. Utilize Built-In Promotion Tools Such as Seller Voucher
Seller vouchers come as regular and LIVE Interactive vouchers. You can use them with other promotional tools, such as flash deals, product discounts, seller discounts, and platform subsidies. To protect your profit margin while offering huge discounts, you can set a minimum spend.
5. Partner With Experts From a Social Media Marketing Agency
TikTok can be simple to use, but it can also be time-consuming to watch out for trends and measure your engagements. Getting outside help with your TikTok marketing strategy will not only lighten your to-do lists but also let your brand benefit from years of experience.
TikTok Best Practices for Sellers and Creators
While you wait for the TikTok for Business feature to be fully available to U.S. merchants, plan out your TikTok marketing strategy and build your online presence on the platform. Here are some TikTok best practices to help you get started:
1. Post Content Regularly
Post authentic content that stirs emotions, whether humorous or inspirational. Try to share content that shows the other side of you as a brand or individual.
2. Ride TikTok Trends
Many content creators live off TikTok trends, and for good reason, as TikTok trends get a lot of traction facilitated by the platform’s algorithm. So take advantage of them, whether a song, dance, or an audio clip.
3. Collaborate With Influencers
The global influencer marketing market reached $16.4 billion, more than doubling since 2019. The figure speaks volumes about the success of influencer marketing and how sellers and creators can benefit from it.
4. Keep Your Videos Vertical
Unlike other apps like YouTube, where you can go for landscape videos, TikTok is programmed for vertical videos. Since viewers don’t have to turn their phones sideways for a full screen, continuous scrolling is sustained.
Even without TikTok Shop, brands and content creators can reap the benefits of such a powerful platform, especially when they partner with experts.
TikTok Shop is an exciting development for brands and creators looking to tap into the platform’s massive user base. With the right strategies and tools, TikTok Shop can be a game-changer for your business. Whether you are a seller, creator, or affiliate, the potential for growth and revenue on TikTok Shop is immense. Partnering with a digital marketing agency like Trajital can help you navigate this new landscape and maximize your success on TikTok Shop.
Trajital Social Media Marketing Agency: Your TikTok Marketing Partner
Just months ago, TikTok postponed its plans to introduce TikTok Shop to the U.S. and mainland Europe, but now it’s here. And with the holiday shopping rush at full throttle, they have likely weighed their chances of succeeding well. So if you want to drive real business results on the platform where trends are born — partner with Trajital’s marketing experts.
Trajital’s experts executed search engine optimization, pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, and paid social media advertising. Thus, they set up retargeting and branded search campaigns with optimized spending, leveraging lookalike audiences.
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