TikTok eCommerce has transformed online shopping from “just browsing” into an interactive experience.
Using this dynamic social media platform to promote product discovery, customers can engage with brands on a more personal level. In this article, we’ll discover the realm of TikTok eCommerce, its impact, and its growing potential.
We’ll help you understand this buzzing trend to see how you can use it as an opportunity to grow your brand.
- TikTok ecommerce is disrupting the landscape of online shopping by adding an interactive and entertaining dimension to it
- There are many unique benefits of the platform that can help brands build a robust presence and sell natively
- Many brands, such as Glow Recipe and Gymshark, have found success on the platform by harnessing TikTok’s potential
- With so many practical methods, like understanding watch metrics and leveraging promotional campaigns, brands can maximize the potential of their account
What is the TikTok eCommerce Platform?
TikTok is a social media app that is widely associated with short-form, engaging videos that capture hilarious, outrageous, or emotional moments.
It brings all sorts of entertainment to the fingertips of users and allows anybody to discover and create videos using filters, effects, music, and more.
It’s a highly interactive app that allows users to follow their favorite creators and engage through likes, comments, shares, and, more recently – TikTok Shop. Although released in 2016, it still remained the top mobile app by downloads in 2022.
What is the TikTok Shop?
That’s right – TikTok isn’t just about viral dance challenges and quick laughs. The app has now ventured into the eCommerce domain and opened up a new door for brands and sellers.
The feature allows businesses to create their own shopping tab on their TikTok profile and showcase their products right within the platform.
That means a much shorter eCommerce customer journey when users go from seeing a product they like to trying to make a purchase.
In this way, TikTok has made the app an all-in-one place where potential customers can both discover and buy products. There are three native ways to shop, including:
- Live shopping: Users can shop directly from a LIVE by tapping on a pinned product or browsing the shopping basket icon that displays what’s being shown.
- Shoppable videos: Users can also shop from shoppable in-feed videos by tapping the product link and basket icon.
- Product showcase: Users can shop directly from a creator or brand account and get access to products within the TikTok app.
According to TikTok, 62% of weekly app users have engaged in eCommerce activity on TikTok.
Source: TikTok
Why TikTok is Good for eCommerce
Here are some reasons why TikTok can be a great opportunity for small businesses looking to amplify their online sales:
1. You’ll Increase Sales
TikTok’s easily accessible ‘Shop Now’ feature integrates entertainment, discovery, and shopping, which increases the probability of sales. Viewers can instantly click on embedded CTAs within LIVEs and videos and purchase the product on display without leaving the platform.
Moreover, with TikTok surpassing all social media platforms in time spent with an average daily time of 95 minutes (higher than YouTube, at 74 minutes), brands can take advantage of this high chance of product discovery.
2. You’ll Boost Your SEO Strategy
Having a dominant presence on a high-authority platform like TikTok can improve your brand’s search engine rankings. As the app’s algorithm encourages content virality, there’s a higher chance of visibility for your product pages.
Positioning your brand through user-generated content, like hashtag campaigns, can help fuel that interest and lead potential customers to get curious via search engines.
3. You’ll Reach a Whole New Audience
With the majority of TikTok’s 1.7 billion users being between the ages of 18 and 34, you’ll not only have access to a large audience in general but one with a lot of buying power.
These users are typically highly active on social media and have the ability to shape future eCommerce trends.
Is Selling on TikTok Shop Worth It?
Selling on TikTok Shop certainly has the potential to boost your brand, but it can depend on your audience, business type, and whether you’re able to create consistently engaging content.
TikTok can help provide exposure to a massive global user base that is looking to engage and interact. Brands can leverage this to form stronger bonds with potential customers and encourage a sense of loyalty.
The app also has a deep focus on viral content, which means even the smallest of businesses have the potential to make a huge impact. And, of course, the native shopping experience means an effortless transition from product discovery to purchase for a smooth buying process.
On the other hand, using TikTok Shop might not be worth it for products targeting older age groups or businesses that don’t have the means to constantly create video content.
More traditional-leaning businesses might also not know how to navigate the competition or the unpredictability and inconsistency that come with a platform centered around viral content.
How to Boost Your Brand with a TikTok Account
Explain to the reader that before selling products on TikTok, they need to grow their brand and earn followers. Discuss the following tips:
1. Invest in Video Shopping Ads
While we’ve discussed the three native ways to shop, TikTok also offers a range of ad options designed to promote shopping.
One of these is the short video In-Feed TikTok Ads that blend in with a user’s content feed, which provides a non-disruptive ad experience. With clickable CTA, viewers can click straight through to your online store.
Source: TechCrunch
2. Use Hashtags
Hashtags have been around forever, and they’ve stood the test of time as they can still significantly influence your brand recognition.
Participating in trending hashtag challenges or producing relevant content to trending hashtags can both encourage user engagement and get your content out there.
On the TikTok Creative Center, you can see what hashtags are trending in specific countries over the past 7, 30, and 100 days.
Source: TikTok
3. Partner with Creators and Influencers
Especially if your brand isn’t established yet, collaborating with creators or influencers who have already amassed a dedicated following can help enhance your eCommerce branding.
These influencers can broadcast your products to their followers and give a personalized endorsement of your products to foster trust and credibility for your brand. Whether it’s through a collaborative video or a complete brand takeover, it’s an excellent medium to reach more customers.
Source: Campaign
TikTok eCommerce Strategies for Ultimate Success
Growing your brand on TikTok involves a lot more than just creating an account and posting eye-catching content. You’ll want to have a foolproof strategy that involves an understanding of the platform, generating on-trend content, and proactively interacting with the TikTok community.
Once you’ve worked on creating a loyal audience, you can start transforming fans into eCommerce buyers. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Understand Watch Metrics
Watch metrics give you an idea of how viewers interact with your content. You can identify what content resonates with your audience most, the best times to post on TikTok, and the kind of content that gives you maximum engagement.
2. Include Product Links
Adding product links in your video captions or bio can seamlessly direct your audience right to the purchase point, from viewing to buying.
3. Enroll in an Affiliate Program
Joining an affiliate program and promoting products from other businesses can give your income a boost on TikTok. This will let you earn a commission for each sale they make through your referral, which can bolster your income from selling your own products.
4. Utilize TikTok Shopping Features
TikTok has a range of native shopping features for showcasing your products – so why not use these to your advantage? Be sure to make the shopping quick and easy for users.
5. Build Promotional Campaigns
Promotional campaigns like challenges, discounts, and giveaways can drive engagement and bring in users to your TikTok shop.
6. Make Use of Sharing
Encourage your followers to share your content to expand your reach on the TikTok ecommerce platform. The more your content is shared, the more potential it’ll have to go viral and foster wider brand recognition.
Successful TikTok eCommerce Examples
Many businesses have turned viewers into customers, serving as a testament to the potential of TikTok eCommerce. As you become more familiar with the tips and tricks at hand, let’s also take a look at some success stories.
These brands managed to master the art of TikTok eCommerce and used the platform to their advantage.
1. Contour Cube
Contour Cube is an ice facial tool designed in Australia that first appeared on the popular show Shark Tank. The brand capitalized on its success by posting down-to-earth, relatable videos of the creators using the product and their journey from product vision to their appearance on the show.
By further separating their videos into playlists, TikTok users can explore their story, the benefits of the product, and even appealing recipes they can use to get that natural facelift.
Not only that, but they’re extremely active on the platform, using hashtags and replying to comments in an authentic, friendly way.
2. Glow Recipe
The key to Glow Recipe’s success has been their ability to foster a sense of community. The skincare brand has earned an impressive 870k+ follower count with their skincare tutorials, product launches, and user-generated content.
The brand consistently engages with their followers through comments and regularly showcases real customers using and loving their products. They also use relevant language and formatting to resonate with their target audience.
3. Gymshark
With a whopping 5.1 million followers, Gymshark has clearly made a name for themselves on TikTok.
This fitness apparel brand mastered the TikTok algorithm by creating content that resonates deeply with their target audience. Rather than overt promotional content, Gymshark instead posts inspirational and relatable fitness content.
Final Word: Is TikTok eCommerce Right For You?
Innovative and dynamic, TikTok eCommerce is an incredible avenue to boost your online sales. If you’re looking for a vibrant platform where you can connect with users and create dynamic content and one with native shopping, TikTok might just be for you.
So, consider these insights, review your strategies, and decide whether this avenue is the right fit for your small business.
Next Steps: What Now?
- Learn How to Make Money on TikTok
- Find out How to Use TikTok for Business Growth and Personal Branding
- Go through the steps on How to Create an Online Store
- Get started with the Best eCommerce Platforms
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