TikTok is rife with creators, influencers, brands, businesses, and giant corporations – all sharing platform space with private users and groups of friends.
While the platform itself is the perfect place from which to launch marketing and advertising campaigns, one of the standout new features on TikTok is the in-app shop. This supports the launch, marketing, and ultimate sale of countless products that range from household goods and trending beauty products to fashionable accessories and more.
In this article, we’re sharing advice and tips on how to really succeed when it comes to TikTok selling – with a practical guide on using the shopping feature, and broader advice relating to marketing and connecting with the right community.
What is TikTok Shop?
On the TikTok app, you might have noticed that one of the five key action buttons along the bottom of the screen is the ‘Shop’ icon.
Clicking on this will take you through to a form of online storefront, where you can browse, order, complete purchases, and message sellers directly – all without leaving the app.
The benefit of the TikTok shop for sellers is that this streamlines the process for buyers and customers. Rather than marketing to them on social and then trying to push them towards a brand website to complete a purchase, TikTok shop becomes an all-in-one solution that connects your TikTok profile to a shop front.
To get set up on TikTok shop, follow these steps…
- Head to your profile and click on the menu button, indicated by the three horizontal lines in the top right hand corner of the screen
- Select ‘Creator Tools’ then ‘TikTok Shop for Seller’
- You will be asked to register for a seller account, and complete a sign up process
Once live, customers can discover your products directly through the Shop tab and their own searches, or through your marketing and showcasing of products in your TikTok posts. You might also be able to connect with influencers and creators to help marketing your TikTok shop and boost growth even more.
Why Use TikTok Shop
If you’re reading this and wondering why you should use TikTok shop when you already have a perfectly good website of your own, here are just a few key benefits of the TikTok shop integration.
- It has become incredibly popular. As in, TikTok shopping has become the go-to for trends in virtually every retail industry. It has over 1 billion active monthly users, with the average daily use coming out at over an hour per day per user.
- It’s seamless and will integrate with your chosen payment provider and backend set-up.
- You don’t need to throw lots of budget into it – instead leveraging your own marketing activity on TikTok.
Interested? Keep reading for our tips on how to make TikTok shopping work for you.
Tips to Sell More on TikTok
Now that you know a little more about the TikTok shop feature, it’s time for a few tips on making sure that you are attracting the right audience and customers on the app.
1. Find a Niche on TikTok
This is a tip that applies to creators as well as retailers and businesses, as the right niche can catapult your profile to success – crucially, among the right audience.
In order to sell effectively, you need to work out who you are trying to sell to – and then create both product listings and marketing content which speak directly to that audience. The more niche you can be, the lower the competition and the more prominent you will become as a credible and authentic source of information.
2. Switch to a Business Account
A business account gives you more control over insights and also allows you to integrate your ecommerce shop into your TikTok profile. If you don’t have a business account, you cannot sell directly on TikTok.
Other benefits of business accounts for users, especially busy business owners and retailers that want to promote and boost sales, include the fact that TikTok Business can be linked with scheduling and third party apps, the additional verification that TikTok enables, access to the Promote feature, and the ability to add a link to your profile bio.
3. Get Creative
TikTok is, as we have already covered, incredibly well regarded in the world of retail – and is making waves in virtually every industry and market.
What this means is that in order to successfully sell on TikTok, you need to get creative. Only through creative content will your products stand out and “go viral” against the competitors.
TOP TIP: It’s important to not be too overly sales-y in your posts and TikTok content, but rather harness the power of disruptive and playful content which indirectly introduces and showcases your products.
4. Create a Seamless Journey For Customers
By this we mean not only ensuring that your TikTok is delivering great content, but also that the content you share is tagged with the products on display and being showcased.
Tagging items in your videos is a really easy way of driving traffic and your existing following towards your TikTok shop. It’s like product placement, directly benefitting your own retail business!
5. Work With Influencers
Influencer marketing is big business on TikTok – as it is across virtually every social media platform. When you work with other creators and influencers, you can leverage the power of their following and their influencer over a specific group of users and customers and drive those followers towards your products.
When choosing an influencer to work with, it’s important to find one that operates in the same niche / sector as you, to be sure that they are reaching out to the same audience as your target customer.
6. Always Emphasise UGC
UGC stands for User Generated Content – and is a powerful form of content that can push your brand or profile to great heights through the words of your followers and customers.
When it comes to selling and buying, customers only really trust the views and opinions of other customers like them. They recognise marketing for what it is – while UGC gives them a realistic view of what real customers think about the product.
That’s why the more you can do to promote reviews, testimonials, and user videos that showcase your products, the better.
Some other examples of UGC include dance videos or challenges, trending video concepts which follow a format created by you, and TikTok’s which use a specific branded filter.
7. Use The Promote Tool
The Promote Tool is available to business accounts and can help to push a TikTok post to a broader audience – using custom demographics and your choice of call to action.
Using this can help to boost visibility of your profile, which in turn is good for business and for your TikTok shop.
And there we have it! A comprehensive overview of what the TikTok shop feature is, why you should be using it, and how to maximise the impact of your shop on the platform. We hope this article has helped you to recognise the value of TikTok for retailers and businesses, and embrace it as part of your own marketing strategy.
