Marketplaces
How to Get Started with Selling on TikTok Shop (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Written by Clare Dyckhoff
From the latest fashion trends to sourcing the latest news, TikTok is capturing the attention, time, and wallets of users all round the world. Thanks to its varied content aimed to inspire, educate or entertain, it comes as no surprise that TikTok is now one of the most downloaded apps in the world.
For SMEs looking to diversify their marketing strategy, TikTok Shop can help businesses reach new audiences fast and accelerate business growth. And with TikTok generating 65 million U.S. dollars during the last measure quarter in 2023 on iOS in the U.S. alone, it is no wonder that businesses are looking into the benefits of TikTok Shop and how to go about selling there.
With “TikTok made me buy it!” becoming a regularly uttered phrase, TikTok has not only developed how users consume content and what they enjoy seeing, but also how brands can creatively entice customers to buy their product.
As we recently took you through why you should consider selling on TikTok Shop, in this guide we will introduce you to how to start selling on TikTok Shop, covering:
What is TikTok shop?
The different types of TikTok shop
Step-by-step process to selling on TikTok Shop
Tips to generate more sales
What is TikTok shop?
With over a billion active users, TikTok is renowned for having a dedicated customer base and there is no indication of that changing any time soon. TikTok shop is therefore designed to bring brands closer together with creators and audiences.
The power of TikTok Shop is the marrying of entertainment and relatable shopping content which can encourage users to purchase as they scroll.
With respected and admired creators on TikTok and engaged communities already in existence, businesses have used TikTok Shop to tap into new audiences and reach more customers.
The all-in-app experience means users are not redirected to other websites or apps, which helps increase conversion and sales.
By selling on TikTok Shop, you also get access to direct creators to collaborate with via their affiliate programme, access to the platform campaigns and promotion tools as well as performance, traffic, transactions, and review analytics in the data dashboards.
The For You Page journey to check-out is secure for customers and order management, support, and post-sale management is provided to help scale the business as you desire.
The power of TikTok shop is that it feels like native purchasing for users. By staying in the app and not being taken to another website or app, users can have a consistent experience when it comes to purchasing.
We have all experienced websites with clunky adverts that take up the whole screen, or jarring adverts we do not want to see when looking on Instagram.
So, the TikTok way is to provide purchase options in the most natural in-stream way possible for users, which boosts the chances of conversion for sellers.
60% of users on TikTok are GenZ, and for a generation who have grown up alongside digital platforms and are armed with strong digital knowledge and expertise, a smooth journey that will keep them on the platform is essential.
The different types of TikTok shop
There are four different types of ways to buy on TikTok shop. Let’s go into each in a bit more detail.
Image credit: TikTok Shop
Live shopping
The first type of shopping experience is Live Shopping. This is where businesses can promote, sell, and engage with your audience in real time.
Users can shop directly from a LIVE by tapping the pinned products, or by browsing the shopping basket icon. 1 in 4 TikTok users are interested in buying from TikTok LIVE as they get to see the product in real time and not just images of it.
Top Tip! Social Pilot data found that the best time to go LIVE on TikTok was between 6-11am or 7-11pm. The best days of the week tend to be Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Shoppable videos
Another way to sell products on TikTok is to tag the products in TikTok videos.
You can post videos with close ups of your products (e.g. if you are a beauty or makeup business) and users can click through the tagged products to learn more.
Similar to the LIVE, this is another in-app experience where they do not even need to leave their feed.
Top tip! Use trending hashtags and popular music to boost your video’s chance for success.
Store page
This is where you can list all your products in your own in-app shop. You can customize your store page with your branding to provide customers with a coherent and consistent experience of your brand.
Shop Tab
The final selling method is on the Shop Tab - a marketplace within TikTok where users can discover and purchase products all within the app. By heading to the Shop Tab, TikTok users can find your products, shoppable content, and any promotion campaigns.
Selling on TikTok Shop may still be a newer way for businesses to try and market to customers, but the benefits of the in-app experience and building a community as well as selling products, is ideal for brands looking to grow their customer base and audience.
Step-by-Step Process to Selling on TikTok
STEP 1: Get familiar with TikTok Shop
Before listing any products on TikTok it is important to familiarize yourself with TikTok Shop, its features, and how it works.
Of all the social platforms, it has been reported that TikTok users are most susceptible to impulse-buying, which could explain how in 2023, an estimated 37% of TikTok users in the U.S. made purchases either through links on the app or directly on the platform.
Before you upload anything, check that you meet TikTok’s requirements.
These include:
Having a TikTok Business Account (you can switch your personal account to a business account in your settings)
Being based in a TikTok Shop supported location
Ensuring your products comply with TikTok’s commerce policies
Having a verified account (to help instill trust and authority in users)
STEP 2: Clarify and confirm your target audience
Now you know you are eligible to sell on TikTok, it is time to clarify your target audience.
TikTok has power in its communities and audiences, so you want to think about which of these might be right for your business and your products before you think about creating content for them.
STEP 3: Develop Your Product Line
Once you know who you want to target on TikTok and the size of the opportunity, decide what products you want to sell on TikTok Shop.
Once you have a target audience in mind, it is essential to make sure that your products align with them. Alongside any LIVE videos you might be looking to run, make sure they and the product imagery are high-quality to attract customers.
Further reading: Ecommerce Retailers Guide to Private Label Products and White Label vs Private Label: Which One is Best for Ecommerce
STEP 4: Create a TikTok Account:
If you did not create an account when familiarizing yourself with TikTok, now is the time to download the TikTok app and create an account.
When you sign up, be sure to set it up as a business account if you plan to sell products. Do not worry if you have got an account already that is not a Business account - you can switch this in the Settings.
STEP 5: Set Up Your Store
Now you are all logged in and up and running on TikTok, it is time to set up your store!
Head to TikTok Shop Setup
Go to your TikTik Business Account
Click “Settings” and find “TikTok Shop”
Once here you will need to set up your shop:
Enter your business details, name, address, and contact information
Upload your product listings - you can do this manually or import from your connected e-commerce platform. Upload product listings, descriptions, prices, and images and utilize hashtags and trends when uploading. Using trending and relevant hashtags helps attract more viewers and potential customers to your store.
Design your shop to reflect your brand identity.
STEP 6: Integrate with other platforms
This is the step where you may want to integrate with 3PLs or set up with Shopify, where you can sync products and manage orders in the Shopify dashboard.
Veeqo may be known for our shipping software and inventory management system, but did you know you can also integrate your TikTok Shop with Veeqo's Partner, Patchworks too? You can then manage your TikTok Shop alongside your Shopify, Amazon, Walmart and eBay accounts in the same dashboard.
While TikTok brings the creativity and inspiration to encourage users to buy on the platform, Veeqo streamlines the inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipping behind the scenes in other areas of your business.
Further reading on shipping rates and our analytics and forecasting and Why You Should Use Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment
STEP 7: Create Compelling Content
Once you know your audience and the products you want to sell, create engaging content that showcases your products in action. TikTok has a whole host of creative tools such as effects, filters, and music to make your videos stand out from the crowd.
STEP 8: Engage with Your Audience
Once your audience is invested in your content and like what they see, engaging with them is the best way to create a strong rapport and generate trust and loyalty.
By providing excellent customer service, actively and promptly responding to comments, messages, and inquiries from potential customers, you can help encourage repeat and word-of-mouth purchases.
STEP 9: Monitor Performance and Iterate
TikTok have their own Analytics Tools so you can regularly monitor the performance of your TikTok Shop, depending on what your business is most focused on.
You can dive into the data to see what views, engagement, and sales you have made.
By using this data you can go on to find what is working well, what products you need to ship more, and which areas need a bit of improvement.
Tips to generate more sales on TikTok shop
Have a clear and thought out game plan on who to target, when to target, and what with
Partner with influencers to increase the reach of your brand and find new communities and potential customers
Optimize your TikTok Shop to harness the power of relevant, trending hashtags and viral music
Use clear CTAs to encourage purchasing and sharing
Promote Your TikTok Shop: Share your TikTok Shop content across other social media platforms to reach a broader audience or look to run TikTok Ads to expand your reach
While a lot of businesses focus on logistics and strategy such as expansion and which insurance they need, by combining creativity with data, commerce with curiosity, TikTok is changing the way users scroll, interact, and buy online. Now is the time to explore more because maybe your product will be mentioned in the next “TikTok made me buy it!” overview.
Manage your TikTok orders with your other multichannel orders
While full TikTok integration isn’t yet available in Veeqo (watch this space!), you can still sign-up to Veeqo for free and use our open API If you want control over your inventory, shipping and customer satisfaction. Alternatively you can use our partner, Patchworks’, TikTok Shop x Veeqo integration.
Sign-up to Veeqo now, and use our partner Patchworks to connect your TikTok store.
