TikTok has seen explosive growth in recent years. Beyond fun hashtag challenges and viral music trends, TikTok also offers brands the opportunity to engage with their audience. Global brands know how important it is to capitalize on this global trend, as no other social media platform generates as much engagement from users as TikTok. Whether you’re a business owner selling your own products, an influencer monetizing your personal brand, or an affiliate partner working with businesses, TikTok is worth investing in. Let’s take a look at why TikTok is important for ecommerce brands, tips for maximizing your presence on the platform, and real-world examples of businesses that are finding success on TikTok.

What is TikTok E-Commerce?

TikTok eCommerce means selling products through the TikTok app. For this, you can switch to a business TikTok account and set up a TikTok store. Other ways to sell on TikTok include using video shopping ads or using affiliate programs to promote other brands’ products. TikTok can also be used as a marketing channel to drive sales for your online store.

Why should you use TikTok for your business?

If your business targets Gen Z, this group makes up the majority of TikTok users. But other demographics are also increasingly using TikTok. TikTok is known for its discoverability, and more consumers are coming to TikTok to find authentic reviews from their favorite creators. TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to buy a product they discovered on TikTok than on other social networks.

Benefits of TikTok for E-Commerce

TikTok is one of the biggest social commerce trends, and it’s expected to be an $80 billion industry in the U.S. by 2025. While the industry has been growing on its own, TikTok has made a unique and important contribution, particularly because of the way its users naturally engage in social shopping. Take, for example, the viral hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt , which has been viewed over 60 billion times since its inception (at the time of writing) and is used by consumers, partners, and brands to discover new products and engage with hot trends.

7 Ways to Increase Your Sales with TikTok

1. Instead of sales pitches, try using entertainment elements.
2. Aim for virality.
3. Set up a TikTok store where you can sell directly to your fans.
4. Use TikTok features to connect with your audience.
5. Partner with industry influencers.
6. Get more traction with TikTok ads or promoted posts.
7. Promote products and partners using affiliate links.

Now that you know how amazing TikTok is for your brand, it’s time to get into the swing of things. These tips will help you build your TikTok ecommerce strategy, create content, reach your target audience, and post TikTok videos that drive conversions.

1. Instead of sales pitches, try using entertainment elements.

Don’t recycle boring marketing content into TikTok. TikTok is a social media platform with its own “personality.” Invest time in understanding the platform’s characteristics and trends. Get to know what your audience is watching and talking about. Be sensitive to trends, including popular memes and hashtag challenges. TikTok users log in to learn, explore, and discover, but most of all, they want to be entertained.

The more fun and engaging your content is, the more likely you are to achieve TikTok virality with one or more posts. If your brand’s voice allows it, try a more playful approach. Skincare brand Habit uses TikTok’s trending sounds to create meme videos featuring their products.

2. Aim for virality

The ultimate goal of TikTok is to create viral content. Getting noticed almost always leads to a spike in sales, whether it’s a temporary spike or a sustained increase. If you’re lucky, you can achieve virality thanks to user-generated content (UGC). This is when users create content that includes your brand or product. You can encourage customers to post UGC by offering incentives, like discounts. A great example of UGC is the story of a catnip product called Cat Crack. A user posted a video of his cat going crazy over the product, which got over 20 million views. According to Junglescout , the post helped Cat Crack sell over 2,000 units in two days.

3. Set up a TikTok store where you can sell directly to your fans

If you run an online store, consider adding TikTok as a sales channel. Many social media platforms offer e-commerce features, and TikTok is no exception. You can set up a TikTok store with a business account and gain access to features like the profile shopping tab, live shopping, and paid advertising.

Creating video shopping ads is an effective ecommerce tool because it allows you to embed product links directly into engaging content. Setting up a TikTok store benefits ecommerce brands because the social media platform becomes a destination for product discovery and a starting point for trending products.

4. Use TikTok features to connect with your audience

TikTok has several features that allow you to connect directly with your viewers, learn more about them, and build more meaningful relationships.

One of them is the Q&A feature. This feature allows your audience to ask questions directly on your profile, in the comments section of your videos, or during TikTok LIVE. Let users ask questions about you, your brand, and specific products you offer or promote.

Two other community-building features are Stitch and Duet. Stitch lets you “stitch” another user’s video into your video. Duet plays another user’s video next to yours in a split-screen format. These tools have huge viral potential.

5. Partner with industry influencers

TikTok influencer marketing can be a huge help to your ecommerce store. There are tons of creators out there ready to work with brands, but make sure the influencers you choose and their following are aligned with your product. This will make your sponsored content feel authentic. A great place to start is TikTok’s Creator Marketplace . This is a “matching service” that helps brands find the right influencers. Here, you’ll find useful features like creator discovery, campaign management, and reporting.

There are many ways to work with influencers:

• TikTok video reviews of products
• Co-sponsored giveaway event
• Brand Acquisition for Business Accounts
• Ask influencers to drive their audience to your TikTok storefront

6. Get more traction with TikTok ads or promotional posts

Creating organic marketing content and building a following can take a lot of effort. If you have extra budget and need a boost to achieve your goals faster, TikTok ads or promoted posts are a great option. TikTok ads work similarly to ads on other social media platforms. Using the Shopify TikTok app, you can create campaigns with specific goals and create ads within them. Once your ads are live, you can use your Shopify dashboard to track and optimize their performance.

If you don’t want to invest in a full advertising campaign, you can promote individual posts. The Promote feature is relatively simple. Choose your budget and duration, and choose a few settings, such as whether you want more views, website visits, or followers.

7. Promote products and brands using affiliate links

Creating an affiliate program helps spread the word about your brand on TikTok by allowing other TikTok users to promote your products and earn a commission on their sales. On the other hand, affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money by promoting products and businesses that people like to buy and don’t have their own brand.

Examples of brands that have succeeded on TikTok

Want some expert inspiration? Here are three examples of ecommerce businesses that are finding success with TikTok marketing and generating sales on the video-sharing social network.

Contour Cube

This e-commerce phenomenon is helping brands get noticed. Sarah Forrai, founder of Contour Cube , used TikTok to promote and raise awareness for her facial contouring products. The brand’s TikTok account has nearly 200,000 followers and over 2.9 million likes. Within three months of launching the product on TikTok, Contour Cube was approached by major retailers like THE ICONIC, Uncommon Goods, and Dolls Kill. “TikTok has become our primary marketing platform, with over 30 million views to date, which is incredible for a startup like us,” says Sarah.

Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe takes a different approach to e-commerce on TikTok. The Korean natural skincare brand uses the Link in Bio tool to send followers to a curated collection of all their content.

This collection includes links to purchase products featured in Glow Recipe's videos, allowing your followers to purchase items directly from your website, as well as access other links that are important to your business.

GymShark

Challenges are one of the biggest trends on TikTok, and many brands are using them to gain UGC (user-generated content) and build their reputation in the TikTok community. One such brand is fitness brand GymShark . Their #gymshark66 challenge challenged users to transform their bodies in 66 days for a chance to win a free year’s supply of GymShark products. The challenge garnered over 45.5 million views, 1.9 million likes, and 12.5 million comments. Naturally, some of the participants were regular GymShark wearers. This engagement helped increase the brand’s exposure and maximize credibility and sales.

Now is the time to power TikTok e-commerce

As you build your TikTok strategy, have fun creating content. Build relationships with your audience and key influencers, and explore TikTok’s useful tools and features. If you can entertain and connect with your audience, you’re already on your way to growth.

TikTok FAQ for E-Commerce