TikTok isn’t just known as a fun and quirky video platform anymore. Users are seizing the opportunity to make money through TikTok Shop, the latest marketplace for Gen Z. You’ve probably come across TikTok Shop ads on your For You Page and thought about how to sell on TikTok. Is it as easy as sharing a product link in your video?
Unfortunately not.
Truly excelling and making sales on TikTok Shop centers around posting great content that grabs the attention of users. Just like selling products on an online store, finding success on TikTok requires a marketing strategy. This will help you enhance your videos.
Check out our detailed guide for assistance in navigating how to sell on TikTok. We’ll provide valuable tips for promoting your products effectively. We’re also showcasing some success stories of thriving businesses on TikTok Shop.
What Is TikTok Shop?
An extension of the TikTok Platform, the TikTok shop allows users to buy products that interest them. What makes it different from other social media sites like Instagram? You never need to leave the app. Spend longer than 10 minutes on your FYP, and you’ll see ads. They’re either tagged by your favorite creators or paid. By selling on the platform, you can capture more active users than any other social media site, including Instagram.
TikTok shop was added to the platform in late 2022. Since then, over 70% of users have bought something from their feeds. There are over 1 billion users on TikTok – you do the math!
How to Access TikTok Shop
Here’s how to access TikTok Shop so you can start selling.
Buyers should navigate to the top of the app and switch from “For You” to “Shop.” Input a search query to find a product or browse categories like:
- Beauty
- Health & Personal Care
- Home & Garden
- Sports & Travel
- Food & Drink
TikTok will tailor the categories that are visible to you. It will use what you like to watch on the platform, so it’s simpler to find products you like.
Sellers need their own shop account to get started with selling products to users.
How To Sell on TikTok
Ready to learn how to sell products on TikTok shop but don’t know where to start? Follow our quick seller guide. Let’s get started!
1. Set up Your TikTok Shop Account
Selling on TikTok is only possible if you have a TikTok shop account. You can set this up as either an individual or a business.
To set up as you, all you need to do is
- Download TikTok and create an account (if you haven’t already)
- Got to your profile
- Click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner.
- Choose “Manage Account”
- Switch your profile to a business account.
To sell as a business, you should:
- Visit the TikTok Shop Seller Center and sign up with your business details
- Input documents like business registration and tax information to prove you’re legitimate.
2. Create a Shop Profile
As you learn how to sell stuff on TikTok shop, you need to create your own shop profile.
Shop profiles are the first thing users see when they click on a product and look for more information. Make sure you add a profile picture and a punchy bio that encourages users to browse your shop. Configure your payment settings and shipping so users can easily buy from you.
3. Add Products to TikTok Shop
You’ve set up your TikTok shop. Now, you can start to put out your products for the world to see.
To add products to your TikTok shop, click “add product” and fill in a title. Then, it will prompt you to fill out a description, price, images, and other relevant info. As you launch, add hashtags to make your listing more discoverable on the For You page.
4. Promote Your Products on TikTok
Promoting your products so they reach the right people is the difference between success and failure. The two ways to do this are through organic promotion and paid promotion.
Organic promotion is free. All you need to do is post videos featuring your products. Then, take advantage of the TikTok algorithm to boost your video views. Think trending sounds, stitches, challenges, and hashtags—pay attention to what users are looking at and make your own version.
Paid promotion is (of course) paid. Do you have a social media marketing budget and want to get your products a lot of visibility quickly? Paying for ads is a great first step. There are two ways to do this. You can pay for targeted ads on TikTok or link your product page to your video.
Larger businesses may want to pay TikTok influencers to advertise their products. Users who have more followers than the business can push their products to a new audience. Influencers will garner more sales and views.
Stay tuned for more advice on marketing your TikTok products. We’ll cover this in more depth later.
5. Manage Your Orders
You’ve officially learned how to sell on TikTok shop and listed your products, making your first sale! Congrats – it’s time to manage your order.
Check the Seller Center to see how many orders you have and where they’re shipping to. Do this quickly—TikTok users expect their deliveries to be fast. Buyers need to be able to reach you if things go wrong, so list contact info for order queries. That way, you can start to build a loyal customer base.
3 Tips for Marketing Your Products on TikTok
Marketing your products is essential to making sales, including on TikTok. Luckily, the platform’s video content format offers great opportunities to get creative with your marketing. Gen Z dominates TikTok, with 67% of users between 18 and 19 and 56% between 20 and 29. We know that younger audiences prefer influencer marketing from down-to-earth users—more than half trust influencers over traditional celebrities.
With all that in mind, here are three tips for marketing your products on TikTok.
1. Create Video Content That Draws in an Audience
If you’re already selling products on other platforms, think about your current audience. How old are they, and how do they like to be marketed to? This will form the basis of your video content.
Examples of video content that works include:
Funny TikToks with personality: Airline Ryanair does this perfectly, posting skits poking fun at themselves and their customers. They currently have 2.2 million followers, with their most viewed video at 14.5 million. Clearly, their videos work.
Informative videos: Gymshark, a fitness giant, has a big following over TikTok. This is mainly because they combine relatable and informative videos about gym life. Right now, the brand has 5.5 million followers.
Product tutorials: One way to draw in an audience is to provide tutorials on your products. Fenty Beauty does this perfectly, partnering with beauty influencers to showcase new and upcoming makeup products. With over 2.9 million followers, they have a large following.
TikTok trends: To boost your chances of going viral, try posting trending, user-generated content. This could include stitches in other videos, like the Store Bought Pesto stitch. This saw thousands of users, including celebrities and brands, share their wildest stories. Other trends include using filters and popular sounds.
2. Optimize Your Product Listings
The same rules apply to listing products on TikTok as they do on e-commerce platforms. You need to:
Create punchy titles that include your product’s keyword.
Forget drawn-out titles like:
“A shiny kitchen utensil set including everything you need, like spatulas, whisks, spoons, and tongs, made of durable steel.”
This title is:
- Too long
- Has way too much detail
- Isn’t focused
- It isn’t very catchy.
Instead, write titles like:
“Premium Kitchen Set: 10-Piece Non-Stick Utensils for Home Chefs“
Unlike the other, boring title, this one:
- It’s short and easy to read.
- Gets straight to the point.
- Includes the keyword “kitchen set.”
Use attractive images and videos of your products in your listing
TikTok is a visual app. Avoid losing to competitors by posting multiple videos and photos of your product. Add tutorials on how to use it. Don’t skimp out on your visuals; use at least five images of your product from different angles.
Write detailed product descriptions.
Product descriptions are where you really sell your product. Start by describing what your product is for, and then move on to physical product details like dimensions and materials. Try to include your keywords in this section. TikTok uses an AI algorithm to rank your content based on keywords, so include as many as you can!
3. Take Advantage of Influencer Marketing
Influencers and content creators dominate the TikTok market. Impressively, 61% of marketers use TikTok for business and adopt influencer marketing tactics. One reason? Gen Z makes up the majority of the platform’s user base. To get your product catalog out there to the right people, we recommend hiring an influencer. They can market to their following on your behalf.
TikTok influencers not only understand how to make a viral video better than you or I. They also already have a loyal following. It’s also easy to market your products—all they need to do is include product links in their video.
Some TikTok Shop Success Stories…
Marketing your products on a new platform is daunting—we get it. However, with a little perseverance and the tips and tricks in this article, you can generate TikTok sales.
Still feeling uninspired?
Here are some TikTok shop success stories.
1. Noble Leather Co
Kyle Hinds started his small business, Noble Leather Co., back in 2018 and now has over 1.5 million followers on TikTok. How did he do it?
He took advantage of viral TikTok trends like ASMR and Oddly Satisfying videos to help him go viral. Kyle even has his own hashtag now—-#LeatherTok.
2. Enchanted Scrunch
Enchanted Scrunch started out as a passion project for TikTok user Dasha Derkach, who loved designing different scrunchie styles. After one of her videos reached 15k views, orders slowly started coming in—and never stopped!
After posting a viral video with over 3 million views, Derkarch now gets over 500 orders every single week. She’s found sustainable success on the platform. Go, Dasha!
3. Peachy BBs Slime
Slime shops aren’t unique on TikTok, but Peach BBs Slime still stands out as the largest one. Currently, the account has over 6 million followers. So, what makes Peachy BBs Slime different from the rest?
Andrea, the store owner, takes the time to show her followers how to make slime with satisfying videos. She experiments with new colors and textures suggested by her audience. Peachy BB Slime fans are loyal – every single slime drop sells out in minutes.
Boost Your TikTok Product Sales With snsflow.com
Still, wondering how to sell on TikTok? Well, you need to build a following, which can take time and effort. Users are also more likely to click that follow button if they see you already have a user base. That’s where snsflow.com can help.
With us, you can buy followers for your TikTok page. You don’t have to wait for an audience to come to you. The best part? Once you’ve paid, we’ll immediately start boosting your TikTok account, attracting new likes and followers within minutes.
Ready to start seeing results on your TikTok page? Discover the power of snsflow.com and increase your follower count today.
