What Is a TikTok Shop?

Ever since its launch in 2016, TikTok has excelled at adding new features to please its members. In this article, we’ll discuss the details of one special feature in particular: TikTok Shop.

After years of trials to create and divulge the perfect entrance to the eCommerce world, the app succeeded. Since launch, sales have grown rapidly, and expansion into the markets has proved effortless. So much so that TikTok users prefer to purchase products from influencers and brands versus going to in-person stores and waiting in line to checkout.

What does this fast-growing process mean for the future of TikTok Shop? It showcases just how important owning and operating a TikTok account with the Shop feature is for entrepreneur growth. This is why we found it extremely important to develop a blog prioritizing the topic.

In the following paragraphs, you’ll learn how TikTok Shop enables brands the positive power to showcase and sell products with little pressure and no stress. You’ll likely want to create your shop page by the end, if you haven’t already. So we’ll stop chatting in the introduction and get to the real meat of why you’re here, now. Are you ready?

Eligibility & Requirements to Open a Shop

The basic eligibility standards that TikTok users discover upon application include: 

• Applicants must be 18 years old.
• Applicants must be individual sellers or business sellers.
• Applicants must live in the U.S., U.K., or China.
• If you’re a U.S. citizen → Applicants must show proof of identity through a U.S. passport, U.S. driver’s license or legal U.S. residency paperwork.
• Government officials, politicians, and political parties cannot sell on TikTok Shop.

From there, the requirements get a bit more complex.

To physically set up shop in the TikTok app, you need to be relevant in at least one of the following four categories: 

• Sellers
• Creators
• Partners
• Affiliates 

For the sake of this article, we’ll focus on the seller’s viewpoint. We’ll briefly mention each of the others in a quick description. 

Creators cannot operate the Shop unless they have an account in good standing. They must also have at least 5,000 followers, be 18+ years of age, and follow the Community Guidelines. 

A TikTok shop partner cannot operate the Shop under normal circumstances, nor can an affiliate. They would be encouraged to apply to be a TikTok Shop Partner, where they can then provide professional e-commerce services to sellers and creators.

Getting Started with TikTok Shop

The sign-up process is simple enough to follow, as long as you’re eligible. Just follow our step-by-step guide: 

1. Step #1: If you’re reading this section, you’re probably a *Seller* on the TikTok app. You must head to the TikTok Seller Center and sign up as a merchant. You’ll need your phone number or email address to sign up. If you already have an account, the process will go smoother.
2. Step #2: Enter the verification processes. Here, you’ll need to confirm that you’re actually *you.* Verify your identity and all of your business information. This can include adding a Shop name and selecting whether you are a corporation or individually owned business. Documents may need to be uploaded as proof.
3. Step #3: After necessary documents are archived in the backend of TikTok, you’ll be able to input products for users to see and link up your bank account so that you can accept payments. If you exit this page, don’t worry. You can reassess it through the Seller Center and add new products in the app shop whenever you want. The Seller Center will also grant you access to manage inventory, orders, promotions, partnerships, and customer service.
4. Step #4: Now that the hard parts are out of the way, your last step would be to promote your shop. Though it’s not a requirement, it will grant your store positive marketing to increase sales. You can start by adding links to your products 

Note: You can only open one TikTok Shop per identity, so keep that in mind while filling in the details of your business.

Setting Up Your Shop with Shopify

In some regions, TikTok Shop integration is available. It allows you to access benefits like making sales through content and personal video marketing. All you have to do is follow these steps for your Shopify store, and you’ll be good to go: 

1. First, ensure your Shopify store is fully set up; this requires creating your own website.
2. From there, if you haven’t already, you’ll need to create a TikTok business account.
3. Then, you’ll want to install the TikTok for Shopify app from the Shopify App Store.
4. Easy enough, you’ll connect your TT to your Shopify Store once everything is properly downloaded.
5. And just like that, you can create video shopping ads using product photos and recordings. 

If you’re lucky enough to reside in an area that allows this integration, please take full advantage. Why? Because you’ll be able to manage your inventory, sales, and advertising across several platforms like Facebook, IG, and Etsy in the same place.

Promoting Your Products

To get the most engagement and draw users to your TikTok account for prospective purchasing, you’ll want to participate in TikTok shop ads and other forms of promotion. If you’re struggling to develop ideas that have proven beneficial, don’t worry. We have your back. Try some of these suggestions and watch the traffic pick up in no time: 

• Post creative videos and showcase your product efficiently. For example, if you’re a women-owned fashion brand, display carefully thought-out outfits on a live model and explain why the vibe works well.
• Engage directly with your followers by responding to comments, answering questions, and hosting LIVE events.
• Use relevant hashtags so that your brand becomes more visible.
• Share user-generated content to demonstrate how to use your products and include TikTok shopping links at the end of these videos.
• Ask outside influencers, affiliates, and creators to join in on your LIVES or to feature on one of your recordings.
• Sign up for TikTok ads and run special campaigns, like offering a valuable gift to new followers.
• Link all posts back to your product page in your bio so that you can steer traffic to the right location.

Tips for Success

The #1 tip we want to lead this section with is this: Provide users with the easiest, most efficient ways to shop your products. We’ve mentioned in previous paragraphs, but were going to outline five of the best ways you should take a deep dive into right here:

1. Live Shopping → The second your brand goes live, you must seize the opportunity to demo products and answer real-time questions. Encourage fans to purchase and test what you have to offer out. The second the LIVE ends, they can head to their shopping cart, enter their payment information, and checkout.
2. Shoppable Videos → You’ve seen them on your For You Page; they look like mini television commercials, either telling a story or showcasing a how-to video for use of a product. Presenting an option to shop like this makes it easy for your followers, especially considering they have valuable and credible content right in front of their eyes.
3. Product Showcase → Another easy way to shop your brand products through your TikTok account. Once set up properly, you must tap the shop shop tab display (the bag icon) to access your mini storefront. They’ll see your most popular sold items in just a few clicks. It’s so easy to use that some accounts will participate in a product showcase without developing their TT Shop.
4. Shoppable Ads → Powered by Shopify and relatively simple to navigate, shoppable ads are great for brands deemed ineligible to use the Shop feature. You must sync your product catalog with your Shopify app and create ad campaigns for users to see on the For You Page. Tag products in your video content and shoppers will automatically be redirected to your store for easy access purchase.
5. Shop Tab → Relatively recently, in 2023, TikTok decided to develop a “marketplace solution.” In app shopping touchpoints like this made it possible to shop, add to cart, and checkout in less than a minute. All consumers must do is tap the Shop Tab and have automatic access to browse products from creators around the app. Any category they prefer. Though it’s only available in select markets, the feature put TikTok ahead of other social media platforms in popularity. We would prioritize hopping aboard this suggestion.

FAQ

We feel like a few more categories should be covered before we send you off. So this is the general FAQ area of the article. Quick answers for necessary questions.

How can you be successful with TikTok Shop?

Outside of using our guided advice above, we do have a few additional, last minute tips to consider:

• Product pictures need to be attractive to consumers and clear. There should be no fuzziness or blurriness in the presentation.
• Keep your product titles 34 characters or less. That’ll show your audience you’re getting straight to the point in the headline.
• In the description, you can expand your vocabulary a little bit. Give details that the public would want to know about. But don’t butter them up or bore them into reading more than they must.
• Mix promotional videos with entertaining content. Many brands don’t do the 50/50; instead, they promote or entertain separately. If you combine the two in one video, you have a higher probability of securing sales.

Is your product catalog important?

100%. Your product catalog is the first thing people see when they head to your storefront in the shopping tab of your account. You don’t want it to look messy because customers won’t want to bother navigating the page. 

We recommend focusing on the page’s quality and style. Make sure you get clear images of your products, ones that entice the general public. At the same time, stay consistent with the aesthetic. If one item is photographed at an angle, don’t photograph another from a different angle. Catch our drift?

What are the best products to sell?

No one product category technically beats another. But if you want to make a living (or a lot of money) off of your brand, you’ll stick the popular items users tend to navigate towards:

• Clothing
• Accessories
• Beauty products
• Skin care products
• Phone cases
• Technological accessories
•  Home decor
• Health and wellness products
• Art and crafts supplies
• Toys
• Games
• Books  

Is it ok to mesh strategies from other social media accounts?

Combining your current strategy from Instagram with your new goals on TikTok can be detrimental. Especially if the two don’t get along. 

You see, TT is primarily about authenticity. Audience members want to see trending sounds, effects, and features in use. It’s what got them on the app in the first place. So as long as you’re “in” with what’s hot and new, you should be good. That may take a little bit of tweaking from IG or FB.

Conclusion

How many notes have you taken after reading this information-filled blog? If you’re an up-and-coming brand trying to make it big, we’re sure many of these tips and tricks have made sense to you. It’s all about implementing them into your strategy and utilizing all the neat features we discussed.

If you’re a guy or gal just trying to get your side hustle on, the options and suggestions above also positively affect your plans. 

What’s our suggestion for both groups of people? If you don’t have any of these ‘plays’ in motion yet, start slow so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Adding a new advertising sector or promotional effort will only help your reach and bring in more profit. So just think of it like that! And as always, good luck in your endeavors.