The Beginners guide to TikTok Shop

TikTok Shop was made available in the UK in 2021 and was introduced as a way for TikTok users to buy products without having to leave the app. Although this enhanced user experience and gave TikTok more control over eCommerce on the app, it also provided a more secure way for both customers and sellers to do business on the app.

The announcement of the pilot test of TikTok Shopping was actually just after TikTok partnered with Shopify and the two companies worked together closely on revolutionising social media shopping. The partnership involved integrations with the Shopify Dashboard which allowed sellers to sell directly on TikTok and provided easier marketing capabilities.

The Shopify integration and development project was followed by the launch of the TikTok Shop and this allowed other users to sell directly on TikTok with Shopify still processing the transactions. This means if you currently sell your products on Shopify then integrating TikTok as a social channel is seamless.

Learn more about the benefits of using Shopify >

As the inspiration for other platforms shifting to short-form content, the source of some of the biggest trends in social media and a rapidly expanding user base; it would be quicker for us to list the reasons to not sell your products on TikTok.

In addition to the ease of reaching a wider audience due to the actual algorithm, there are numerous eCommerce benefits of selling on TikTok.

One of the most interesting developments in the emergence of TikTok Shopping was a shift from younger audiences who started using the platform as a search engine for products instead of the more traditional information search channels like Google and Amazon.

There is also a lot of potential to market your products and drive traffic to your TikTok Shop page as they introduced TikTok advertising 6 months after the launch of the app. TikTok advertising has a range of ad options and can be very effective more viral marketing such as brand takeovers and branded effects ads.

It is also gives you more control over your branding with innovative and effective ways of engaging more with audiences. In comparison, other social media shops just don’t have the same capability for running broad, exciting and relatable marketing campaigns.

If you don’t have a budget for paid advertising, then you can still rely on TikTok’s advanced algorithm to get your brand in front of more eyes. All you need to do is post captivating, engaging, and unique content that communicates the value of your products simply while also maintaining the ‘wow factor’ needed for the nature of short-form content.

Selling your products on TikTok is a relatively straightforward process, TikTok Shop lets merchants, brands and creators sell their products easily on the app. Brands can make use of a wider range of tools such as the brand takeover and branded effects ads mentioned earlier. Sellers and creators can sell their products through in-feed videos, live videos, and product showcases.

Please note, creators will need a good account history with a certain amount of followers, views and recent activity. You also need to be at least 18 years old to sell products on TikTok. TikTok also has an affiliate and partnership scheme which allows you to get in on the TikTok Shop action even if you aren’t selling your own products.

If you are a seller, then you can register yourself with a TikTok Seller Account and follow the easy 3 step process of verifying your documents, adding your products, and connecting your bank account.

As mentioned earlier, if you currently sell on Shopify then integrating your products into a TikTok shop page is very straightforward and the other features available for Shopify users make marketing your products even easier.

TikTok Shop has a lot of potential for viral marketing because it the perfect platform for content marketing when it comes to products. If you can’t communicate the value of your products in a 5 second video, with a brand takeover or through a cool branded hashtag then TikTok isn’t the platform for your product.

There are multiple ways you can optimise your TikTok Account to make sure you’re getting the most of your social media marketing efforts including:

• Making interesting and relevant content
• Jumping on trends
• Exploit TikTok SEO

Make sure your content is interesting, unique and your products are reaching the right audiences. Try and make your content engaging by incorporating humour or something will prompt people to stop scrolling if it is an in-feed video.

TikTok, although similar to its predecessor Musical.ly and other apps like Vine, completely changed how so many people consumer content by focusing on short-form content by also incorporating music clips and emphasising the latest trends (no matter how silly some of them are).

As a creator and seller, you need to take advantage of this by using trending song clips, hashtags, topics, and other viral content. This all helps to improve your TikTok SEO, linking your account to relevant hashtags, trends, and sounds improves your visibility within your target market.

Another way to make use of the nature of the platforms is to utilise its affiliate and partnership programme by working with popular influencers who can help push your brand.

If you need more tips on growing your TikTok Shop then the platform has provided multiple resources that include loads of tips and tricks for selling more products like TikTok Shop University

Now that you have a good idea of how to set-up your TikTok Shop, promote your products through TikTok and create content engaging content; you’ll need to consider e-commerce fulfilment and how you are actually going to ship products.

Our integrated warehouse management system and skilled team collaborate to provide reliable, fast and transparent order fulfilment. We can help you scale you TikTok Shop but providing you with easy and exemplary order fulfilment solutions.

Our online platform, Mintsoft, integrates with over 50 popular e-commerce and courier platforms, uniting all your online fulfilment aspects on one system. It supports both Shopify and WooCommerce and many other popular platforms. Therefore, if you sell on Shopify then you will be able to easily integrate with both TikTok Shop and our platform.

Get in touch with a member of the team today for a bespoke quote.