TikTok Shopping: What Ecommerce Brands Should Know

By Scarlett Payne  |  August 27, 2021

MARKETING STRATEGY

TikTok Shopping allows Shopify merchants to add a Shopping tab to their TikTok profile. On this tab, you can sync your products, creating a mini-storefront for users.

What Is TikTok Shopping?

Ecommerce businesses with a TikTok shop can also tag products in videos and redirect users to their Shopify store, and users will be able to favorite products in the app.

Bonus Features:

It’s worth noting that TikTok allows in-app shopping, not purchasing. When users go to buy a product, the link takes them to the business’s Shopify store to complete the transaction.

In-App Shopping, Not Purchasing

While in-app purchases are considered smoother for users, transferring potential buyers to your website allows you to maintain more control over the purchasing experience and user data.

I

The pilot is taking place in the US and UK, with plans to expand to Canada in the coming weeks. Participants need both a storefront through Shopify and a TikTok for Business account.

Who Has Access?

Why TikTok Shopping Is Great for Ecommerce

- TikTok has a young   and growing   audience - It provides unrivaled   discoverability for   brands - Its content is highly   visual, memorable  and engaging - Its users want to be   sold to.

"TikTok Made Me Buy It"

One of TikTok’s current trends is #tiktokmademebuyit, where users share items that TikTok inspired them to buy.  At the time of this story, the hashtag has over 4.7 billion views.

Feature Limitations

The TikTok shop is only available to ecommerce websites hosted on Shopify. This means that once it rolls out, you can’t make your TikTok shoppable unless you have a Shopify site.

But This  Isn’t the End

As the company plans to expand into social commerce, selling on TikTok through Shopify may very well be the test for launching much greater undertakings in the ecommerce space.