🤫 The Secret to TikTok Shop

Something crazy happened last month and I knew I had to write about it.

I just moved into an apartment with three of my friends, and when I checked out the decorations in their rooms, I noticed something strange. They all had the exact same chair. 

Where did they get it? TikTok Shop.

I’d heard of TikTok Shop before, but I didn’t realize just how effective it was at selling products.

Curious, I asked one of my friends about her experience. She explained that she’s more likely to buy from TikTok because it doesn’t feel like an ad. It’s just regular people talking about products they love. She’s already bought at least five things this year. 

And she’s not alone. 

As of February 2024, TikTok Shop is responsible for over two-thirds of all products sold through social media.

Why is TikTok shop so effective? What kind of success are businesses seeing? And how can you use TikTok to boost your own sales? 

Here’s what we got for ya:

• ✍️ How it works

• 🤑 More Bang for Your Buck

• 👀 Pass Go, Collect 50M views

Read time: 4 min 45 sec

✍️ How it works

Before TikTok Shop launched, nearly half of users said the platform influenced their purchase decisions. 

So in 2023, TikTok took the next step and introduced TikTok Shop, allowing users to make purchases directly within the app. This seamless checkout experience is a key feature to the Shop’s success.

Today, 11% of US Households have made a TikTok Shop purchase. 

So, how does it work? 

It’s basically Amazon with social media attached. You have to slowly build your listing, get reviews and build trust.

However, TikTok Shop has two things Amazon doesn’t:

#1: It’s a social media platform first. So you can go viral, and have your product attached. Amazon listings don’t ever really go viral…

#2: Creators. You can get hundreds or thousands of creators making videos to promote your product without any upfront cost. You only have to pay them if you get a sale.

That’s why TikTok Shop is the holy grail of e-commerce right now. Everything is in one place: ads, promotions, and sales. 

There are three main ways to sell to users:

#1: In-feed videos: These videos blend seamlessly into a user’s feed. For example, a “get ready with me” video might feature a creator casually linking the products they’re using. 

@livhawkinss

GRWM 🫶🏻❤️ I’ve linked as many products as I can! PS I’m giving my nails a break so don’t come for me 😅😂 #grwm #grwmroutine #autumnfashion

Sometimes the only way you can tell it’s a promotional post is by the Commission paid tag in the caption. 

#2: LIVE videos: Creators can host live streams to showcase and sell products in real time.

#3: Shop tab: Users can browse content exclusively focused on products in the Shop tab.

By offering users multiple avenues for product interaction, TikTok shop maximizes the selling potential for businesses and creators. 

More on this:

• TikTok's launch of TikTok Shop

Want to make $2M a year on TikTok Shop?

Profit Snacks co-founder Hayden Bowles has built a great community that breaks down everything you need to know about starting a TikTok Shop. 

Hayden has been doing e-commerce for the past 8 years, generated $10’s of millions in sales and worked with hundreds of people to help them build a brand.

In fact, he built a new TikTok Shop over the last 6 months and it’s already doing $29,000/month in sales. The cool thing? It’s all documented LIVE.

And now you can get it for just $50/month.

If you join the community, you’ll get access to

• Exclusive videos

• Connections to brands doing over $2M a year on TikTok Shop

• A space to ask questions, share your progress, and learn from others

It’s the perfect way to learn how to leverage TikTok Shop’s growth potential.

Start now and learn how to grow on TikTok Shop. 

🤑 More Bang for Your Buck

TikTok is a game-changer for smaller brands. More than half of small businesses using TikTok say it has significantly boosted their marketing performance. 

Why is TikTok so effective? 

For one, TikTok offers a much lower Cost Per Click (CPC) compared to other social media platforms. This means that TikTok ads are more cost-effective, giving businesses more bang for their buck.

But there’s more to it. TikTok’s unique algorithm makes it easier to reach your target audience.

This has been especially true for Arrae, a brand known for its digestive health supplements. 

Arrae found that ads mirroring regular TikTok posts are the most successful. Let’s look at the example below.

@carlyhataway

the one product that ACTUALLY debloats you. this has no business working this well 🤨🫶🏻 #bloat #debloat #bloatsupport #bloatsupplement #arr... See more

The creator is casually talking to the camera and uses everyday fonts, which make the video blend in like any other TikTok post.

Arrae spends around 25% of its total ad budget on TikTok because of the impressive return they see from the platform. 

TikTok has continuously proven effective in driving engagement and sales for brands.

Influencer promotions can really help build trust in your product. But how else can you use TikTok to promote your brand?

More on this:

• The top-performing ads on TikTok

👀 Pass Go, Collect 50M Views

Going viral— it’s every content creator's dream and a business’s fast track to success.

Getting users to interact with your TikTok account is a great way to bring awareness to your brand and customers to your shop.

Let’s look at how three different businesses went viral:

#1- Oatly: Scrolling through their TikTok account, I couldn’t find a single video that was presented as a typical ad. The content is engaging, silly, and sometimes completely unrelated to oat milk. 

@oatly

Partly scared partly pleased mostly scared

#2- Duolingo: Unhinged is an understatement. Duolingo’s TikTok bio says: “Free language education for the world. just an owl tryna vibe 🦉” The famous Duo owl has brought Duolingo lots of engagement. The TikTok account has over 13M followers…

@duolingo

pov: i take u to a broadway show to congratulate u instead of going after ur family #duolingo #duolingostreak #languagelearning #fyp

#3- POPFLEX: POPFLEX uses a more traditional marketing approach by focusing on the products and highlighting their quality. However, it still manages to deliver the message in an engaging and creative way.

@blogilates

This hoodie hoodies harder than all the hoodies that have ever hoodied. I hope it hoodies hard enough for you @Julia Huynh! ❤️ I’m wearing... See more

By embracing TikTok’s unique approach to content and engagement, you can make your brand’s videos go viral, driving both awareness and sales.

More on this: 

• 🦉 How Duolingo built a $9B brand without charging its users 

• TikTok's list of business success stories