How to Sell on TikTok in 2023: Step-by-Step Guide

If you are thinking about how to sell on TikTok Shop with a success ratio, there is No need to worry. I am here to explain the complete info on how you can sell on the TikTok shop in 2023.

With over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, including 150 million in the US alone, TikTok’s appeal is undeniably vast. Its high-paced format and endless content supply make it a captivating platform, with users spending an average of 95 minutes daily scrolling through diverse videos.

Regardless of whether you are a TikTok user, the platform’s enormous reach is undeniable. Despite the majority of shoppers initiating their product searches on Amazon, an intriguing 43% of Gen Z users start their search journey on TikTok Shop – surpassing even Google!

Considering TikTok’s extensive user base and its potential to catapult your products to viral fame, it’s an application that should undoubtedly be a part of your brand-building and social media strategy.

How to Sell on TikTok Shop

Contents

1 How to Sell on TikTok Shop

Navigating the process of selling on TikTok Shop is straightforward. Simply select suitable products, establish a Business or Pro account, connect your shop or items, and properly market your content. The task of selling on this video-sharing platform is now more convenient with the advent of in-app shopping, made possible through collaborations with e-commerce giants such as Shopify.

Step 1: Choose the Right Products

It is very important if you are going to sell products on TikTok Shop. You know your audience, and then you must choose the product carefully.

Choose the Right Products

When considering creating a TikTok Shop, evaluating whether your intended audience is active on this platform is crucial. Recent data from 2023 reveals that 70% of teenagers in the US are using TikTok, and more than half of individuals aged between 20 and 29 are on the platform. This makes TikTok an excellent medium for brands targeting millennials and Gen Zers.

However, this doesn’t eliminate TikTok’s relevance for brands whose target market falls outside this age demographic. A substantial segment of US TikTok users are aged between 30 to 49. Therefore, TikTok can be a highly effective platform for enhancing brand visibility and establishing connections with a vast audience for TikTok Shop.

Learn Which Products to Sell on TikTok Shop

TikTok does not give you an outline of permissible items for sale but does provide a rundown of banned products. You have to keep an eye on trading videos to get which product you should sell on TikTok Shop. TikTok’s triumphant business case studies and the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag are many sources of innovative ideas for your TikTok Shop.

Step 2: Create a TikTok Account

After choosing the right product, learn how to promote your TikTok Shop through videos, ad campaigns, and many other ways. Then you must create your Tiktok account for this purpose and approve your Tiktok Shop by submitting the required documents. To start with TikTok, first install the app on your phone. You’ll see an icon labeled Me at the bottom of your screen, tap on it and then hit Sign Up.

You can use your phone number, email, or a pre-existing social media account to make an account. Are you keen to set up a TikTok Shop immediately? Just head over to this link and sign up as a seller. Note that you’ll need a US mobile number for this. Fill out your business details, pick your business category, provide the necessary documents, and then wait a couple of days for your application to be approved. Once that’s done, you can link your bank account and upload your products to sell.

Step 3: Switch to a Business or Professional Account

To start selling on TikTok Shop, you must first change your account from personal to business. This gives you some additional features like:

Insights: Learn more about what your audience likes
Business tips: Get advice on creating videos and choosing sounds
Video Showcase: See popular videos from other sellers
Music library: Access over 150,000 free sounds for your videos
Business suite: Get analytic data, tips for creating content, and more
Seller requirements: For businesses, you need a US Company Registration Document and an ID of the company owner. For individuals, you need a US-issued ID.

Here’s how to switch to a Business account:

Step 1: Open the app and click on the three dots in your menu.
Step 2: Click on ‘Manage Account.’
Step 3: From there, click on ‘Switch to Business Account.’
Step 4: Select a category for your business.

Set Up Your Profile

After establishing your account, it’s crucial to fine-tune your profile in preparation for sales. You can link your website, email, and other social media platforms with a business account.

After the setup of your TikTok Profile for business. You need to fill in some updates of your personal information at different points.

Explain Your Brand and Bio

You need to define your brand and bio in your TikTok account; use a short and something like a slogan-type intro so that people come to know what you’re about and your product. What you will sell on TikTok Shop.

Use Emojis

Use emojis to make your bio or videos more attractive. Communicate using the vernacular of your target demographic. Given that the majority of TikTok users are from the Gen Z and Millennial generations, it’s recommended to integrate emojis into your content—this strategy has even been shown to boost conversions.

Add a Call to Action (CTA)

CTA changes from time to time and tells your audience what to do, and you can engage your audience towards your website, blogs, or digital products, That you will sell on TikTok Shop.

Step 4: Link Your Shop or Products to Your TikTok Account

After adding the product link (TikTok Shop) and optimizing it completely. If you have a store on Shopify, BigCommerce, Square Online, WooCommerce, or Ecwid, you can link it to your TikTok account. When you do this, you can:

Show your shop’s items on your TikTok profile
Add links to your TikTok videos that lead straight to your shop’s product pages so that people can buy right away
Use the TikTok Pixel to make better ads. This is just a code you put on your website. It lets TikTok track who’s visiting your site when you’re running ads. Don’t worry; setting up the Pixel on any of these selling platforms is straightforward.

How to Connect Shopify To TikTok Shop

It’s simple to link your store to TikTok using Shopify. Go to your Shopify dashboard and get the TikTok app. After you’ve installed it, you will need steps to connect your TikTok business account. Plus, you can create and track TikTok ads from Shopify.

How to Connect Big Commerce To TikTok Shop

Here’s the easiest way to link your BigCommerce store with TikTok:

First Step: Download the TikTok For Business app. You can find it in the Channel Manager under Ads and Social.
Second Step: Link your TikTok Business account and give the necessary permissions.
Third Step: Make or link your TikTok Business Center account (which is different from your regular TikTok Business account) and your TikTok Ad account.
Fourth Step: Get your TikTok Pixel ready.
Fifth Step: Prepare your catalog. In the Catalog section, click on Create New to sync your existing BigCommerce catalog with your TikTok profile.
Sixth Step: Start setting up your TikTok Shop.

To Link BigCommerce products to your TikTok Shop, navigate to the TikTok Shopping section and select Manage. This will lead you to the Store Manager on TikTok.

Step 1: Identify and select your Store Name within the Store Manager.
Step 2: Proceed by clicking on the Product tab.
Step 3: Utilize the filter options or the search function to locate your product of interest.
Step 4: Once your product is identified, activate the Storefront Status. To add multiple items at once, select the check box for each item and choose In Storefront at the page’s top. If you want to remove an item, switch the Storefront Status off.

You can also add products from your TikTok Shop to the BigCommerce store.

Step 1: Visit your TikTok page, tap the Shopping symbol, then select Manage Showcase.
Step 2: To modify an item, tap on the three dots. To add more items to your shop, click on Add Products.

How to Connect Square Online To TikTok Shop

You must meet a few prerequisites before you can start selling on TikTok Shop through Square. Firstly, you need to have a Square Online website that is already published. Secondly, you should have a return policy clearly displayed on your Square Online platform.

In addition, you must ensure that your contact details are accurate, with a specific focus on the phone number listed in your store settings. Another crucial requirement is visibly displaying the payment methods you accept. Lastly, you need to have a TikTok for Business account set up. Once you’ve met these requirements, you can connect to TikTok and begin selling.

Website launched via Square Online
Policy for Returns as stated on Square Online
Communication details—ensure the display of your contact phone number in store configurations
Clear display of accepted payment options
Registered TikTok Business account

How to Connect Square with TikTok Shop

First Step: Navigate to Account & Settings from your Square dashboard. Once there, select Online Sales Channels and opt for TikTok for Business. Click the ‘Get Started’ button and the ‘Connect’ option.
Second Step: Initiate the integration by linking a TikTok For Business account.
Step 3: Set up or link your TikTok Business Center account, TikTok Ads Manager account, and TikTok Shopping with your Square account.
- Visit the TikTok Business Center to oversee your business page, accounts, users, and product catalog.
- Head to the TikTok Ad Manager to develop TikTok ads using your Square account.
Step 4: Proceed to establish or link your TikTok Pixel through the Data Sharing section.
Step 5: Initiate synchronization of your product catalog. If you have not created a product catalog, select Create New to pair your current Square catalog with your TikTok profile.
Step 6: Activate TikTok Shop to leverage the power of social commerce. You can showcase and sell your products directly on the platform via the Shopping tabs and Product Links feature by linking your Square Online store with TikTok.

You can monitor and adjust the items synced from the ‘Items’ section, specifically under Channels Listings on your online Square Dashboard. Products undergo a review process, with approval or rejection occurring within a span of three to five days. If your product is declined, you can make necessary adjustments, such as resizing images or adding missing brands, through the Listings Manager.

How to Can Connect WooCommerce To TikTok

The TikTok platform recently integrated WooCommerce into its system in May 2022, providing a new e-commerce avenue for users. You can easily access this feature by downloading and activating the TikTok for WooCommerce plugin directly from your WordPress dashboard.

How to Can Connect Ecwid To TikTok

Step 1: Navigate to the TikTok page via your Ecwid dashboard.
Step 2: Enter your mobile phone number in the designated field under TikTok Business Tools.
Step 3: Click on the + Connect TikTok Account button.
Step 4: Sign into your TikTok For Business account (not your personal TikTok account) and select Connect. If you don’t have a Business account, choose Sign Up to create one.
Step 5: Within your TikTok for Business account, initiate the Business Center setup by entering your preferred name and selecting Create New.
Step 6: Establish a TikTok Ad Account by typing in your ad account name and clicking Create New.
Step 7: Under Data Sharing, input your Pixel name and select Create New.
Step 8: Type in your desired catalog name in the Catalog section and hit Create New.
Step 9: Click on Finish Setup to complete the process.

After you’ve submitted your product for review, please note that it might take some time, potentially a few hours, for the review process to complete. You can track the status of the review in the “Products on TikTok” section in your Ecwid dashboard.

All the products that have successfully passed the review will be displayed under the “Listed products” category. Your approved catalog will appear in your TikTok Business Center, automatically updating twice daily. For further guidance on managing your product listings on TikTok, Ecwid offers a helpful tutorial.

Step 5: Create Engaging Content For (TikTok Shop)

Once your Shop is linked to your TikTok profile, the next step is to draw attention to your products by crafting compelling content. The key to amplifying your follower count and building strong brand recognition lies in your ability to engage with your audience through innovative and intriguing content.

According to the TikTok January 2023 Update rolled out, you need to take care of many things for a better experience of TikTok Shop, and many other new features are included.

Make your brand shine with the TikTok Creative Challenge

Enjoy exclusive video content with more LIVE subscription perks
Now you can write text posts on TikTok
The Effect House (beta) is a new way for creators to make money and brands to create their own effects
Share high-quality content with TikTok series
Sounds for Business provides a library of sounds to make creating content easier
The Creativity Program (beta) opens more doors for TikTok creators
Get tips on promoting your product on TikTok from the TikTok World Hub – a place for creators and brands to learn and share best practices for TikTok marketing
Learn the basics of TikTok with TikTok Fundamentals

How to Take Advantage of TikTok 2023 New Update For Shop

TikTok Academy: This program aims to instruct worldwide users on optimal strategies for utilizing TikTok for Business.
Shopping Ads: A complete package offering fresh ways to use: Video Shopping Ads, Catalog Listing Ads, and LIVE Shopping Ads. Catalog Listing Ads is no longer alone but is now part of Video Shopping Ads.
Security Trust Center: This website lets you share security information. It’s a place where advertisers can find TikTok’s rule-following documents, look at its standard questionnaires, and keep up-to-date with how TikTok handles security.
Audience Insights: Utilizing the TikTok Ads Manager, you have the ability to delve into the interests of TikTok users, uncover detailed audience data using various filters, and enhance your campaign creation and audience planning processes with robust data. This is a crucial step in mastering how to sell on TikTok Shop.
ShowTimes on TikTok: Here’s a new Instant Page template. It’s made to encourage people to go to the movies. It links directly to ticket sellers so you can buy tickets straight away.

TikTok Engaging Content: Case Studies

Here are some content create case studies that will help you to motivate. By following their method, you can boost sales on your TikTok Shop.

Wet n wild

Wet n Wild is a well-known makeup brand. They recently launched a new mascara and used TikTok to help spread the word. They really pulled out all the stops by using a mix of techniques. These included a special hashtag challenge, in-feed ads, unique sounds, and collaborations with TikTok influencers. All this effort was to get people talking about their new product, the Big Poppa mascara.

So here’s what happened. One of the top TikTok influencers, JVKE, made a catchy tune for this campaign. It’s called “Big Poppa Heart Stoppa,” and it played a crucial role in promoting the mascara. JVKE also posted a behind-the-scenes video showing how he made the sound. He even responded to a wet and wild comment asking him to “make a sound for the queens.”

The campaign was a hit! Approximately 1.5 million videos were created for the challenge. The brand saw higher engagement and an almost 10% increase in brand recognition. Clearly, TikTok users loved participating in this challenge. And imagine all the content they created for the campaign.

They also partnered with popular TikTok influencers, like Bella Poarch. Her video for the #BiggerIsBetter challenge received over 3 million likes, proving that using TikTok influencers can truly work. To sum it up, this campaign was a big success. It was a smart move to partner with a popular TikTok artist and top influencers – and it definitely paid off.

GAP

GAP, a renowned American apparel brand that hired different influencers to promote its brand and clothing., may not have an official TikTok account. Still, user-generated content (UGC) has certainly boosted its visibility, particularly among influential content creators.

Gen Z influencers like Emma Chamberlain and Barbara Kristofferson are among the notable personalities who flaunted a unique vintage brown spell-out hoodie by GAP, offering the brand valuable TikTok exposure at no cost. Although GAP hasn’t re-released this hoodie, the demand led them to distribute free hoodies to sustain the buzz. They even went as far as reissuing the item for a limited edition pre-order for their customers.

Step 6: Partner With Influencers

TikTok is all about creators, so working with them can make your brand more popular and trusted. You can find creators that match your brand on the TikTok Creator Marketplace. This website has profiles of many TikTok creators, and you can search for ones that appeal to your audience.

TTCM Comment Anchor: To provide additional information about a product or service featured in their video, creators have the option to attach and highlight a link at the top of the comments section. This feature aids in directing interested users to learn more.
Detailed campaign reporting: More clear information about how well the creator’s marketing is doing, like how much their audiences have in common, what their audiences are interested in, when their Spark Ads campaigns happen, and more.
TTCM Gaming Anchor: Content makers have the ability to incorporate links into their posts, leading to an app-specific landing page. From this page, users can proceed to their respective app stores—either iOS or Android—to download the desired application.

Step 7: Leverage TikTok’s Paid Ads

Beyond making fun videos, working with well-known TikTok personalities, and showing off your items in your clips, you can also use TikTok ads to sell your products instantly. This is a fantastic way to reach new customers on this trending platform.

There are the following requirements when you are creating ads for TikTok Content.

Video files: MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP or AVI
Image files: JPG or PNG only
Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 (Vertical)
Image resolution: 1200×628 (Recommended)
Video resolution: 720×1280 pixels, 640×640 pixels or 1280×720 pixels
Video duration: 5 to 60 seconds
Brand name: Limited to up to 20 characters
Ad Description: Limited to up to 100 characters, no emojis

How Many Types of Adds You Can Run on Tiktok

Here is a guide if you are going to run TikTok adds to boost sales on your TikTok Shop.

In-feed Native Video: In-feed videos within user-generated content function similarly on TikTok as they do on YouTube – they play before the user’s video begins. Importantly, though, TikTok provides an option for users to bypass the said ad. This ad format allows for integrating a website link or an app download.
Top View Adds: An ad of this kind is prominently displayed on the “For You” page, greeting users upon their first interaction with the app. This particular ad format accommodates a video advertisement that could extend to sixty seconds.
Branded Hashtag Challenge: Hashtag sponsorships on TikTok typically span a period of three to six days and can be found within the Discovery tab. Engaging in a hashtag challenge allows you to reach out to the TikTok user community, encouraging them to create videos related to the proposed theme, all tagged with a specific hashtag. A case in point is the #dressing hashtag challenge launched by Nike. This campaign led to the creation of over 2 million user-generated content videos and a noteworthy 42% spike in brand recognition.
Branded Lenses: Similar to Snapchat filters, reality filters are interactive overlays that users can incorporate into their videos. These filters offer an understated yet effective avenue for brands to augment their visibility and position themselves within the platform. They represent a less conspicuous advertising strategy compared to traditional ads.
Brand Takeovers: These ads are shown when a user opens the TikTok. These ads take up the entire screen and are usually animations. This ad guarantees exclusivity because there can only be one brand takeover per category and country daily.

How to Use TikTok (Shop) for Business in 2023

TikTok isn’t just a fun app; it can also boost your online store. It helps to bring in more visitors, promotes your brand, and gets your customers more involved. According to a report by Sprout Social, 38% of shoppers plan to use TikTok, which is a big jump from the 17% who said the same in 2020. The report also mentions that people find short videos more engaging than long ones – something TikTok does well. For more ideas, you can look at our guide on making a TikTok marketing plan for your small business.

To funnel traffic toward your online store or specific product page via a video promotion, follow these steps:
Step 1: Navigate to your profile by tapping ‘Me’. Access the Settings by clicking the three dots in the top right corner of your screen.
Step 2: Select ‘Creator Tools’, then ‘Promote.’
Step 3: Within the ‘Promotions’ page, select the video you wish to promote (ensure it doesn’t contain copyrighted music).
Step 4: Outline your video’s objective: views, visits, or followers. To increase website visits, incorporate a URL and opt for a call-to-action button (i.e., Learn More, Shop Now, or Sign Up).
Step 5: Choose the intended audience by tapping the circle beside your preferred choice, then click ‘Next.’ Options for audience selection include ‘Automatic’ (where TikTok selects the audience for you) or ‘Custom’ (allowing you to specify a demographic).
Step 6: Determine your budget duration, enter payment details, then click ‘Start Promotion’.

Capitalize on User-Generated Content

Making content on TikTok can lead to lots of videos made by your followers. As TikTok is mostly about users creating their own videos, finding good content for your campaign is easy. Here’s how you can start:
Start a special hashtag challenge for your brand. Get users to join by making the hashtag simple and catchy.
Get your regular customers to join in. Ask them to be part of your video-making campaign. Giving them discounts can encourage them to participate.
Take part in popular trends or special events.
Have a competition.

Use Audience Insights

TikTok offers a powerful business tool called Audience Insights, which is instrumental in planning and assessing your advertising efforts. You can employ this tool to promote your content in the following ways efficiently:
By leveraging the extensive set of filters, you can gain in-depth audience information during the planning phase. These filters include interest hashtags, interactions with hashtags, creators, videos, and TikTok Customer Audiences. Furthermore, data can be segmented by language, country, and device price parameters.
It allows you to authenticate and understand your target audience better. Capitalize on demographics based on age, gender, and location to glean an overall perspective on your targeted audience’s potential interests or activities.
It can serve as a hub for creative strategies and targeting ideas. Once you’ve acquired insights about your audience, you may discover unexpected concepts that can enhance your strategizing process. For instance, if your advertising focuses on beauty and skincare, and you find that eyebrow care topics (how-to’s, products, and makeup) are trending among your audience, you can utilize this information to broaden your content strategy.
Examining the top hashtags and interest categories allows you to streamline your content planning. With Audience Insights, you can access the top 10 hashtags and the most popular ad interest categories that align with your audience’s preferences. Consider integrating these hashtags or interests into your campaign targeting or incorporating these hashtags into your video content.

Why You Should Choose TikTok to Sell & Have a TikTok Shop

Low Commission Fees

TikTok imposes a Marketplace Commission Fee, which varies based on the product’s cluster, category, and subcategory in the TikTok Shop. The current fee stands at 2%, according to a recent report. TikTok Shop is undergoing initial testing in the US, with the final commission rate to be determined in the forthcoming months. Notably, TikTok’s commission is lower than Amazon’s, which ranges between 8% and 15%.

Easy To Start

As underscored by the above-mentioned steps, establishing a TikTok Shop or integrating your pre-existing e-commerce platform with your brand’s TikTok profile is straightforward. The more demanding aspect, however, is the production of captivating content, as this serves as the key to unlocking sales on TikTok Shop.

Final Words

In this blog, i completely describe how you can sell on TikTok and boost sales on your TikTok Shop in multiple ways and share some case studies. If you have any queries, kindly let me know so I can answer your queries.

Faqs

Q: How much does it cost to sell on TikTok?

A: You don’t have to pay anything to sell on TikTok, but you’ll need to spend some money to create an online store that links to your TikTok. Depending on your online shop platform, the cost can vary from $50 to several hundred dollars. Also, if you decide to advertise on TikTok or team up with TikTok creators to boost your content, you might have to pay anything from a small amount to a thousand dollars.

Q: How do I become a seller on TikTok?

A: Getting started as a seller on TikTok Shop is straightforward. All it takes is setting up an account, transitioning to a Business or Pro account, connecting your shop or items, and commencing your content promotion. Before you begin selling, selecting suitable products and familiarizing yourself with any product limitations is crucial.

Q: Can you sell directly from TikTok?

A: TikTok Shop empowers creators and brands to display and vend their products straight from TikTok, using a range of in-app shopping features. Market, transact, and interact with your followers, all in real-time. Make your products easily accessible with just a click by incorporating them into fun and engaging videos.

Q: Is it worth selling on TikTok Shop?

A: It is worth selling on TikTok because it’s a new platform operating from different selected countries. So if you join now with the passage of time, you will become a big fish on this Platform.

Q: How to sell on TikTok for Beginners?

A: First of all you need 1000 followers, and after that, you are eligible for the TikTok shop then you need to verify your identity, and after all these processes you can easily sell products on TikTok Shop in selected countries.