How to start selling on TikTok shop

Growing your TikTok Shop is the same as any form of selling, you want to create awareness that drives larger audiences and increases your opportunity to close a sale. Try these methods to get the word out about your store:

1. Optimize your product catalog for TikTok

Your TikTok storefront is the shopping tab in your account. You’ll want to optimize it to attract customers – this includes your product catalogue. High-quality images are essential. If you’re unable to create your own product photos, it may be worth paying a professional photographer to produce them for you. (This is especially true with fashion, beauty and jewellery products). You should also strive to create a ‘branded look’ for your images, using repeat elements and styles to create visual cues that set your store apart and make your product videos instantly recognizable.

Note that product titles must be less than 34 characters, or they’ll be cut short. You must include this basic information about the product to let consumers know what it is. However, product descriptions can be longer, so you can use this space to include all the details you left out of the title.

Top tip: Links in product descriptions on TikTok are not clickable.

2. Tell your audience about your TikTok Shop

Your store won’t grow if nobody knows it exists. As soon as you get access to your TikTok Shop, tell everyone about it – social media, email, even word of mouth. On TikTok, create content that shows your audience where your shopping tab is and how they can buy your products.

3. Paid promotions

Once your shop is set up and folks know about your products, start promoting them! Mention them in your posts, feature them in your live streams, and add new product shout-outs to your bio. Don’t be afraid to mix up your messaging style, using humor or helpful tips can be as effective as a hard-sell and a lot more attractive to your audience.

4. Influencer marketing

Working with content Creators – also known as influencers – who know TikTok back to front can make a dramatic difference to the performance of your store. To boost your sales, you need to collaborate with influencers who align with your brand and audience. Start by selecting influencers whose followers match your target demographic. Provide them with your products so they can showcase them in engaging content – such as reviews, tutorials, or unboxing videos. You can also encourage your influencers to use TikTok’s live shopping feature, allowing their followers to purchase your products directly from their videos. 

5. Offer discounts

Everyone loves a sale. Offering discount codes or exclusive deals to make your product promotions more compelling can drive an immediate boost in sales. However, take care not to harm your brand by always selling at a discount. Brands that manage their discount sales by using short-term tactics such as ‘limited release’ product introductions or moving out of date stock to an ‘outlet’ store or web page, generally have more success than those that are always permanently low priced.

6. Invest in future and seasonal stock

Success is great, but it also requires great management. There’s not much point in creating viral content and massive runs on your store if you can’t keep up with demand. This means you should plan your inventory, dividing your stock into seasonal and classic lines and matching volumes to promotion activities and expected sales targets. Seasonal products can be sold on a ‘as long as stocks last’ tactic, which reduces the need for deep inventory. Classic lines must always be available, so you ensure you have these products available on demand.

7. Fund your TikTok Shop

Buying enough stock to meet demand can place strain unwanted strain on your cash flow. However, you can offset the financial pressure with many types of business loan. Use the funds to get started, build your inventory and expand your TikTok business. 

Loans for ecommerce businesses include: 

• Term loans – with a business term loan, you receive a single, lump-sum cash injection. Repay the loan with regular instalments, plus interest and any fees, over a fixed period of anywhere from a few months up to 25 years. 
• Business line of credit – a business line of credit, also known as a revolving line of credit, is a loan that functions like a high-value credit card. Businesses can withdraw cash as they need it when they need it up to the limit of their borrowing. Unlike term loans, with a line of credit you only pay interest on the sums you have withdrawn, not the whole loan total. This can significantly reduce your borrowing costs.
• Merchant cash advances – a merchant cash advance is designed for businesses that accept customer payments by credit and debit card. Borrow against the value of your card sales. As your card sales increase, your borrowing limit goes up. Pay the loan back with a fixed percentage of your card sales on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. 

8. Where to get your TikTok Shop business loan

The terms and conditions on business loans can vary significantly, so shopping around for the best deal is essential. You can do this by approaching banks, credit unions and online lenders one by one over days, weeks, or even months, or you can use the services of a loan marketplace that can quickly introduce you to a choice of financing offers from a range of lenders. Some marketplace platforms can also give you advice and help you with the application process. This can be especially useful for borrowers who have never taken out a business loan before.