Introduction

Most of you already know about TikTok – it’s an app to post short-form content you’ve created for others to see. Many people have made it their main source of income and have gotten extremely rich from it during the Covid era – that’s when TikTok really blew up. A few examples of these creators are Charli D’Amelio or Khaby Lame. No doubt, it was a gold rush-like opportunity.

It’s within the same timeframe that online shopping has gotten very popular, for obvious reasons. Everybody shopped online. Many people during that time also made generational wealth mastering e-commerce/dropshipping.

So you may ask, why am I telling you this? The hype around both of these things is slowly wearing off. So what did TikTok do? They recently came up with a solution that fuses e-com and TikTok content together. They called it TikTok Shop.

This feature enables users of TikTok to shop for items they see on their feed, straight from the vendor, without ever leaving the app. And even better, it lets sellers integrate their online store with TikTok, sell, and easily promote their products on the platform.

We put together a short guide for you on how to set it up and blow up your brand using TikTok Shop.

Building Foundations

Before scaling, ensure you have these fundamentals in place:

• Actually have a decent product – people won’t buy stuff that isn’t either interesting, useful, or creates an emotion in them.
  
• Make sure you have inventory to scale.
  
• Don’t expect results if you don’t have experience. Put in the hours and you’ll see results after.
  

Tips to Help You Grow Faster

Leverage the algorithm
The algorithm rewards engagement, consistency, and authenticity. Create content that showcases your product in real life, not as if it was in a commercial. Nowadays, people buy from people, not from brands.

Don’t make the same content
Avoid using a single format for all your videos. Test and diversify – see what performs the best.

Collaborate with creators
An efficient way people utilise TikTok Shop is collaborating with already established creators, paying them a commission after each sale of their product. Take advantage of this.

Optimize for Conversion

Analyze your funnel. Have a friend or family member go through your purchasing process, ask them a list of questions after, see what confused them, what discouraged them from buying, and so on. This will help you optimize efficiently.

Scaling Your Fulfilment

Inventory Management
Once your sales increase, consider using inventory management software to help you keep track of everything.

Fulfilment Solutions
3PL (third-party logistics) services are also a great option to help you simplify your delivery process to your customers. This will help keep all customers happy and will help minimize the number of failed/undelivered orders.

Team Expansion
Invest in customer service. Once you’re getting more orders, you don’t want to fall into the burden of getting tons of chargebacks due to unhappy customers.

Measure Success and Adjust Your Strategy

We suggest regularly reviewing the below metrics so you can keep track of how your store is performing:

• Conversion rate
  
• Average order value
  
• Customer acquisition cost, if using influencer marketing
  
• Inventory turnover rate
  

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Ignoring customers as you scale
  
• Inconsistent posting schedule
  
• Ignoring trends relevant to your niche
  
• Failing to test new content formats
  

Final Thoughts

Don’t start doing TikTok Shop if you’re looking for quick money or aren’t willing to put in the effort to actually make it work. The most successful TikTok Shop owners don’t sell their product – they build a community and an always recognisable vibe around it.