TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users in September 2021. It’s one of only a handful of apps to reach this goal, and what’s even more impressive is just how fast it grew. That is a 45% increase compared to their July 2020 user base.
Coupled with this incredible growth are multiple TikTok updates introduced to improve ecommerce on the platform.
TikTok for ecommerce is still new, with many shopping features introduced in September 2021.
So how can you use TikTok for ecommerce? There are a few ways you can use TikTok for your online store. We’ll go over how to use the app with your website and what features we’re most excited about.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- TikTok Plans To Focus on Ecommerce for Growth
- Key Features of TikTok To Take Advantage Of
- How To Use TikTok for Ecommerce Stores
- Final Thoughts: TikTok for Ecommerce — Understanding the Newest Platform
TikTok Plans To Focus on Ecommerce for Growth
Billions of users like finding new brands and items on the hashtag TikTok Made Me Buy It. TikTok found that users who discover products through their app are 1.7x more likely to buy them.
TikTok is taking advantage of this rise in social commerce by introducing features like TikTok Shopping, allowing users to shop within the app.
The business tools also let brands link items directly from a video and live stream shopping to connect with your target audience and create a curated ad collection.
Many of these features are borrowed from the Chinese version of the app, Douyin, which tripled ecommerce sales in 2020 to over 500 billion yuan ($78 billion).
But TikTok for ecommerce businesses isn’t quite the same as it is on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. The content has a greater focus on authenticity, and users want their video ad experience to blend in with the rest of their content.
Key Features of TikTok To Take Advantage Of
Like other social media platforms, TikTok has both advertisement and organic tools that can help you grow your brand.
TikTok for Business
TikTok Shopping is available in the U.S. and U.K. markets, but it plans to roll it out to more users. However, there are other features to take advantage of to showcase your products.
With the existing TikTok for Business suite, you can create in-feed ads that show up when the algorithm finds a user it believes will match your target audience. You can manage your TikTok ads yourself and see how your campaigns perform through metrics.
Don’t forget about TikTok’s Promote tool to boost organic content and increase video views. You can create an ad campaign for existing videos that have already performed well to a new audience.
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Organic TikTok Features
TikTok has been allowing videos that last up to three minutes since July 2021. Longer video formats mean more time to share your product or service, build brand awareness, or even create a complete demonstration or how to post.
Some countries will now have the option to upload in HD. Share higher quality videos to stand out from your competitors. The recent TikTok update to editing also adds features like GIPHY in green screen and in-app enhancements to videos.
How To Use TikTok for Ecommerce Stores
TikTok is the next big social media network businesses should be looking into. It already offers social commerce and can become an additional channel for your store.
You may be able to sell directly in the app already, but if the feature isn’t available in your region yet, you can still use TikTok for marketing and linking to your own website.
TikTok might be good for your business. Work with your customer profiles to determine if you could be increasing traffic or sales with the channel.
Just keep in mind that if you primarily sell to older customers or deal with B2B businesses, the work required for TikTok-specific advertising might not yield the returns desired. The app still leans strongly toward a younger demographic, and most users are Gen Z or young Millenials.
If you decide to jump into TikTok, track how much time and money it takes and see how it affects your sales numbers. Keeping track of your sales data and noting how different campaigns affect them is important to understanding the big picture.
Take a look at competitors’ videos and see what type of content they’re creating. Some brands work with existing TikTok influencers, while others create their own material.
What features are they using? Keep an eye on trends within the platform but don’t try to copy everyone, especially if it has nothing to do with your product.
Final Thoughts: TikTok for Ecommerce — Understanding the Newest Platform
It might seem intimidating to jump into a new social media platform for business, but TikTok does represent a huge audience of active and engaged users.
Even if you don’t think it’s the right outreach for your ecommerce store, it’s important to keep track of the trends TikTok is leading and take advantage of them. Its focus on shorter, video-based ads has changed advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
If you already love using the TikTok app, it might be easier for you to come up with relevant content for your new products or figure out how to jump on a hashtag challenge.
Alternatively, you might be a TikTok superstar who’s thinking about jumping into creating your own ecommerce store for the first time. If so, Managed WooCommerce from Nexcess could be a great way to help you create your own shop without needing a line of code.
Check out our Managed WooCommerce plans to get started today.
