Did you know that TikTok has 1 billion monthly users, and these users spend an average of 95 minutes every day scrolling through the platform? Also, did you know that 60% of these users follow brands on TikTok, and 52% use the platform to search for products and shop?
As an eCommerce marketer, these statistics should immediately grab your attention. You should also be fascinated by the fact that consumer spending on TikTok has reached more than $2.5 billion all over the world (Social Pilot, 2023). All this proves that TikTok Ads are the future of eCommerce advertising and are among the top digital marketing trends for eCommerce in 2023.
It is time to realize that TikTok is no longer just a platform where you can keep up with trending dances. It is becoming one of the most important platforms for eCommerce marketing, advertising, and selling.
The ways you can leverage TikTok today for the marketing of your eCommerce business are numerous, including paid ads, influencer marketing, and even hashtags. Moreover, TikTok offers new features daily such as TikTok shopping features.
In this article, we are going to show you some of the most successful TikTok campaigns examples for eCommerce to inspire you.
Top 10 TikTok Ads Examples For E-Commerce
- e.l.f. Cosmetics
- K18
- Fendi
- James Allen
- into the eve
- Too Faced
- Zalora
- Vessi
- Pair Eyewear
- Hero Cosmetics
There are many ways and tactics you could follow to have a successful eCommerce marketing strategy on TikTok; however, before following any of these tactics, you should let yourself get inspired. There are many inspiring examples of TikTok Ads for eCommerce. In this article, we gathered the best 10 examples for you to get motivated and start your own TikTok Ads campaign.
1- e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Cosmetics is an American cosmetics brand. You can find all its affordable products in its eCommerce store, including skin-care products, mineral-based makeup, brushes and professional tools, and other things. The brand is known for its good-quality, vegan, and cruelty-free products.
When it comes to advertising on TikTok, e.l.f. Can be considered the pride of the beauty eCommerce sector. Ever since 2019, the brand has been achieving incomparable success through the course of several innovative TikTok advertising campaigns.
In 2019, e.l.f. Cosmetics, in collaboration with advertising agency Movers + Shakers, launched an advertising campaign on TikTok named “Eyes, Lips, Face”. The campaign was extremely successful, and it was centered around the following:
- Music: Marketers here composed an original song dedicated specifically to this campaign that involved the three words: eyes, lips, and face. The music track became so popular to the extent that the brand turned it into a full-length song that is available on Spotify and iTunes and that now has 2.5 million views on Youtube.
When it comes to music, the brand did not just stop there; it started becoming a music hitmaker. For example, in 2020, it created an entire holiday album with music videos featuring top TikTok influencers.
- Hashtags: The campaign had its own hashtag: “#EyesLipsFace”, which helped in the campaign becoming more viral.
- Influencers: The brand also worked on involving TikTok influencers, such as mega-influencer Brittany Tomlinson, also known as “Kombucha girl”. Influencers like Tomlinson shared the campaign’s songs in their videos, which was enough social proof for their followers to do the same.
The brand also teamed up with TikTok influencers to create more influencers. To better illustrate, e.l.f. Cosmetics created a brand channel on which it streamed the first-ever reality show on TikTok named “Eyes. Lips. Famous.” The aim of the reality show was to encourage the rise of new beauty influencers by giving them the chance to star in the show.
- Communities and User-Generated Content: One of the main reasons behind the success of this campaign was the huge amount of User-Generated content (UGC) that it gathered. According to Movers + Shakers, TikTokers contributed nearly 5 million videos, reaching 7 billion views. This is where we can see the true impact of word-of-mouth marketing.
Also, The reality show “Eyes. Lips. Famous.” led to 3,300 UGC submissions.
Campaign Results:
- The campaign had a huge amount of earned media, including Vogue and Forbes. Its media coverage reached more than 1.5 billion impressions.
- The brand’s cost-per-acquisition decreased by 56% (TikTok)
- In May 2021, the brand’s net sales increased by 24% to $92.7 million that quarter, which marked its ninth consecutive quarter of growth (Glossy, 2021).
Tips learned:
- Always focus on doing proper customer segmentation because this is what will determine the aspects of your campaign. In the previous example, e.l.f. was targeting Gen Z. Therefore, it developed a TikTok advertising campaign that appealed to them, including a music track that can become a trend, influencers, hashtags…etc.
- Always be relevant. To better understand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world at the end of 2020, e.l.f. changed its campaign name to: “Eyes. Lips. Face. Safe.” This is because the content of your eCommerce advertising campaign should be relevant to what is happening around the world.
- Be creative. Do not be afraid of creating something new or out of the box.
2- K18 TikTok Campaign
K18 is a haircare brand established in 2020. In 2021, it launched a very successful TikTok advertising campaign with the aim of raising awareness about haircare and hair treatment among young users. This campaign was based on the following:
- Music: K18 is another brand that created an original song for its advertising campaign. The custom song was created by an agency called ‘Song Candy” and was performed by rising singer Tamara Jade. The song was catchy and trendy, perfectly reflected the brand’s marketing message, and inspired the creation of content on TikTok.
- Hashtag: The campaign had its own hashtag: “#K18hairflip”
- Challenge: To join the challenge, users had to create a TikTok video using K18’s original song and using the hashtag “#K18hairflip”. Winners of the challenge would win K18 salon service and products from Sephora worth $1000.
- Influencers and Mega TikTokers: K18 did not just partner with beauty and hair influencers, it also collaborated with mega TikTokers, such as Leenda Dong, who has around 17.6 million followers.
Campaign Results:
- The campaign encouraged customers to visit the brand’s eCommerce website and buy products so that they could join the challenge and film videos of themselves using these products. This has positively affected the eCommerce store’s sales.
- The brand’s hashtag “#K18hairflip” had over 9.5 billion views (Glossy, 2022).
Tips learned:
- Challenges are very popular on TikTok. They are fun, and they encourage users to interact with your eCommerce brand. However, make sure that you capitalize on the users’ fear of missing out when announcing the prize of the challenge. In other words, people usually fear that others might win something good before them; therefore, it is always smart to combine a challenge or a contest with FOMO marketing.
3- Fendi Campaign
Fendi is a luxury fashion brand. On its eCommerce website, you can shop for women, men, kids, and even home decor. This example is living proof that today TikTok advertising is attracting luxury brands as well.
In its TikTok advertising campaign, Fendi had the objective of driving awareness, reaching a new audience, and turning luxury into something relatable. For these purposes, it ran a campaign called “F is for ….”, which included the following:
- In-Feed Ads: The brand ran five In-Feed Ads, which were subtly placed in the “For You” feed on TikTok. On the one hand, these ads looked like non-sponsored videos, which gave them an organic appeal. On the other hand, the ads achieved a huge amount of brand exposure and drove users directly to the brand’s profile.
You should know that choosing to launch five ads was not a haphazard choice. Fendi has five main core values: family, fearless, freedom, friendship, and future. The brand chose to run five ads, each ad reflecting one value.
- Influencers: In this TikTok advertising campaign, Fendi collaborated with world-famous US singer Sabrina Carpenter, who can be considered both a celebrity and a mega influencer since she has more than 13 million followers on TikTok.
Sabrina Carpenter created a number of videos where she was wearing Fendi clothes and in which she tackled the five main values of the brand.
For example, one of her videos started with her saying, “F is for friends”, and in this video, she shared random relatable clips of her spending time with her friends whom she loves and trusts. Another video started with her saying “F is for family”, and in this video, she expressed how much she is grateful for always having her family by her side.
Of course, she created other videos for each one of the five values, but we think you get the idea of the campaign now. All the videos perfectly succeeded at making a luxurious brand relevant to our not-so-luxurious normal life.
- Account Takeover: Besides creating her own videos, Sabrina Carpenter also used to take over Fendi’s TikTok account. She once announced this takeover through a video, in which she said “F is for fun” to encourage her followers to watch her on the brand’s account.
Campaign Results:
- The TikTok campaign got more than 4 million video views.
- The brand got 15,000 new followers on TikTok.
- The campaign’s engagement rate was 5.8%
- The ads also achieved an average click-through rate that outperformed its benchmark by over 158% (TikTok)
Tips learned:
- Make sure your TikTok advertising campaigns reflect your brand’s message and core values. Capitalize on these values and let them lead the themes of your campaigns.
- Account takeover can be a great way to increase your eCommerce brand’s followers on TikTok.
4- James Allen Campaign
James Allen is a Canadian jewelry eCommerce store. The eCommerce brand started advertising on TikTok with the aim of strengthening the position of its brand on the platform and driving visits to its website so that it could increase conversions and optimize its conversion rates.
In 2022, during a Canadian holiday called “Boxing Day”, the brand wanted to advertise its seasonal offers, so it chose to run a creative campaign on TikTok that involved the following:
- TopView Ads: It is a type of TikTok Ad that captures users’ attention by dominating and filling the whole screen once you open the application. It auto-plays with the sound on, which leverages every aspect of the TikTok experience.
- Discounts: The campaign offered TikTokers a 30% discount on Boxing Day through a coupon code “TIKTOK30”. The brand clearly disclosed that this offer is exclusively for TikTok users and that it ends soon to leverage FOMO marketing.
Campaign Results:
- Purchases increased by 90%.
- E-Commerce website visits increased by 70%.
- Organic traffic increased by 93%.
- Customer Acquisition Cost decreased by 80% (TikTok).
Tips learned:
- Integrating special offers and discounts in your TikTok ads can greatly contribute to the campaign’s success.
5- Into the eve Campaign
Into the eve is a British eCommerce brand that sells homemade vegan soap. What is different and exceptional about into the eve’s TikTok advertising campaign is that it capitalized on the production aspect of the brand. In other words, the brand made videos demonstrating the production process of their handmade soap.
You can find the brand’s founder Zoe constantly filming videos on TikTok where she showcases the process of making her products as well as the orders packaging process.
Campaign Results:
- The brand’s account on TikTok now has almost 116,000 followers, and its videos have around 2.2 million likes.
Tips learned:
- Capitalize on the unique aspects of your brand in your TikTok ads. So, for example, if your products have a unique manufacturing process, it would probably be a good idea to leverage that in your advertising campaign.
6- Too Faced TikTok Campaign
Too Faced is another cruelty-free beauty brand that leverages TikTok advertising campaigns. The brand aimed to attract Gen Z beauty-loving British women and to increase the sales of its “Lip Injection Extreme” lip gloss; therefore, it launched a TikTok ad campaign that was mainly based on the following:
- Brand Takeover: This is a full-screen type of TikTok ad that is displayed when the user first opens Tik Tok. The ad can be linked to a brand's landing page or a hashtag challenge within TikTok.
Campaign Results:
- The TikTok ad impressions reached 7.6 million.
- The ads had 1.3 million clicks and a click-through rate (CTR) of 18.38%, which exceeded the British market’s benchmark (TikTok).
Tips learned:
- If you are targeting Generation Z, make sure you design your TikTok ads accordingly. In the previous example, Too Faced designed its ads to have bright colors, dynamic motion, and hologram effects.
- Take into consideration the attention span of your audience. In the previous example, knowing that Gen Z has a short attention span, Too Faced made sure to create videos that are no longer than five seconds.
7- Zalora TikTok Campaign
Zalora is an Asian eCommerce fashion brand. They realized that the best way today to drive awareness for their brand is through TikTok ads. Their TikTok ad campaign involved:
- Virtual Events: The Asian brand created an online shopping event with the name “ZALORA Fashion Festival”. The event aimed at connecting brands and consumers through its one-of-a-kind installations, visual-focused technology, and innovative approach to brand presentation.
- Hashtags: Of course, the campaign has its own unique hashtag “#ZStyleNow”
- Challenges: The challenge involved TikTok users flashing a “Z” sign with their hands that triggered an instant transition to an outfit change. This challenge had a $200 prize which resulted in the creation of more than a thousand user-generated videos.
- A collection of Brand Takeover Ads and In-App Banner Ads.
- A/B Testing: The brand ran A/B tests on all its ad creatives for evaluation and optimization purposes.
Campaign Results:
- The campaign drove new visitors to ZALORA’s eCommerce website and new mobile app installs, which positively affected the brand’s approach to mobile commerce.
- The campaign videos had 991,000 views.
- The TikTok campaign gained 1,100 user-generated videos (TikTok)
Tips learned:
- Virtual events are one of the rising digital marketing trends today, so keep an eye out for these types of events.
- Test. Evaluate. Optimize. Repeat.
8- Vessi Campaign
Vessi is a Canadian brand that makes waterproof footwear and other accessories. On its eCommerce website, you can find footwear for women, men, and even kids. The brand has been advertising on TikTok ever since 2020. One of their most successful TikTok Ads campaigns involved the following:
- Spark Ads: Vessi used a native ad format that lets brands boost their own organic content or content of creators as TopView or In-Feed Ads. The brand found that this type of TikTok ad would be the most suitable for its conversion-focused campaign.
- TikTokers: One of the TikTokers that Vessi partnered with was Canadian mega influencer Kris Collins who has around 48 million followers on TikTok.
One of the videos she created for the campaign involved her stepping into a puddle of water to show a little kid that Vessi’s shoes are 100% waterproof. Another video shows Collin’s sister throwing water at her shoes and then asking her to borrow them after she discovers that they are waterproof.
- User-Generated Content (UGC) combined with Giveaways: Vessi’s UGC strategy involved asking customers to show off their Vessi shoes for a chance to win free footwear.
Campaign Results:
- The TikTok campaign gained 2 times higher Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).
- The cost per purchase was lower by 59%.
- The cost per click was lower by 38% (TikTok)
- The brand’s account on TikTok now has almost 165,000 followers.
Tips learned:
- Make sure you choose the right type of TikTok ad for your campaign.
- Do not forget your Call-To-Action (CTA). For example, in the previous example, Vessi’s had a “SHOP NOW” CTA that drove customers directly to Vessi's website, where they could then shop for Vessi's sneaker collection.
9- Clearly TikTok Campaign
Clearly is a Canadian eCommerce brand that sells different types of glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. The brand’s main aim is to completely solve the problem of poor vision all around the world. It has committed to donating a pair of glasses to a person in need with every pair purchased. So, the brand’s support of such a good cause is one of the reasons it is so popular and respected by its customers.
When Clearly wanted to drive more awareness about its store and the causes it supports, it decided to pursue TikTok advertising. The brand’s campaign on TikTok was centered around the following:
- Hashtag: Clearly had a branded hashtag on TikTok: #ClearlyTransform, which reflected the campaign’s aim of wanting everyone to feel good and confident while wearing glasses.
- UGC: The user-generated content stemmed from the brand’s encouragement to customers to share their best looks with their favorite pair of glasses.
- Music: Clearly is another eCommerce brand that invested in music in its TikTok ads. It partnered with a music agency named “Marmoset” eate their oand created a catchy track that featured the brand’s name. This was another way to encourage customers to crwn videos featuring the glasses and using this custom music track.
- Content Creators: The brand also did not forget to leverage the power of TikTok content creators. It partnered with five high-profile TikTokers, such as Leena Dong, who has almost 18 million followers.
Campaign Results:
- The TikTok ads campaign got 20 million video views and 12 million impressions (TikTok).
- During the first six days of the challenge, the brand’s followers on TikTok increased by 12,000.
- The user-generated videos reached more than 241,000 videos with 32.7 million global engagements.
Tips learned:
- Supporting a good cause will always work for the benefit of your brand and your advertising campaigns. The thing is, today, there is literally no shortage of good causes that you can support. In other words, customers love to feel that they are doing something good for others or for the world by buying your products.
10- Hero Cosmetics
Hero Cosmetics is an eCommerce brand that sells skincare products. The brand launched a TikTok ads campaign titled “Get Ready with Me”, accompanied by the hashtag “#school survivalkit”.
The brand collaborated with 20 content creators on TikTok who posted videos of themselves doing their morning routines and using the brand’s Mighty Patch products.
Campaign Results:
- Research showed that the brand’s TikTok videos were seven times more cost-effective than Instagram Stories and showed a 12% engagement rate, compared to 4.5% for Instagram.
- The content creators who participated in that campaign managed to reach 4.3 million TikTok users (Marketing Dive, 2019).
Tips learned:
- Capitalize on the problems that your products solve. In the previous example, the brand solves a problem that many people suffer from, which is the problem of acne. Therefore, in its TikTok ads campaigns, we can see how the brand repeatedly tries to show customers how its products will solve their problems.
Final Thoughts:
After discussing all the previous examples, we believe it is clear now that TikTok advertising is the future of eCommerce marketing. Additionally, you should know that following the lead of the previously mentioned brands and doing what they did can be much easier using automation tools.
Converted.in offers you a great marketing automation tool that will help you in
- Segmenting your target audience, which is a very important step to deciding the main aspects of your TikTok ads campaigns.
- Creating, customizing, launching, and automating personalized ads, SMS, and email marketing campaigns.
- Unifying all your data in one place like a hub, which will make it much easier for you to leverage that data in your TikTok ads campaigns.
Book your Demo now and start working on reducing your customer acquisition cost today.