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The “Don’t rush challenge”, the “Lip syncing trend” and the” Wednesday dance challenge” are all popular trends that emerged in the past couple of years.
Wondering where these challenges came from? Well, the answer is TikTok.
TikTok is already taking the social media landscape by storm. In no time, it was able to develop a huge user base with a high engagement rate. Accordingly, it represents a huge potential not only for creators but also for businesses.
Therefore, if you are not already there on TikTok by now to promote your products, there is no time to waste, go to TikTok.
But, we know that trying to sell on TikTok can be somehow tricky. Thus, we are providing you with a full guide on how to use TikTok to sell.
We have gathered for you the best 15 practices and tactics to use to boost your e-commerce sales on TikTok; in addition to some statistics to give you an overview of the the platform.
Prepare yourself, take notes, and get ready to start your selling journey on TikTok.
- TikTok Statistics for e-commerce
- Best Practices & Tactics To Use Tiktok To Sell
- Create Your Business Account
- Use Tiktok Shop
- Identify Your Target Audience
- Tag Your Products In Your Videos
- Run TikTok Ads
- Leverage Influencer Marketing
- Hop On Relevant Tiktok Trends
- Include A Link To Your Website
- Go Live
- Encourage Affiliate Marketing
- Always Display Your CTA
- Build A Community
- Show Your Products In Use
- Encourage User Generated Content (UGC)
- Provide Customer Support
TikTok Statistics For e-commerce
- According to Statista (2024), TikTok has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users.
- Another study by Statista showed that TikTok was the second most downloaded app worldwide.
- Around 30% of daily TikTok users have used TikTok shop (Sprout Social,2024).
- Consumer spending on TikTok has surpassed $2.5 billion globally (Social Pilot,2024).
- TikTok has one of the highest engagement rates, with an average of 2.65% (Social Insider,2024).
- Likewise, 50% of TikTok users reported purchasing a product after seeing it on the TikTok livestream.
- Hootsuite (2024) mentioned that 1 in 4 businesses rely on TikTok influencers for product promotions and sales.
- More than 15% of product discoveries start on TikTok, making it the fastest channel for product discovery ( TikTok Business,2022).
- TikTok is the leading platform for customers’ impulsive buying, with more than 55% of customers reporting shopping impulsively on TikTok (Statista,2023).
Best Practices & Tactics To Use Tiktok To Sell
1- Create Your Business Account
First of all, you need to create your Tiktok Business account. No worries, it’s an effortless practice that is just switching from your account to your business one from the TikTok account manager.
Yet, it’s necessary to enjoy all the benefits offered to businesses on Tiktok. For instance, the analytics feature tracks the performance of your content and links your website to your account.
2- Use Tiktok Shop
Wondering how to use Tiktok to sell? Well, to facilitate your selling process, Tiktok created the Tiktok Shop.
It’s a new feature offered by TikTok through which businesses can display their products and sell them directly through the platform. Hence, it removes all obstacles for TikTok users to place orders to offer more convenience.
Just like the Tiktok shop is super easy for users, it’s easy to set up for sellers too. You just need to visit the TikTok seller center, add your products, and your bank details, et voila. You are now ready to use the TikTok shop feature to sell your products in the easiest way possible.
A final tip is to check if the TikTok shop feature is available in your country.
3- Identify Your Target Audience
It’s widely known that TikTok is the platform in which Gen-Z spend most of their time using. However, the publicity of TikTok did not stop at this generation only, there is a huge user base found on TikTok from different ages, backgrounds, and interests.
Therefore, to not get lost while selling on TikTok, you have to identify your target audience. This is one of the most vital tactics on how to use TikTok to sell your products. It will allow you to determine the most appropriate marketing tactics to follow to reach your desired results.
Each target audience has its own needs, preferences, and interests. Hence, to sell on TikTok, you will have to tailor your campaigns for your target audience. In addition, it’s necessary to use suitable communication tools and channels as well.
4- Tag Your Products In Your Videos
A very smart tactic and effective one on how to use TikTok to sell is to tag your products in your videos. It ensures more visibility for your products while not being so pushy to sell.
Hence, while TikTok users are watching a video on the platform like they always do, you will get the chance to tag your products so you can benefit from their watch time. Thus, you advertise without actually paying or highlighting that you are advertising.
In addition, it builds brand awareness and engagement. Hence, it’s undoubtedly a winning tactic.
5- Run TikTok Ads
Don’t know how to use TikTok to sell? The answer is quite easy, run TikTok ads.
You just need to set them up like it’s done on other social media platforms. Identify your campaign, its goals, audience, and budget. Then, you are all set to start running your TikTok ads.
There are different formats to choose from while running your TikTok ads. For instance, the in-feed videos, the carousel ads, video ads, and various other formats. Yet, the hassle lies in managing all of your ads effectively while monitoring their performance.
Therefore, incorporating a tool into your e-commerce will be a smart decision. One of the best tools you can rely on is Convertedin. With its automation platform, Convertedin can run your personalized ads on TikTok and retarget shoppers to ensure maximum ROAS and boost sales.
Additionally, you can get a complete view of your ads and customized insights to easily monitor your ads performance across different channels.
6- Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is already booming on almost all social media platforms, and TikTok is no exception. Hence, one of the most effective practices for how to use TikTok to sell, influencer marketing is your perfect choice.
TikTok influencer marketing involves the usage of influencers or bloggers to promote your products and services on TikTok. TikTok influencer marketing is successful in selling products on the platform. Accordingly, more than 61% of marketers use TikTok influencer marketing for product promotion (Sprout Social,2024).
As a result, you need to choose the most suitable influencers to collaborate with. They have to be appealing to your target audience and already delivering suitable content for them. This way you will ensure reaching out to the right customers while increasing brand awareness.
Most importantly, you should choose the right influencers. They simply need to be influential to reach desirable results for boosting your sales.
7- Hop On Relevant TikTok Trends
If you spend time on TikTok, you will notice how the platform is all about trends. It’s either trending sounds, videos, hashtags, or challenges. Accordingly, one key practice on how to use TikTok to sell is to hop on relevant TikTok trends.
Most of the platform users are interested in the type of content it delivers and the trends it creates. Hence, hopping on these trends while ensuring higher visibility for your content; in addition to increasing brand awareness. Well, when you serve the algorithm, it will serve you.
Accordingly, you will need to do some research to pinpoint trends and potential ones too; or, you will just need to scroll through TikTok to watch the content and you will be able to identify what’s trending.
An example to inspire you is the #InMyDenim campaign created by Guess. It created a viral trend by incorporating an already trending sound. Hence, it encouraged UGC with its sound and reached more than 53 million views (NoGood,2022).
8- Include A Link To Your Website
A key practice on how to use TikTok to sell is to include a link to your e-commerce website. It’s necessary so that interested users are directed to the right place to complete their purchase.
These clickable links will boost your sales as they facilitate the purchasing process.
9- Go Live
One of the main features currently available on TikTok is the live streams. We have to say, this feature is booming!
Users love it and tend to enjoy it; in addition to businesses and creators as well. Accordingly, one simple practice you need to follow is to go live. Yes, it’s that simple.
You just need to prepare what you will say, the goal behind the live stream; you are all set and in action.
Through TikTok live streaming, you can show your products in use and can even provide a limited-time offer only valid during the live. Hence, you will build brand trust and leverage FOMO marketing by highlighting urgency.
Additionally, to make the live more interactive, you can host industry experts, include Q&As, and show product reviews. These elements deliver a highly interactive livestream, increasing conversion rates, and boosting sales.
10- Encourage Affiliate Marketing
Whenever you find a creator promoting a product and encouraging viewers to use their code for some cash-off, this is part of a booming marketing tactic known as affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing involves a third party who earns a commission for promoting a brand’s products or services. Hence, the third party highlights the benefits of the product in hand and if the viewer completes the purchase, the third party receives part of the revenue.
The success of affiliate marketing in boosting sales encouraged TikTok to create its affiliate program that can easily handle the whole process for sellers.
It will enable your e-commerce to easily connect with relevant creators and monitor the sales generated from its affiliate program.
11- Always Display Your CTA
Displaying a clear call to action (CTA) is your all-time companion in all of your marketing efforts to increase sales. Hence, on our list of the best practices on how to use TikTok to sell, you need to constantly highlight your CTA.
It guides viewers on what to do next and the path to place an order. Hence, clickable buttons that take users to your website undoubtedly increase traffic and conversion rates too.
12- Build A Community
You don’t have to be highly promotive and pushy to sell on TikTok. One way how to use TikTok to sell is to constantly engage with your customers and build a community.
Generally, people always like to belong to a group or a community. Hence, by building a strong customer base and building a community, you are encouraging your customers to constantly purchase your products and to promote them as well.
Accordingly, you need to interact with customers regularly and reply to their comments and likes. In addition, you can create a hashtag to be used by your customers to promote your products. Hence, you will ensure more visibility while uniting all your customers with the hashtag.
13- Show Your Products In Use
Online shoppers are usually doubtful whenever they are about to place an online order. Their doubts about the order not being like the images and the various scams encountered made purchasing online a little bit tricky.
Therefore, one tactic on how to use TikTok to sell is to show your products in use. This highly resonates with users and builds more confidence. In addition, such a tactic can be done in several ways on TikTok while looking native to the platform.
For instance, unboxing videos, collaborations with creators, tutorials, and challenges can be utilized for such a purpose.
14- Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)
User Generated Content (UGC) is all the content, like images, videos, or reviews, created and shared by users on different platforms. And as we all know, customers tend to believe the content generated by other customers rather than that created by brands.
The UGC is more raw, unfiltered, and organic, and here lies its significance. To use TikTok to sell, you have to encourage UGC. It’s a smart tactic that will lead to increasing your reach and boosting sales.
You can host a competition to encourage users to create relevant content, giveaways, or even a hashtag. Who knows, maybe one of these videos go viral and boost the performance of your e-commerce.
Glossier is one of the brands that rely massively on UGC on TikTok to promote its products. It encourages users to share their favorite Glossier products and tips and tricks for using their products. Also, it encourages creating makeup looks with Glossier (and seriously what else do we need).
15- Provide Customer Support
TikTok is not only about sharing engaging content and hopping on relevant trends. There is a crucial aspect in how to use TikTok to tell which is providing customer support.
Customer support is necessary for any online store. Thus, it can be done on TikTok yet in a fun and engaging way to remove all customers’ doubts. For example, you can host a live Q&A or post videos using the popular TikTok Q&A format.
This practice will address shoppers’ concerns throughout the various stages of their buyer’s journey.
Final Thoughts
How to use TikTok To sell? It’s pretty easy; you just need to follow our previously mentioned best tactics and practices.
For a while now, TikTok has been one of the best-performing social media platforms, with a mind-blowing engagement rate. Hence, we are always there to guide you on the right path to boost the performance of your e-commerce. Now is the time for TikTok so, don’t miss out on such a huge opportunity to boost your sales.
