4 Ways to Drive Product Sales from TikTok

Social commerce is growing. Facebook tools include Shops, Checkout, Commerce Manager, and Live Shopping. Instagram has those options and more.

TikTok is the newest craze. Posting engaging videos to that platform can drive traffic to a website. But can it generate customers, too?

In this post, I’ll offer four ideas to drive sales from TikTok.

Driving Sales from TikTok

Add your store link in the bio. Adding a URL to your TikTok profile is a simple way to help viewers find your site. Merchants, influencers, bloggers, and news outlets do this. In the example below, TikTok user Sophie Liard links to her ecommerce shop, pointing out above the link what the audience can find there — “drawer dividers.”

Sophie Liard’s TikTok bio links to her ecommerce site, pointing out above the link what the audience can find there — “drawer dividers.”

Importantly, not all TikTok profiles have access to the link feature. To check your account, look for the “Website” option after clicking “Edit” on your profile.

Not all TikTok profiles have access to the link feature. To check your account, look for the “Website” option after clicking “Edit” on your profile. Image: Later app.

Linking to any page on your ecommerce site is beneficial. However, try to align that page with the videos on your TikTok grid. Third-party tools can help.

For example, Garage Clothing, an apparel retailer for females, uses a service from Dash Hudson, a visual-marketing software provider.

As shown below, Garage Clothing’s TikTok profile (at left) links to a Dash Hudson page (middle) that matches the videos on the profile. Users can click on any image on the Dash Hudson page to go directly to the clothing item on Garage Clothing’s site (right). The process allows viewers to match what’s in a profile to a merchants’ product page, streamlining the purchase journey.

Garage Clothing’s TikTok profile (left) links to a page from Dash Hudson (middle), which links to each clothing item (right). Image: Dash Hudson.

Connect Tik Tok to a Shopify store. Shopify’s partnership with TikTok is likely the first of many integrations with ecommerce platforms. Merchants can connect their TikTok for Business account to Shopify to generate in-feed shoppable posts from videos.

Advertise. TikTok offers limited advertising options. Sign up through your TikTok for Business account and wait for TikTok to confirm. Once approved, the choices include:

• In-feed ads. Native-looking videos that appear in the user’s feed.
• Pre-roll ads. Videos that start when a user opens the app.
• Promoted hashtag challenges. Videos encouraging users to submit clips using a custom hashtag. This is best for brand awareness.

Advertising on TikTok will presumably improve. In-feed ads are the best place to start and the most widely accessible at the moment.

Work with an influencer. Considering partnering with TikTok personalities to create sponsored videos. Influencer marketing is not new, but it’s likely effective on TikTok as many creators have garnered huge followings.

Opportunities

Think about the customer journey. TikTok is a smartphone app. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly, so users have an easy transition from the app to your ecommerce store. And avoid disruptions, such as injecting ads, modals, and other promotions.

There are lots of exciting opportunities on TikTok, depending on your account and country. Regardless, commerce on TikTok is in its infancy and will surely grow.