It’s no secret that TikTok is a powerhouse for online commerce. The popular hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has been seen by billions of customers worldwide. If you want to sell online, setting up a TikTok shop is a great way to start.
On TikTok, brands and influencers showcase the latest products, skyrocketing their sales. An impressive 71.2% of TikTok users have purchased an item after spotting it in their feed.
Previously, the only setback was that customers couldn’t buy from the app itself. But now TikTok Shop allows businesses to set up their own shops on the platform. The process isn’t quite as simple as on other ecommerce platforms, though. You’ll need to apply for approval first.
Still, it’s an essential feature for entrepreneurs. If your brand has a TikTok without a shop, your customers will likely find this frustrating. You could even lose out on potential buyers.
Feeling confused? Don’t worry! In this post, Whop covers every step, showing you how to set up a TikTok Shop, including the eligibility criteria and how to set up shipping.
What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop refers to the platform’s in-app ecommerce features. Brands can use these tools to sell their products, including through their own TikTok Shop page, as well as shoppable in-feed videos, and live shopping. They can also sell through TikTok’s marketplace, via the “Shop” tab.
For example, Wyze sells smart home tech products. Their TikTok page has reached 133.3k followers, and they’re #1 for tech on TikTok Shop. Within 60 days, they’d brought in upwards of $1 million through Creator Affiliate sales, and a whopping $100k from just one video. Impressive stuff!
Why Set Up a TikTok shop?
There are over 1 billion reasons to set up a TikTok shop. That’s how many people are active on the platform each month (with 170 mil in USA alone). Aside from the vast potential customer base, there are many other benefits to TikTok shops:
- TikTok is the go-to platform for shopping inspiration. 83% of users say TikTok influences their purchasing decisions. Beyond that, 3 out of 4 are likely to make a purchase while using TikTok.
- The platform has a vast influencer community. Collaborating with influencers can feed new customers to your TikTok shop.
- There are plenty of ways to leverage TikTok to draw in more sales, including personalized product recommendations, live shopping, and shoppable advertisements.
- You’ll also have access to a wealth of data covering everything from clicks to conversions, to develop your TikTok Shop further.
- If you already have a TikTok for your business, setting up a TikTok shop will allow you to sell directly from the app. This improves customer experience and makes purchasing easier.
How to Set Up a TikTok Shop in 4 Steps
To set up a TikTok shop, you’ll first need to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. Currently, TikTok Shop is only available in the following countries:
- United States
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- the Philippines
- Singapore
- and the United Kingdom
You’ll also need to provide documentation as evidence of your identity and/or business.
1. Register as a Seller
If you’re eligible, head to the TikTok Seller Center to register. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up with either your email or phone number. Alternatively, if you already have a TikTok Business Account, you can just sign in with your account details.
Ensure you have the right country selected (USA is selected in the image above). You’ll also need to agree to the terms and conditions.
2. Verify your information
Next, you’ll need to provide evidence about your identity and business.
Business information
On the “About your business” page, you’ll need to confirm your business type. This could either be “individual”, which refers to sole traders, or “corporate”, which is intended for companies.
You can also provide a name for your shop. This can be changed later on your seller profile.
If you register as a corporate company, you’ll need to provide your company name, business registration number, and registered business address.
Identification files
On the “About yourself” page, you’ll need to provide your supporting evidence. The required evidence will vary depending on the business type and country of origin. You can find out the exact documents you’ll need to provide on the TikTok Shop Academy for your country.
In the U.S., you can choose to submit either a scanned copy of your passport, driving license, or Social Security.
Passport
Upload a copy of the front side of your passport. You’ll also need to provide your passport number and expiration date, along with your full name, date of birth, and home address.
Driving license
Upload a copy of the front side of your driving license. You’ll also need to provide your driver’s license number and expiration date, along with your full name, date of birth, and home address.
Social security
Upload a copy of the front side of your Social Security document. You’ll also need to provide your Social Security number, along with your full name, date of birth, and home address.
Payment information
The payment information you need to provide on the “Before you get paid” page will vary depending on your business type.
Individual traders
Sole traders in the U.S will need to provide their SSN or ITIN at this stage. They’ll also need to provide their Merchant Category Code to clarify the type of goods or services they offer.
Corporate companies
U.S. companies will need to specify the type of business entity that describes them. They’ll also need to provide their Employer Identification Number (EIN), and Merchant Category Code.
Next, you’ll need to add information about related persons to the company. If your company has a beneficial owner or multiple owners, you should select this option. Alternatively, you can provide details of non-beneficial owners.
For each beneficial owner, you’ll need to provide the following information:
- Ownership percentage
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Home address
- SSN or ITIN number
- Proof of identity, such as SSN
- Issue date and expiry date of the identity document
Tax information
For the “About your tax information” page, TikTok shop sellers will need to complete the U.S. Tax Identity Information Interview. U.S.-based businesses should complete the W9 Form, whilst businesses outside the U.S. must complete the W8 Form. You can download these from the TikTok Shop academy.
In the U.S., you’ll need to provide your SSN number or ITIN, and upload evidence.
3. Upload your products
You can then begin to upload products to your TikTok Shop. However, these will not be visible to customers until you’ve completed the document verification process.
You’ll need to add details of your warehouse pickup address, as well as the phone number and name of the main contact. You can also select the return address to be the same as the pickup address or enter an alternate return address.
You can also link to your bank account and bind your TikTok Shop to your TikTok account. Once that’s complete, it’s time to sell.
4. Manage and grow your TikTok Shop
From here, you can continue to manage your TikTok Shop from the TikTok Seller Center. You can manage your orders, add new products, create offers and promotions, explore your TikTok Shop data, and much more.
Then it’s time to promote your products and increase your sales. There are many ways to do this, including:
- Adding product links to your videos
- Creating shoppable videos
- Incorporating live shopping
- Collaborating with influencers through affiliate marketing
How to Set Up Shipping on TikTok Shop
The methods used to set up shipping will depend on your country of origin.
Sellers in the U.S. will need to click on the “Shipping” tab in the Seller Center, and then select “Shipping Options”. You’ll have a choice of using TikTok’s own shipping or arranging your own shipping.
TikTok shipping
For TikTok’s own shipping, you can choose between Express Shipping, Standard Shipping, or select both options.
You can also select your preferred shipping provider. You’ll just need to read and sign an agreement with the provider.
Seller shipping
Alternatively, you can set up shipping with your own provider. Select “Seller Shipping” and choose your preferred provider from the list.
Before uploading products with the “Seller Shipping” option, you’ll need to create a shipping fee template.
To do this, click on “Shipping”, and then “Shipping Template” on the Seller Center menu.
Select “Create New Template”. Alternatively, you can modify existing templates.
Creating shipping fee templates
You’ll need to enter the template name and select the warehouse location it will ship from. Then, you can choose whether to calculate a shipping rule based on product weight or quantity. You can also set weight and quantity limits.
After this, choose whether this template offers standard, express, or economy shipping. Add which regions you wish to deliver to, along with shipping rates for different states.
Once the template is complete, you can click “Submit”.
Any future orders will need to be fulfilled by yourself, but existing orders are not affected.
How to Increase Sales in TikTok Shop
Make creative content
Whilst it can be tempting to promote your products directly, make sure you’re generating engaging content that TikTok users can enjoy. Incorporate trending hashtags, sounds, and songs into your videos.
Don’t forget that tutorials are very popular with TikTok audiences. According to data from Adobe, 62% of users prefer this type of content.
Get advice from the experts
As a business owner, there's no better way to succeed than to get advice from those who have been there before you. The Whop marketplace is home to social media communities led by entrepreneurs who know what it takes to make money with TikTok. With communities, courses, ebooks and tools all dedicated to teaching you how to optimize your TikTok and generate more sales, this is the most hands-on way to increase your TikTok shop sales.
Optimize your storefront
As with any ecommerce storefront, you’ll need to make sure your product photos look good. Take high-quality photos, and ensure the style is consistent between pictures – and with your TikTok videos.
Not experienced with taking product photos? Don’t sweat – this video from Chris Pieta features some fantastic tips to take amazing photos of your inventory:
Partner with influencers
On TikTok, you can’t always make it alone. Even with a tighter budget, influencer marketing should be in your strategy. Smaller micro-influencers' have an average engagement rate of 17.96% on TikTok. That’s in comparison to 4.6% for mega-influencers with 1mil+ followers.
Can You Sell Digital Products on TikTok Shop?
It’s clear that TikTok shops are a great tool for entrepreneurs, but unfortunately you cannot sell digital products through TikTok shop.
This is unfortunate news for many creators. What about that online course you’ve always wanted to create? Or the paid community that could make you some extra cash from your fanbase? If you’re keen on creating and selling digital products and monetizing your existing audience, then Whop is the place to be.
Selling Digital Products With Whop
With Whop, you start by creating your own whop, which is your online hub. Your whop is your online space that you can customize to your liking. As a TikTok creator you already have an audience - why not create a private, VIP chat inside of your whop, and charge for access to this? Here you can sell premium behind-the-scenes content for your paid fans.
You can also create and sell digital products from your whop. Online courses, ebooks, software and downloadables are all things that you can sell. Plus, you could host video calls within your whop, so you can sell access to webinars, coaching sessions, and masterminds.
With Whop, the possibilities are endless. Create your community on TikTok and funnel them to your whop for more monetization opportunities. Setting up a Whop account takes just fifteen minutes to complete – and then you’re ready to sell.
TikTok Shop FAQs
Is a TikTok shop safe for sellers?
Yes, TikTok is a safe platform for businesses to sell their products. TikTok uses trusted payment gateways, like Stripe, to ensure transactions are encrypted and secure.
As with all platforms, brands need to take their own security and account management precautions. Make sure you’re aware of TikTok’s policies, and ensure you communicate with buyers.
Can you set up TikTok shop with Shopify?
If you have an eligible business on Shopify, you can access your TikTok Shop through your Shopify admin dashboard. To do this, you’ll need to install the “TikTok sales channel” from the Shopify App Store.
Be aware that to set up a TikTok Shop with Shopify, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:
- Your Shopify store needs to be in the U.S. or U.K., with a verified address in your Location settings.
- You must have an online Shopify store, as well as a TikTok Business account.
- You need a returns policy page on your store website.
- Your stock must comply with the TikTok Shop Prohibited Products Policy.
