It wasn’t too long ago that all you heard about was Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Now, every major brand has flocked to TikTok…and it’s not just to post videos of dancing staff members.
TikTok Shopping arrived in Australia in 2021 and, since then, has been making some serious waves [along with some hefty profits for savvy business owners].
So, if you’re thinking about adding TikTok to your social media strategy, stop thinking and start implementing!
What do the stats say about TikTok Shopping?
In 2021, consumer spending on TikTok increased by a massive 77% compared to 2020, with users spending $2.3 billion [USD] in the app compared to $1.3 billion the year before.
According to Statista, a study in January 2022 revealed that over 70% of TikTok users said they shopped when they stumbled across something in their feed. Over a half of responding TikTok users said they used the platform for shopping inspiration.
As Hootsuite puts it, “Anyone who has opened TikTok to watch a single video and resurfaced an hour later can attest the app’s powers of engagement. In fact, TikTok is the most engaging of all social media apps, with an average user session of 10.85 minutes.” That means TikTok is more than three times as engaging as Instagram, where the average user session is 2.95 minutes. 🤯
Yet another jaw-dropping stat: eight new users join TikTok every single second.
What does all of this mean? Well, if you’re not in front of your customers’ eyeballs on TikTok, your competitors likely are. It’s time to catch up.
So how does TikTok Shopping work?
TikTok Shopping might be a daunting thing to jump into at first, but the platform has made it super easy for eCommerce businesses to get onboard and start selling their products.
TikTok Shopping is a full-service eCommerce solution, where you can manage product uploads, purchasing, shipping and fulfillment – all in one place.
There are two options for TikTok sellers: Shopping Direct or Partner Integration. The first creates an eCommerce experience for merchants who want to run their business directly from TikTok, whereas Partner Integration takes shoppers away from the app for any post-payment activity.
From a buyer perspective, a customer just places an item they see in TikTok Shopping into their cart and can then checkout either in TikTok or on your eCommerce website.
Is TikTok Shopping right for your business?
When deciding whether any social media platform is the right choice for you and your business, it’s important to take a look at your overall strategy and who your target audience is.
Using market research, you can determine where your customers are hanging out and try to predict whether real traction is possible for your business on TikTok or not. If your audience is mostly Gen Z-ers and your industry is health and fitness, for example, you could be onto a winner.
The bottom line
The bottom line is, TikTok has made it pretty simple for businesses of all shapes and sizes to sell their products and services on the platform.
If we’ve learnt one thing from being digital marketing experts this long, it’s that giving something a red hot crack [with a well-informed, strategic approach] never hurts anyone. Why not test out TikTok Shopping and see what happens?
Need a hand navigating the ever-shifting world of social media marketing? Give us a call today to get started.
