Everyone’s talking about tiktok shops (it’s blowing up right now).
BUT, is it just an overhyped trend that will die off (like Facebook marketplace)…or is it here to stay?
What’s REALLY potential of selling here…and is it even worth your time?
Tiktok shops is basically a virtual storefront right on your TikTok page.
What's super cool about TikTok Shops is that they let businesses, influencers, and just about anyone sell products directly to TikTok users.
And the best part? People can shop without ever leaving the app!
This is the first social media app that has a built in ecommerce side to it...complete with affiliate marketing which (in my opinion) changes the game.
Furthermore, with billions of users worldwide, TikTok offers an incredible opportunity for businesses (both large brands and smaller sellers like you and I) b/c you can now put your products directly in front of BILLIONS of people.
It’s leveled the playing the field between these bigger brands and smaller sellers too…because with the power of the tiktok algorithm ANYONE can go viral with some good content.
And NOW that virality can directly translate into sales for your product.
But all that sounds great….is it here to stay long term?
...Or will it just get you excited for a little while…only to come crashing down in the future?
In my opinion, after selling here for a few months now and seeing all the different nuances of the platform, I genuinely believe it’s here to stay (and only going to get bigger!).
Here’s why…
First, it connects brands and sellers directly to customers for the first time ever (where they’re already spending their attention).
So more and more sellers will want to sell here over the coming months, which will inevitably lead to tiktok making a lot more money (as a result of their cut of those sales).
...Which means they’ll work hard to improve the experience for both sellers and buyers.
You’re already seeing tons of improvements and changes from where it was just a few months ago.
There’s also a Seamless Shopping Experience for the user, unlike anything I’ve seen before. In short, selling doesn’t “BUG” the viewer.
Usually, when you see something cool in a social media ad, you have to click over to another site to buy it or it disrupts your scrolling experience and annoys you.
But with TikTok Shops, most sales happen in the app (so they don’t have to leave – unless of course that seller is linking to their own website).
And the product sales videos look the same as a lot of the normal videos when people are scrolling.
The only difference is the button (or link) whatever you want to call it…to the product at the bottom left.
This means it doesn’t bug the customer or scream “I’m an ad for a product” so you don’t fatigue your audience.
And they can either decide, not interested (like other videos they swiped past), or “yeah, that’s cool” and click the button to learn more directly on your shop check out page.
It's way easier and less intrusive for customers, which means more sales for you and I!
But the number one reason I believe this is here to stay is because of the Tiktok shop affiliate program. Tiktok has REVOLUTIONIZED affiliate marketing.
The program now connects sellers on the app… to influencers already on the app WITH the following of their target customer.
It’s a perfect marriage. A win win.
The seller gets access to the ideal audience to sell their product to and the influencer gets a commission for every sale they generate with their videos (ideally to products their audience is already interested in).
… And they don’t need to sell anything themselves, ship anything themselves, or deal first hand with any customer issues.
Affiliate marketing is nothing new of course, but tiktok already has MILLIONS of influencers and BILLIONS of users.
They’ve recently introduced shops so they have an influx of sellers and now millions of products ready to be sold.
And now they’ve perfectly paired the incentive for sellers and influencers to work together in order to get more sales.
I love it. And I’m really excited about where this is headed.
Finally, this is the most impulsive platform out there.
People are scrolling and making decisions fast paced. With TikTok's short videos and integrated shopping, people can buy your products on a whim, without even thinking too much about it.
That means you can really capitalize off impulse buys like crazy (which are already a large number of the ecom sales you’ll see).
I mean just think about amazon and how easy it is to click add to cart.
Titkok shop is that on steroids (where the add to cart button is occurring in real time on your social media). Mind blowing.
But the coolest thing is you don't have to be a big brand to succeed on TikTok Shops.
Whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a while, understanding and using TikTok Shops can really take your business to the next level.
These are just my thoughts after a few months selling here. I’m extremely bullish on the future of this platform.
But the big question is are you? Are you ready to jump into the world of TikTok Shops and grab your slice of the pie?
Or will you sit back and wish you had, years down the line?
If you are, I’d recommend checking out the tiktok shop playlist on my YouTube channel.
It’s FULL OF insight and free tutorials explaining how I took multiple shops and scaled them complete with all the strategies you need.
And if you haven't already, sign up for the free newsletter so you can stay updated with the best sites and strategies in eCom currently.
Hope it helps!
Bryan
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