How to Leverage TikTok to Drive eCommerce Sales

Now made up of over 26 million companies, it is estimated that the ecommerce market will be worth a staggering $6.7 trillion by 2024 – with no signs of slowing down. As ecommerce takes over and the space becomes increasingly competitive, brands must build a strong marketing strategy to catch the attention of consumers, engage them in ways that resonate, and make it easy for them to shop.

So, what’s the secret sauce? TikTok influencer marketing. 

Keep reading to learn new statistics, insights, and strategies to drive ecommerce sales on TikTok.

Why TikTok for ecommerce? 

TikTok is the perfect channel to drive ecommerce sales, purely due to the nature of the platform. TikTok’s community decides what’s trending year-round and creators are eager to hop on the platform to share high-performing, highly-engaging user-generated content. Many creators share honest product reviews, clothing try-on hauls, makeup tutorials, and other authentic content that TikTok has often been the catalyst for brands selling out of their products, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores.

Now, TikTok serves as a central hub for consumers to discover, research, and even purchase products directly from the app — and the numbers speak for themselves:

• 80% of TikTok users say the platform helps them get ideas about new products and brands. 
• 1 in 2 TikTok users turn to the For You Page for holiday and shopping events content. 
• TikTok users are 1.4x more likely to buy a product they find on the platform than users of other platforms. 

In many ways, TikTok is revolutionizing the way brands think about marketing. The traditional marketing funnel is becoming antiquated in today’s evolving retail landscape, where social media, community, and commerce merge together. Consumers today don’t follow the traditional top-to-bottom marketing funnel when making a purchase. Instead, they enter, exit, and re-enter at different stages of the purchase journey based on their needs and wants. 

That’s why TikTok’s retail path to purchase is not linear — rather it’s an infinite loop.

There’s no starting or ending point, and it empowers ecommerce brands to meet consumers where they are. By leveraging TikTok, brands can build engaging consumer experiences that make product discovery, research, and purchase exciting and entertaining. In turn, you’re able to establish more meaningful relationships with consumers, build a community of brand loyalists, and boost ROI. 

How can ecommerce brands leverage TikTok to drive ecommerce sales?

Incorporating TikTok influencer marketing into your ecommerce strategy may be the most impactful way to build a recognizable presence online. TikTok influencers are social savvy creators who have mastered the art of producing engaging video content. They can tell a full, engaging story around your brand in a way that feels native to the social platform and, more importantly, authentic to their audience.

But what kind of TikTok campaigns are the most successful? Let’s discuss 5 actionable TikTok influencer marketing strategies that will resonate with consumers and push your brand into virality. 

1. Hauls

Today, it’s all about showing, not telling. A haul video is the perfect way for creators to show off their latest and greatest purchases on TikTok, whether it be clothing, makeup, tech products, or really any other item. It’s almost like being on FaceTime with your best friend gushing about your recent shopping spree. 

Hauls have grown to be incredibly popular when it comes to viewership. On TikTok, #hauls averaged a whopping 7.4 billion views within the span of just 3 months. 

To jump on the haul train, allow creators to pick a few products from your collection that they’re excited about trying out and encourage them to open up the products on video — similar to an unboxing. 

This creates an interactive experience for the creator and their audiences, all while increasing awareness and providing social proof for your brand. These kinds of videos have immense influence on viewers, with many being compelled to share their own “TikTok made me buy it” hauls. 

2. Educational content

TikTok is jam packed with creators who are experts operating in all kinds of industries, which is why you’ll often find educational clips on TikTok, from makeup tutorials to practical budgeting tips. 

Work with a creator who is a professional in the space you operate in. For example, if you’re a skincare brand, join forces with a dermatologist or a licensed aesthetician to back up the benefits of your products with their expert knowledge. If you’re a fitness brand, collaborate with a personal trainer to walk through a workout using your products. If you’re a food brand, partner with a chef to bring a recipe to life incorporating your products. And so on and so forth.

The idea is to promote your products in a way that instills trust and provides value to your target audience. 

3. Before-and-after transformation

Whether it’s a skincare product to treat acne or a health supplement to aid muscle growth, showcasing real results is incredibly powerful. That’s why before-and-after transformation footage is the greatest testament to the effectiveness of your products. 

The best approach is a product seeding campaign. Send influencers your products to try before entering a contract so that they can see if your product really works for them. If they love it, you can enter into a formal partnership and they’ll be an amazing advocate for your brand. 

4. Day-in-the-life vlogs

People love to watch relatable content. Work with lifestyle influencers and ask them to take their audience along on a regular day, while incorporating your products into their routine. This is a great way to blend your products into their everyday lifestyle — showcasing to their audience that they, too, can achieve this lifestyle. 

Bloom Nutrition is great at finding creators who can integrate their nutritional supplements into their everyday lives. If you’re regularly on TikTok, you’ve seen a handful of creators drinking their Bloom Greens on your FYP. 

5. Paid ads

You’ve already done the hard work by finding the perfect creators for your brand and running a successful influencer campaign. Now, stretch the impact of your top-performing influencer content by repurposing them into TikTok ads. Because their content is native to the platform and has already proven to perform well, repurposing them into paid ads is sure to boost your ROI. 

There are several ad options available:

• Spark ads: Spark Ads is a native TikTok ad format that enables you to leverage organic TikTok posts and their features in your advertising. This unique format lets you publish ads using your own TikTok account's posts, or by ​using organic posts made by other creators – with their authorization. Spark Ads use posts from real TikTok accounts, which ensures that all views, comments, shares, likes, and follows gained from boosting the video during the promotion are attributed to your organic posts. There's no limit to how many times you can use the same organic TikTok posts as creatives in your ads. This is a great way to boost your engagement and reach new audiences with engaging content. 
• Video shopping ads: The Video Shopping Ads feature allows you to make your TikTok in-feed video ads shoppable. When people on TikTok see your Video Shopping Ad, they can browse products on your TikTok Shop by tapping the Product card or anchor link and then buy them in your store. These ads can serve as your always-on foundation to guide shoppers through the aforementioned infinite retail loop and deliver across your commerce goals. 

There are many more ways to advertise on TikTok, including TikTok Pulse, Branded Hashtag Challenges, and more, but we recommend trying out the ones listed above first. 

Add TikTok to your ecommerce toolbelt

When done right, a TikTok influencer marketing campaign can transform your ecommerce business and take it from zero to 100. Work with creators to create engaging content that has the potential to go viral, and drive more traffic and sales by leveraging their content in ads.

Need help running your TikTok influencer marketing campaign? See how you can create your own #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt moment on Aspire. 

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