While the e-commerce industry continues to boom, it also brings new ideas to the table as Social Commerce becomes a major hit among the social media audience.
Ever since social platforms launched their commerce platforms like Facebook Marketplace, etc., it is obvious how eCommerce merchants want to take advantage of social media.
Likewise, now you can find Shopify on TikTok and access up to more than a million online merchants for online shopping.
Not more than a year ago, Shopify announced its partnership with TikTok to make the most of this short-video platform for several reasons other than expansion.
In this post, find out what’s on offer with the Shopify and TikTok combo and how it can benefit online merchants and global audiences.
A Platform for Testing New Ideas
As Shopify merchants find a new global audience on TikTok, not only does it bring them more business, but it also provides a space for testing new commerce features.
The idea is to provide these merchants maximum opportunities to grow an organic audience by reaching them through videos and profiles.
Given that TikTok is one of the most promising social platforms, the idea from Shopify will allow brands to enhance their recognition on a global scale. As a result, the merchants can reach out to more audiences and grow their network.
Moreover, these merchants can market their products through the TikTok business account by creating their content.
The Infeed shoppable video ads will also help the viewers to directly shop from the Shopify store as the merchants decide which product to feature in these ads. With numerous features, built-in features for scalable brand promotion means that the online stores can use their existing content to market through the TikTok platform.
TikTok has a major fan base from the youth sector who are most vulnerable in online shopping. So, it gives Shopify a chance to experiment with new commerce tools to check audience response and drive more sales.
Shopify also indicated that it would include more in-app shopping features as the partnership progresses.
The Role of TikTok Content Publishers
TikTok was a one-of-a-kind idea when it first burst onto the scene. However, if the platform remained on top, it needed constant re-engineering, so the developers had to put in the hard yards to retain the audience.
As a result, the current TikTok algorithms are quite robust in maintaining the fan following. Now, a TikTok user is likely to open the app at least twice every day, and there are more chances of creating viral content regardless of how many followers they may have.
With Shopify on TikTok, the idea of viral content seems quite appealing to the merchants. As Shopify mediates between the content publishers and merchants, content creators on TikTok will choose to embed and recommend products.
As these influencers provide the product link in their videos, they will attract more customers helping the brands to generate more sales. In return, the publishers will receive a commission for sales generated through their videos.
Reports suggest that TikTok is among the first content partners for Shopify. So, Shopify will monitor the marketing campaigns and payouts to the publishers. As content creators become a critical aspect for online sales, there are two major advantages on offer:
- Micro-influencers Will Have a Say: Most social platforms have influencers who have a large following across multiple social platforms. However, TikTok also brings in the concept of micro-influencers who attract the local audience. These influencers may have a following above 10,000. Still, they are ideal for small businesses that target a specific region or niche of customers. Micro-influencers can help startups and local businesses to build lasting relationships with customers for recurring sales.
- Targeted Marketing: TikTok may not be as widely used as social giants like Facebook and Instagram, but it has a global reach for sure. However, it doesn’t mean you cannot create targeted marketing campaigns on TikTok. For instance, if you want to aim for a specific region, say the US, there is no point in displaying the same ads for viewers in Africa, Asia, etc. It works well for physical stores as a localized audience can reach the marketed brand. It’s an idea that competes well with Facebook and Instagram and can be a great marketing tool for brands on TikTok.
A Strategic Move From Shopify
According to e-commerce experts, the idea of Shopify on TikTok is quite a strategic move for several reasons. Experts believe that this partnership can give Shopify a clear advantage over other competitors.
Firstly, when Shopify mediates between the online merchants and potential customers, it brings brands into the limelight and gives them customers to work with. So, online store owners are more likely to opt for Shopify as their e-commerce platform.
This is a major advantage from this partnership as other e-commerce giants like Magento, Woo Commerce, Demandware, etc., do not provide the same facilities.
Secondly, as customers land on Shopify, they are more likely to search for more products. Historically, this is one of the major drawbacks for Shopify in its comparison with Amazon.
As Amazon generates more than half of its products from its platform, Shopify is yet to achieve the same popularity and trust from its audience. With this initiative, Shopify can expand its reach to the global audience and gain their trust as an e-commerce store.
Large Audience and Less Competition Will Help Shopify Businesses to Grow
TikTok has a considerable audience size, with the US alone generating up to 80 million active users per month. Therefore, it is no surprise why online stores have opted to market their brands on these social platforms.
Earlier, Instagram and Facebook were the two major marketing opportunities because of their global audience. However, with Shopify on TikTok, the dynamics of the game have changed considerably.
TikTok and Shopify partnership is quite refreshing news as it provides online sellers with more options to explore.
As a result, it may also force the other social giants to tone down their terms and conditions for TikTok users are females, who are more likely to shop online than men. Moreover, more than half of the users on TikTok are between 16 and 24, the age group for impulsive buying.
Furthermore, as TikTok presents a new marketplace for businesses, it means a wider spread of current businesses across social platforms. As a result, it reduces competition as many competitors haven’t switched to TikTok so far.
Therefore, less competition makes it easier to target new customers and build stronger ties with them.
Shopify Users can Market Beyond TikTok for Business Ads
The partnership with TikTok can yield some interesting opportunities for Shopify store owners. As there are more than a million businesses on Shopify, it’s the start of something gigantic for the e-commerce platform.
According to TikTok, the new ties with Shopify will help brands run new campaigns on a trusted platform for the global audience. It also emphasized that Shopify is a trusted name in the e-commerce industry, so it’s the right platform for TikTok to enter the world of social commerce.
When Shopify users run campaigns on TikTok, it presents a win-win situation for both TikTok and Shopify. Shopify users can view their campaigns from their Shopify platform and manage everything from the ease of a single application, the TikTok Channel app.
Moreover, it gives store owners a chance to optimize their campaigns according to the response from the TikTok channels.
More importantly, it prevents the need to run all ads through the TikTok for Business Ads Manager. In addition, as many of the features from the Ads Manager are integrated into the TikTok Channel App, it is easier for the store owners to access and use the features for social marketing.
The TikTok Channel app is available on the Shopify App Store. Thanks to the dashboard design, it is easier to analyze, view and optimize your content for TikTok. You won’t need to open more tabs because all the data will be accessible through the Shopify app.
TikTok Channel App for Shopify Users – What’s On Offer?
The TikTok channel app gives Shopify users a place to market their brand on TikTok. So, when you download the TikTok channel app, here is what you’re in for as a Shopify user:
- 1-Click Pixel: This tool allows you to connect to the TikTok pixel with just one click. This tool features analytics to help you track the conversions from TikTok.
- Seamless Ad Management: The Shopify dashboard allows the users to run campaigns and manage them. It makes it easier to review and reconfigure your campaign through performance analysis.
- Ad Credits: For the starters on TikTok marketing, the Shopify dashboard gives a $300 ad credit. So, for all the new starters that haven’t marketed on TikTok before, it’s a good opportunity to start with decent credit to their name.
- Creative Tools for Easier Ad Campaigns: Even if you have no prior experience of ad marketing on social platforms, the app provides enough creative features to make it easier for starters. So far, TikTok has done well in creating a viable platform for a flawless user experience. These tools allow brands to convert their products to TikToks and more effectively market them to the general audience.
For merchants who want to start marketing on TikTok, here is what they need to do.
- Install the TikTok channel app
- Create a business account
- Install 1-Click Pixel
- Choose their products to deploy for infeed shoppable ads
The #ShopBlack Hashtag Challenge to Promote Black Entrepreneurs
Shopify’s initiative to promote entrepreneurs from the black community seems to be a major eye-catcher among all other developments in this partnership with TikTok. Shopify emphasized that there is a need for more Black entrepreneurs in the Commerce sector.
So, the partnership with TikTok also aims to present more Black-owned businesses to the general audience.
So, Shopify on TikTok brought the first-ever co-branded TikTok hashtag challenge Plus called #ShopBlack. The #ShopBlack challenge ran from November 10 to 15 last year to bring black entrepreneurs into the limelight.
It was custom branded content that showcased more than 40 Shopify owners from the Black community.
According to one of the entrepreneurs from these stores, it was important for his business to receive an instant audience that would generate more traffic and drive more sales for his natural body care products on Shopify.
He added that Shopify on TikTok will help his business to reach more customers faster and smoother. With the partnership, it is less working time on creating quality content for marketing. It was the main reason why he participated in the #ShopBlack campaign.
Later, Shopify also launched a Black Business Directory for black merchants. The idea was to provide consumers to buy from these merchants and discover new Shopify stores from the community.
As Shopify users use the directory to reach out to these businesses, it helps Shopify achieve its target of a million Black-owned businesses by 2030, an initiative under Operation Hope.
Shopify on TikTok will be the Game Changer for the Future
Shopify’s partnership with TikTok looks like a promising deal for the companies and the future of social and commerce platforms. Since TikTok continues to grow and expand its global outreach, it will also help Shopify create a brand reputation.
As a result, Shopify store owners will likely benefit from these initiatives and reach global audiences.
At the same time, it is anticipated we will see several advancements in marketing tools and lead generations through content creators on TikTok.
Furthermore, as Shopify pays commission to TikTok content creators for the sales they generate, there will be more influx of potential publishers towards TikTok as compared to other social platforms.
Therefore, the Shopify-TikTok partnership can yield some interesting results in the future that might prompt other e-commerce platforms to join hands with social platforms too.
Slowly but surely, it looks like the initial designs of a transformation of businesses from e-commerce to social commerce.