Despite all the recent controversy surrounding the social media platform, TikTok, remains the fastest growing social commerce platform in 2025. In fact, research by eMarketer has found that among social commerce platforms, TikTok Shop is one of the most lucrative– with consumers making purchases far more frequently than on any other channel. So what makes TikTok Shop so successful for ecommerce businesses? And, how can ecommerce businesses take advantage of the social commerce giant to grow?
In this blog we’ll explore how to sell on TikTok, why it’s a successful channel for ecommerce entrepreneurs, and how to make the most of social commerce for your multichannel strategy.
What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is a set of shopping features that allows merchants, brands, and creators to showcase and sell products directly through the social media app. Since TikTok launched online store feature in September 2023, the platform has expanded tremendously and now boasts over 15 million sellers worldwide.
By strategically pairing the viral short videos with direct links to shop for products, the app has transformed social commerce into a fully integrated and streamlined process. Today TikTok Shop allows you to sell via in-feed videos, TikTok Lives, personalized Shop pages, and the app’s Shop tab.
How does TikTok Shop work?
Part of its immense success is that TikTok Shop doesn’t just offer a platform to old school businesses for marketing and sales. In keeping with the interests of its users and creators, TikTok allows you to sell as either a merchant or an affiliate. The TikTok Shop Affiliate Program is a valuable opportunity for small businesses to enhance their sales through influencer partnerships.
Established businesses can become “TikTok Shop Sellers” through a simple verification process that we’ll expand on in the next section. On the other hand, successful content creators can profit as a “TikTok Shop Affiliate,” earning commission each time they generate a sale for the products that they showcase.
Setting Up Your TikTok Business Account
Create an Account
The first step in how to sell on TikTok Shop is downloading the TikTok app and creating an account. You’ll want to choose a username that matches your brand name across other social media platforms and sales channels to create a sense of cohesion. Take the time to complete your profile by adding a profile picture, a short and sweet brand bio, and links to your website for consumers.
Remember, not only does TikTok serve to generate more sales for your business, it can also help build brand awareness and increase brand visibility with a new audience.
Switch to a TikTok Business Account
Once you’ve set up your profile, it’s time to switch to a Business account to unlock the TikTok Shop features that can help you grow your brand and measure success with sales data. In the TikTok Seller Center you’ll be able to sign in with your account and gain access to in-depth performance tracking and external links to your main website or store.
TikTok Shop is currently only available in the United States, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. If your ecommerce business is located or selling in any of these regions you might qualify for a TikTok Business Account.
Confirm your Identity
Now it’s time to verify your identity and confirm your business information to ensure that you’re a legit seller. If you already have a multichannel sales presence for your business this will be a fairly standard process.
After adding your Shop name and selecting your business type (corporate or individually-owned business), you’ll be asked to upload your documents to verify your information. These documents are different for individually owned businesses and corporations, so be sure that you have the required documents for identification easily available.
Add Your Product Catalog
Once you’ve uploaded all your necessary documents and been approved you’ll officially be a TikTok merchant. Congratulations, it’s time to start selling on your in app shop! Now you can add products and link your bank account to receive payments.
In the TikTok Seller Center you’ll be able to continuously upload new listings to your product catalogue for consumers to purchase.
Promote your Shop
TikTok Shop enables brands to start promoting almost instantly upon the launch of their shop. By uploading short videos to your brand’s account Tiktok’s unique discovery engine will put your content in front of potential customers rapidly.
One of the easiest ways to begin promoting your shop is to add links to your products within videos that organically mention your product(s). The most successful brands on TIkTok aren’t just running traditional ads, they’re leveraging engaging content to reach their target audience in a genuinely seamless shopping experience.
While TikTok Shop tools certainly add real value to your reach, the key is to engage with your audience in a way that resonates with them. By investing in creating engaging content and entertaining videos you’ll attract TikTok users who eventually become loyal customers.
Ways for TikTok Users to Shop
TikTok Shop offers several options for TikTok users to shop your products in-app and meet your business needs, including: live shopping ads, shoppable videos, product showcase, and your TikTok Shop page.
Integrating TikTok Shop Ads into a comprehensive TikTok marketing strategy is crucial. Brands can create specific ad campaigns for TikTok Shop, focusing on product sales and targeting audiences effectively to drive sales through the platform.
Live Shopping Ads
Did you know that your brand can go live on TikTok and directly engage with your audience? This is the perfect strategy to demo products, answer questions in real time, and take your time showcasing products. With live shopping ads, products can be added to the user’s carts and they can check out instantly.
Shoppable Videos
Shoppable videos on TikTok are embedded with links that allow TikTok users to buy products without ever leaving the video they’re watching. If you’re looking to capitalize on entertaining content and top performing videos, this might be a great strategy for your brand.
Plus, you don’t have to use TikTok as a sales channel to take advantage of shoppable videos. Instead, you can simply drive direct website traffic through your TikTok account.
Product Showcase
On your TikTok account, users can tap the shopping tag (seen as the bag icon) to access a mini storefront where they can checkout quickly. However, this feature may not be available to all merchant accounts as it is designed primarily for affiliate creators.
TikTok Shop
If you’re looking to expand your ecommerce business with multichannel selling, TikTok Shop is probably your best bet for success. Not only does this allow you greater audience reach, it will help you establish a new sales channel with long-term value for your brand visibility and reputation.
TikTok Seller Center
You’ll be able to manage all of your business needs for your TikTok account in TikTok Seller Central or Base’s Marketplace Manager. Everything from TikTok ads, inventory levels, shipping and handling, promotions, creator partnerships, customer service, and more is located here.
If your business is already focused on multichannel selling, Base offers seamless integration with TikTok Shop and other platforms to manage all aspects of your business easily.
What makes TikTok Shop so successful?
As consumers look to social media more and more for shopping recommendations, TikTok Shop has positioned itself on the forefront of social commerce and shoppable videos. The increasing importance of TikTok shopping as a platform for brands to engage with consumers directly cannot be overstated.
Not only is the Shop tab easy for TikTok users to navigate and discover brands with, TikTok has revolutionized influencer and UGC (user generated content marketing) for companies, driving sales and engagement in a way that has never been seen before. TikTok videos, especially shoppable content that allows users to tag products for easy purchasing, further enhance the platform’s dynamic marketing opportunities.
Easy to Use Platform
One major advantage of TikTok Shop when expanding your multichannel business is the ease and simplicity of setting up. Unlike other ecommerce marketplaces, no coding skills or platform-specific knowledge are required to begin. You can set up your TikTok Shop within minutes, upload your product catalog and product details, and begin selling almost instantly.
Quick Access to New Customers
Selling on TikTok Shop allows your brand to reach a much wider target audience than other ecommerce marketplaces. With over one billion active users, TikTok has immense reach to an endless variety of demographics–made even more valuable through TikTok influencers that create entertaining content that seamlessly act as a product showcase.
It’s a Branding Mecca
If you’re looking to establish a brand story or just hone in on your brand identity, TIkTok is the place to do it. TikTok Shop enables brands to think like a creator more than just another sales channel, opening up a world of possibilities for community building and engagement. Not to mention that the opportunities to increase brand visibility are boundless.
Low Commission Fees
TikTok charges much lower commission fees compared to other selling platforms. For the first 90 days, you can benefit from a commission fee of 1.8% for each product sale. After the 90 days, the fee will increase to 5%, however this is still significantly lower than most other platforms.
This means you won’t be charged as much to sell your products, meaning you can list them for slightly lower prices, making people more likely to buy, while still benefiting from solid profit margins. You can also take advantage of price automation tools to ensure that you’re always at the optimal price point.
Managing Your TikTok Shop for MultiChannel Businesses
Managing a multichannel ecommerce brand can be a difficult and overwhelming task without the right tools to support your business growth. That’s why Base offers sellers a fully integrated solution for multichannel ecommerce management, including order, shipping, product, and marketplace management, among a variety of other tools. You can get started today with Base’s 14 day free trial here.
