TikTok Shop is transforming eCommerce, offering brands a fast-growing platform to reach new audiences and drive significant sales. As the second-largest beauty retailer in the UK, TikTok Shop has quickly become a powerful marketplace. However, navigating the platform can be overwhelming for newcomers.
This guide, based on expert insights from TikTok agency, Unsociable, breaks down the key strategies to launch, optimise, and scale your business on TikTok Shop. Base provides essential tools and support to help businesses streamline operations and maximise their success on the platform.
Why Sell on TikTok Shop?
Base helps businesses leverage TikTok Shop by providing integration, automation, and analytics to optimise their sales strategy. There are five main ways to sell on TikTok Shop, all centered around content:
- Live Shopping – Selling directly via live streams.
- Own Brand Content – Creating organic content to drive sales.
- Affiliate Content – Partnering with influencers and content creators.
- Paid Advertising – Using TikTok’s ad system to boost reach.
- Shop Tab – Listing products directly on the platform for purchase.
Each of these methods plays a vital role, and brands often use a combination for maximum impact.
Choosing the Right Products
Before setting up your TikTok Shop, selecting the right hero SKUs (products) is crucial. The best-performing products tend to fall into one of three categories:
- Price – Affordable yet valuable.
- Novelty – Unique and eye-catching.
- Exclusivity – Hard-to-find or limited-edition items.
Focus on 2-5 SKUs to start rather than trying to sell too many products at once.
Setting Up Your TikTok Shop
Step 1: Shop Setup & Approval
Getting started can sometimes be tricky, but if your business generates over £1M in annual online sales, you may qualify for a dedicated TikTok Account Manager. If you’re facing approval challenges, reach out directly to TikTok’s support team.
Step 2: Listing & Optimisation
Once your shop is set up, the next step is to:
- List your chosen hero SKUs.
- Offer free samples to influencers and affiliates.
- Establish an attractive commission structure.
Building Momentum: The Key to Success
Momentum is everything on TikTok Shop. During the initial phase, focus less on profit margins and more on gaining traction. Here are some strategies to jumpstart your success:
- Offer high affiliate commissions (above 30%).
- Fund paid partnerships with top-performing influencers.
- Provide ad incentives to affiliates to boost their content.
It’s common to operate at a loss for the first 8-12 weeks, but this investment will help establish a strong presence on the platform.
Generating Your First Sales
Once you’ve built momentum, your next goal is consistent sales. There are two main strategies to achieve this:
- Pay & Spray – Sending out as many free samples as possible to different influencers and letting them create content.
- The Coaching Method – Handpicking affiliates, building long-term relationships, and guiding them on content creation.
A mix of both approaches is often the most effective. This strategy helped Warrior Supplements generate £1.1M in sales within just three months.
Leveraging Affiliates & Sampling
Affiliate marketing is a powerful tool on TikTok Shop. If you’re struggling to get influencers onboard, consider reaching out via Instagram or email, where they receive fewer promotional requests.
A strong affiliate network leads to more sales, lower commission rates, and sustained growth.
Creating Organic Content for Brand Growth
While not essential, having a strong TikTok account boosts credibility and helps lower acquisition costs. Organic content can drive sales without the need for heavy affiliate commissions.
Live Selling: A Game-Changer
Live shopping is rapidly gaining traction and is being heavily promoted by TikTok. To succeed with live selling:
- Create an engaging set design.
- Have a charismatic host to present the products.
- Aim for a GMV of £500 per hour, a scalable target for most brands.
Some brands excel at live shopping and generate six-figure revenues from a single session. Give Me Cosmetics, for example, gained 10,000 followers and massive sales from just one live event.
Accelerating Growth with Paid Ads
Paid advertising can amplify your success on TikTok Shop. Consider using:
- Shop Ads – Boost product visibility in the shop tab.
- Spark Ads – Promote high-performing affiliate content.
- Traditional Ads – Run standard ad campaigns.
- Live Ads – Drive traffic to live shopping events.
With TikTok’s current ad incentives, acquisition costs are highly competitive, making this an ideal time to invest in paid marketing.
Long-Term Success: Staying Relevant
Many brands fear going viral only to fade into obscurity. The key to longevity on TikTok Shop is continuous innovation. To keep your brand thriving:
- Refresh your content and campaigns regularly.
- Rotate new viral-worthy products.
- Keep your live events engaging and interactive.
Conclusion
TikTok Shop presents a massive opportunity for brands willing to embrace content-led commerce. By focusing on strategic product selection, building momentum, leveraging affiliates, and scaling with paid advertising, you can turn TikTok Shop into a highly profitable sales channel.
Base simplifies the process by offering seamless integration, expert support, and automation tools, ensuring that brands can efficiently manage their TikTok Shop and maximise sales potential.
Ready to launch your TikTok Shop? Learn more and get started with Base today: Click here.
