Traditionally, new businesses would need to set up a brick-and-mortar shop in the middle of their city to start making sales.
But the world has changed significantly since then, with more avenues than ever available for launching a brand.
One such avenue is the TikTok shop, which can be incredibly successful for some brands but also difficult to understand.
Here, I will discuss how businesses can thrive on TikTok Shop in 2025 and successfully grow their brand.
Short on time? Here are the key takeaways
- Promote urgency: Try to capture your audience’s attention before they decide to swipe and move on.
- Don’t be afraid to discount: TikTok exclusive discounts are a great way to promote action from your viewers.
- Limit volume: By limiting volume, you ensure that viewers will act due to the fear of missing out.
- Engage with your audience: Audience engagement is essential to make your viewers feel heard and seen.
- Focus on the visuals: Your background and setup must be eye-catching, as TikTok is a video-first platform.
- No dead air: The more dead air on your page, the more chances you give for your audience to consider moving on.
What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is a feature within the TikTok app where users can make purchases while browsing the social media app.
It is well known that TikTok shop is one of the most popular social media apps, especially with the younger generation, and being able to reach them where they already are is much easier than convincing them to come across your website or social channels.
If you use TikTok yourself, you’ll notice that TikTok shops appear infrequently as you’re scrolling, showing up in between the content you follow and what the algorithm recommends and sends your way.
The videos are often of a very passionate seller, confidently communicating and engaging with the chat while also promoting products, regularly with some form of urgent discount.
For those of you reading who are old enough to remember, it is the closest thing to a modern-day version of the TV shopping channels you’d stumble upon when flicking through terrestrial TV channels.
The stats
All that sounds great, but what’s really impressive is the numbers behind TikTok Shop. In 2024, there were as many as 264,500 TikTok shops, with the gross merchandise value sitting at just over 11 billion dollars!
The main winners are fashion and beauty brands, with beauty and personal care (22.50%), Womenswear & Underwear (12.56%), and Menswear & Underwear (8.06%) dominating the market.
However, other industries like Health (5.42%) and Phones & Electrics (3.88%) also have plenty of market share.
You can see plenty more insights and data in this great report from AfterShip.
How to Be Successful on TikTok Shop
Now that you know some of the incredible numbers behind TikTok Shop, let’s discuss how to be successful on the platform. After all, simply setting up a TikTok Shop does not guarantee success. You need to ensure your shop is well set up and you’re doing everything you can to bring in new customers.
Promote urgency
The first tactic to be aware of is the need to promote urgency when selling on TikTok. User’s engagement time per post is so short that you need to capture their attention immediately by promoting the need to act urgently.
Not only that but the more time you give your viewers to weigh up and consider whether they should purchase from you, the more chance there is that they opt to swipe and move on without buying from you.
Of course, I’m not saying you should lie to promote urgency to your audience, but you should use incentives to motivate quick action.
Don’t be afraid to discount
One of the best ways to do that is by offering a ‘here and now’ discount that isn’t available on your website. This tactic is very common on TikTok and motivates viewers to act now rather than wait or move on from your shop.
Not only that, but you could also run occasional giveaways for those who comment on the live video. People love the idea of winning free stuff, even when it isn’t something they need! Plus, by doing this through the comments section of the video, you also please the TikTok algorithm gods with your consumer interaction, which in turn will mean your shop is shown to more potential customers, and the cycle continues.
Limit volume
Another way to promote action is to limit volume. You’ll notice that most of these suggestions are all focused on not only keeping your audience for longer but also driving them to take action.
By limiting the volume (aka, stating you only have three left in stock), you tug on people’s fear of missing out. This approach will push some people who were unsure about purchasing into purchasing out of fear that if they don’t act now, they’ll miss out.
Again, it’s important to keep the ethical aspect of your business in mind here. If you say you’re only selling 10 items at a specific price, it’s important that you stick to that and not expand the offer or lie about the volume.
Not only is this unethical, but your audience will quickly see what you’re doing and move on while also no longer trusting you in the future.
As a founder of a small business, trust is everything, and building a loyal customer base is the first step to achieving long-term sustainable growth.
Engage with your audience
Another essential tip for success on TikTok Shop is to engage with your audience. Keep an eye on the comments that are coming in, as they are likely questions about your product, similar to what you would see answered on an FAQ page.
Not only will this turn those potential customers into paying ones, but it also shows other viewers that you’re listening and engaging, which adds authenticity and trust, two essential signals for new brands trying to get a foothold in the market.
Focus on the visuals
Next, it’s important not to forget the importance of visuals on TikTok Shop. According to DigiDay, as many as 75% of social media users scroll their apps with the sound on mute.
Therefore, the only way to capture their attention is by providing them with an interesting and engaging visual.
That means being conscious of the backdrop you are streaming live from, as well as the lighting situation and where you are positioned within the frame.
This all might seem like little things, but they all add up to ensure more people stay on your video for longer.
It’s also important to show physical copies of the product that you’re selling. Not only will this excite viewers, but it also makes them more trustworthy that you will deliver the product if they make a purchase.
No dead air
Lastly, any dead air is an opportunity for your audience to swipe and move on. Practice your talking to the camera by doing the same in the mirror, cutting out any empty space in your selling, and trying to cut out any mumbling or filler words like ‘um’.
Unfortunately, this just comes more naturally to some people compared to others! But it is also a skill that you can work on.
After all, practice makes perfect!
Final Thoughts
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