TikTok Shops have taken the e-commerce world by storm, generating over $11 billion in gross merchandise volume in 2023 alone. As the platform continues its meteoric rise, savvy brands are finding creative ways to tap into this lucrative sales channel and connect with a highly engaged Gen Z audience.
With the holiday shopping season upon us, now is the perfect time for brands to explore the potential of TikTok Shops. By understanding the latest trends and implementing strategic, actionable tactics, businesses can unlock explosive growth opportunities in Q4.
TikTok Shops: The Stats That Matter
The numbers speak for themselves—TikTok Shops are impossible to ignore. By the end of 2023, there were over 500,000 TikTok Shop merchants selling to U.S. users, double the number just three months earlier. The platform’s repeat purchase rate is growing, with more than 11% of U.S. households having made a purchase through TikTok Shops since its launch.
Significantly, Gen Z consumers between 18 and 24 are 3.2x more likely than the average consumer to make a purchase on TikTok Shops. With 55% of TikTok users leveraging the platform for brand and product discovery, the potential to reach new, engaged customers is immense.
Crafting a Winning Strategy
So, how can brands capitalize on these trends and drive sales through TikTok Shops? Let’s look at four major brands that have found success on the platform and examine their key strategies.
Halara’s Authentic Engagement
Halara has emerged as a breakout star on TikTok, leveraging the platform’s powerful community-building capabilities to drive brand loyalty and sales. For their TikTok Shops Super Brand Day event, Halara went all in on engaging with their audience in authentic, meaningful ways.
Halara tapped into trending TikTok challenges and hashtags, such as the wildly successful #ConfidentlyHalara campaign featuring their SoCinched leggings. This campaign garnered over 200 million views, exemplifying Halara’s ability to spark cultural conversations and connect with diverse global audiences on the platform.
Beyond viral challenges, Halara also partnered with a captivating roster of TikTok creators to showcase their products in unboxing videos, try-on hauls, and lifestyle content. These collaborations not only built buzz, but also allowed Halara to gather valuable feedback from their community to inform future product development.
The Halara x TikTok Shops Super Brand Day was designed to amplify this sense of community, offering exclusive deals, new product launches, and opportunities for audience engagement through live streams and hashtag challenges.
The takeaway? Fostering genuine community engagement is key to driving success on TikTok Shops. Brands that can meaningfully connect with their audience, leverage user-generated content, and create a sense of belonging are poised to thrive in this dynamic social commerce landscape.
PacSun’s Discounting Dominance
As one of the top stores on TikTok Shops, apparel brand PacSun has found great success by offering thousands of items at 30-50% off. They leverage TikTok Live Shopping to promote these discounts, encouraging affiliates to spread the word and post try-on videos to fuel excitement among viewers.
The takeaway? Lean into shoppers’ love of a good deal. Offering deep discounts, particularly around major shopping events, can be a highly effective way to drive sales on TikTok Shops.
Benefit Cosmetics and the Power of Exclusivity
Cosmetics brand Benefit has been actively using TikTok Shops for the past year, hosting regular live streams that attract huge viewerships. Their secret sauce? Exclusivity.
Benefit released their new Fan Fest mascara exclusively on TikTok Shops for the first 48 hours, building buzz through live stream promotions before making it available on other platforms. They’ve also prioritized TikTok Shops for launching brand collaborations, further driving a sense of scarcity and urgency.
The lesson? Leverage the FOMO (fear of missing out) by offering product exclusives, limited-time releases, and collaborations on TikTok Shops. This can help generate significant hype and sales.
Coca-Cola’s Trend-Driven Tactics
When Coca-Cola launched its new raspberry-flavored Happy Tears Zero Sugar beverage on TikTok Shops, it sold out in just a few hours. The secret? Tapping into the platform’s most popular trends.
Coca-Cola teamed up with TikTok creators to spread the word through unboxing videos, sending “hype kits” that included the new drink and branded merchandise.
Since the launch coincided with Random Acts of Kindness Day, the brand encouraged influencers to film themselves completing acts of kindness, leaning into the #Hopecore trend that resonates strongly with TikTok users.
The takeaway? Stay on top of emerging TikTok trends and find creative ways to align your products and campaigns with what’s currently captivating your target audience. Leveraging trending content can help you ride the wave of virality.
Seize the TikTok Shops Opportunity
As we approach the one-year mark for TikTok Shops and the platform continues to mature, the opportunity for brands to reach new customers and drive sales has never been greater. By understanding the latest trends, implementing proven strategies, and delivering engaging, on-brand content, businesses can unlock the full potential of this rapidly growing social commerce channel.
So, are you ready to make TikTok Shops a key part of your Q4 and 2024 plans? The time to act is now. Let us know what’s worked for you and your brand – or caught your attention as a consumer in our comment section below.
Published in Business, Featured Articles, Tech
Emily Sprinkle, also known as Emma Loggins, is a designer, marketer, blogger, and speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief for Women's Business Daily where she pulls from her experience as the CEO and Director of Strategy for Excite Creative Studios, where she specializes in web development, UI/UX design, social media marketing, and overall strategy for her clients.
Emily has also written for CNN, Autotrader, The Guardian, and is also the Editor-In-Chief for the geek lifestyle site FanBolt.com
