How to Setup a TikTok Shop: The ULTIMATE Tutorial (Step-by-Step)

TikTok has finally introduced TikTok Shop. It's a built in e commerce solution to let people buy my stuff without ever leaving my channel. In this video, I'm going to walk through the steps of setting up a TikTok shop for my candle business. Plus, I'll show you the different ways users can shop for my products, best practices and common mistakes to avoid. So first, who is actually able to use TikTok Shop? Currently available in the US, the UK and China, TikTok divides shop users into four main categories. First, there are sellers. Obviously, typically sellers are brands like My Candle Store looking to sell their products to the TikTok community. The next category is creators who can activate new revenue streams by using their platform to promote and sell products they like. Like seller accounts, there are some criteria here including minimum follower counts and video views. There are also partners who function as sort of an e commerce or marketing agency for these first two groups, really helping them to achieve the growth they're aiming for. Finally, there are of course, shoppers looking for recommendations on new products and a seamless online retail experience, all without ever leaving the app. So, presuming you're a seller like me, how do you get started on TikTok Shop? First and foremost, you'll need a TikTok business account, which is free and easy to set up. But it's important to note that to get a seller account on TikTok shop, you'll have to live in one of the supported countries and be able to provide documents like id, proof of residency and a business license. You'll also have to fill in your business information declaring the type of business you run for me. Me, I'm an individually owned business, so that's what I'll go ahead and select. And before you can start accepting any payments, you'll have to fill out a W9. It's some upfront legwork, I know, but then again, isn't every aspect of a business? Trust me, it'll all be worth it when you see how seamless it is to incorporate E Commerce into your TikTok channel. And look, it doesn't have to be scary to learn a new platform. HubSpot's free in depth ebook, the Marketer's Guide to TikTok for Business is an essential toolkit with everything you need to know to understand it. Okay, so once you register and provide all the requested documentation, you'll receive an email from TikTok about your application in about one or two days. Once approved, you're ready to take the next steps and get to selling Before I start adding my products, I'm going to go to my TikTok seller center, click Shipping, then Shipping options to set up my preferences. I'm going to use seller shipping because I ship everything myself, but there are also options for TikTok to handle it for you via warehouse distribution similar to selling on Amazon. Select which option is best for you based on the size and scale of your business. Next, I'll upload some of my products. Generally I need a name for my product, a description, an image, and the price. Don't worry, I'll get into the do's and don'ts of titles and descriptions in just a bit. I can also add products one by one or I can bulk upload using spreadsheet templates TikTok provides. Finally, I'll go to the seller center to customize a look and a theme for my Shop in the Store design tool to get it looking on brand for my business. Now that my shop is looking good to go, how do users actually shop for my products through TikTok? So there are four different ways for people to buy on TikTok. I like to do the occasional live stream while I'm creating my candles and it's a great way for me to engage with my followers. But now viewers of the stream can also engage with the products in real time, adding them to their cart while I answer questions about them and they can check out whenever they're ready. Another way is Shoppable Videos, which is basically your content that contains links for users to buy the featured product without ever clicking away from the video. TikTok shop also offers sellers a store page. This adds a little shopping tab and bag icon to your profile that will lead users to a page of products that you can curate, whether it's new releases or your bestsellers. Finally, the Shop tab is a method of discovery for users. This is where they can search for specific products, get suggestions of related brands, and see user specific recommendations based on past activity or prior purchases. Participating in TikTok campaigns will help increase your brand visibility to new users who are genuinely interested in the type of products you're offering and therefore more likely to be a real lead. There are so many different ways to get TikTok to work for you and your business by reaching new customers. Okay, so I've got my shop set up, I'm getting some traction, but how do I keep it growing? One of the most critical best practices for using TikTok shop that I can recommend is optimizing the product catalog for TikTok I want to make sure my images and products are recognizable to my overall brand aesthetic. Also, I don't have to list every single product I make and overwhelm users with choices. Instead, I try to see what sorts of products are popular in the space I occupy and see how I can either fill a gap or offer a good value. I really want to show how my product solves a specific problem or how it can be used in day to day life. Next the reality is that TikTok can be a lot of work, but it can yield incredible results. 83% of people say that TikTok plays a part in their purchasing decisions. 83% one of the best ways I can promote my products and find new customers is to do what TikTok was made for. Create content. While it's undoubtedly fun, TikTok has become so much more than just a platform for silly dance videos. It's literally changing the way we have to think about SEO. Hashtags on TikTok are essentially functioning as keywords would on Google. It's important that the content I make is tagged appropriately with both trending tags and more specific niche ones, just to make sure it surfaces where it'll get the most traction. I also make sure to take advantage of trending sounds to find a creative way to fit my products into the most popular audio samples. Finally, TikTok is an influencer driven platform. There are influencers in all sorts of niche markets, so it's worth doing some exploring to see who might be a good fit for my brand and then I can partner with them to promote my products. TikTok Shop's partners listings is a great place to start in finding an influencer partner that might work well with your brand and your budget. Okay, so now you know what you absolutely should do on TikTok shop. But what about the common mistakes you want to sidestep? Common mistake number one not selecting the correct category. Always be sure you're listing your products under the accurate category, both for easy user discovery but also to avoid unnecessary violations from TikTok. Mistake number Price Spamming Some newbies think constantly changing prices will entice shoppers to buy, buy, buy before the price changes. All it actually does is generate distrust in the brand, both from shoppers and from the algorithm. Please don't do this. Mistake number three Misleading or confusing product titles make sure all of your product titles are clear and concise. There are 34 characters to work with before TikTok cuts off your title. The goal should always be for titles to be descriptive enough for someone who just came across your brand to understand at a glance. Don't worry, you'll be able to get into more detail by avoiding mistake number four vague or messy descriptions. Product descriptions should be engaging and succinct, but with at least 500 characters and readability kept in mind. Highlight the benefits and features of the product while incorporating those all important hashtags we already talked about. In other words, shoppers should be left with zero questions about what they're buying. And to that end, avoid mistake number Bad product images. Even though, generally speaking, TikTok does reward content that doesn't feel overly produced, product images are no place for shortcuts. I mean, shopping is fun, right? People want to see exactly what they're buying. Avoid these missteps and TikTok shop will be growing your business in no time. TikTok has been a major asset for businesses savvy enough to take advantage of it. The introduction of TikTok shop as an e commerce solution is an exciting new frontier to connecting directly with your audience and converting them from followers to customers. Don't forget to check out HubSpot's free ebook the Marketer's Guide to TikTok for Business to understand everything you need to know to implement a solid TikTok strategy for your business. And if you're an early adopter of TikTok shop, let us know in the comments what's been working for you so far. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time I can find this client.

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