There is an old saying that “leaders don’t follow.” Whoever said that obviously didn’t spend much time on digital platforms observing how trends emerge and disappear as the synergies between users constantly evolve and change. At TikTok, we celebrate the creativity of our community and the trends they develop by seamlessly integrating commercial offers into the in-app experience.
TikTok is home to a new kind of shopping culture we call Community Commerce: the blend of community, entertainment, and shopping that makes product discovery so unique on TikTok. Don’t forget, over 60% of TikTok users say they feel a sense of community on the platform.
Unlike traditional marketplace models, Community Commerce isn’t just about connecting sellers to buyers – time and time again, we’ve seen the TikTok community discover new brands and products they want to buy through our platform.
Introduce brands into the heart of the TikTok community
The TikTok community loves content that’s creative and authentic, and they don’t want their viewing time to be interrupted by ads that don’t entertain, mobilize or connect them. That’s why sellers on TikTok have to use creative content that engages the users without interfering with their experience. But how can viral trends, creativity, and commercial interests blend seamlessly together?
How the latest trends become sales opportunities
We’re constantly working on ways to expand our suite of brand and product-centered solutions for sellers looking to authentically engage with our unique and highly creative community. In addition to our traditional content upload – where sellers and brands upload their own creative content – our Dynamic Showcase Ads are the latest bridge between brands and their customers where we loop vendors into the trends creators inspire.
On TikTok, sellers can tap creators to create engaging content that just so happens to feature their brand. This approach enables vendors to reach the TikTok community in an entertaining way.
Integrate your brand into the TikTok experience
- Spark! Creators or brands make content featuring a product
- Share! TikTokers see that content and join the conversation
- Spike! Excitement builds around buying from the brand and sales rise
- Sustain! The brand continues to engage the brand audience
Trust, and not adspend is key to TikTok community integration
Because the TikTok community is introduced to brands and products alongside the content they’re actively seeking, brands need to merge their commercial approach with the preferences of the community. As we’ve learned, this kind of relationship encourages users to place more trust in the brands they see in their favorite content. It’s not about saturating users’ feeds with big ad spends, or piggybacking onto their content. It’s about respecting the community and fostering the trust they already place in TikTok.
We bring together creators, users and vendors in a reciprocal value chain where everyone benefits. Research by Walnut Unlimited in 2020 found that the TikTok platform helped 74% of users to make purchases. An amazing 66% made a purchase even when they weren’t looking to shop – as the viral hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt shows!
How product feeds drive sales on TikTok
Content provided by brands via upload or Showcase Ads can link to product pages that currently allow for off-app purchases. We also provide Product Showcase pages which are populated by the vendors’ product feeds. Vendors are of course still free to upload their own creative content and position themselves on users’ For You Pages (FYP), but our new creative branding options are making native community acceptance possible without brands having to create trending content themselves.
All vendors have to do is ensure their product feeds are structured according to TikTok’s requirements. We then take their images and – with the help of TikTok creators – we place your branding in entertaining, engaging, and unique content for users to watch. TikTok users trust the brands they find in their favorite videos.
Don’t make ads, make TikToks!
The TikTok community is unique, and the rise of Community Commerce on our platform demonstrates what they’re looking for on TikTok – an authentic environment for their self-expression and entertainment. Our commercial solutions are designed to help vendors take advantage of a huge pool of potential buyers and to continue to offer the kind of community experience TikTok users love and, most importantly, the kind of community they trust.
Click here to receive your on-demand link to our webinar featuring TikTok's Lorry Destainville in conversation with our Chief Innovation Officer Marcel Hollerbach, as they discuss TikTok Shopping and much more.