How to Use TikTok Shop with Your Online Store
Miguel Nicolás
25/03/2025
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Don’t you know how to use TikTok Shop with your online store yet? Then pay attention, because you could be missing out on sales.
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By now, no one needs to introduce you to TikTok, the video platform of choice for Gen Z (and the ones before them).Although we have already talked about its potential in terms of organic reach and its advertising platform on this blog, we had not dived into a relatively recent feature yet: integrated shopping within the app, or in other words, TikTok Shop.What will you get out of this post? Basically, you are going to understand what it is, how it works, and what its main advantages are. Plus, since we know you like it this way, a few example cases for inspiration will be included.Ready? Let’s go.
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What is TikTok Shop?
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Since this social network exploded in 2020, its goal was monetization (as expected). To do so, they had a plan: generate critical mass to attract advertisers and, in a second phase, aim toward eCommerce. But always with one basic premise: users could shop within the app experience itself.This roadmap that is very similar to Instagram’s, gathered shape in Spain with TikTok Shop at the end of 2024.Step by step, they launched in various markets the option to create catalogs and include products in our videos and livestreams. Additionally, a showcase tab was added to eligible profiles, displaying all products and enabling purchases.Basically, we can say it is a store within TikTok.
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How do I activate TikTok Shop?
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It is a pretty simple process, but you might still not know how to do it. Let’s go through it step by step.
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Requirements and documentation
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Obviously, you will need a TikTok account, but the important thing is that it is a business account is required, your personal account won’t do.Moving from a standard account into a business account is super quick; just go to the “hamburger” menu (the three parallel lines) in the top right corner of the app.
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Once there, tap on Settings and privacy > Account > Switch to Business Account.Then, you just need to answer a few questions about your business area, provide a public email address so customers can contact you, and write a short description of your store.That should give you access to conversion tools, full analytics, and TikTok Shop features... but only as a trial for one month.To formalize everything, you need to verify your business’s authenticity (and accept the corresponding terms of service). It is nothing major: business address, phone number, company ID, and website. You will also be asked to upload a couple of official documents (any document that includes the company’s name, tax ID, and phone number).After a short review process of between 1 and 5 business days, you will be notified whether your application has been approved or not.
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Registering with TikTok Seller Central
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There is one more step: you need to register with TikTok Seller Central, the platform’s dedicated space for sellers. If you regularly use Google Ads, it is the equivalent of Google Merchant Center.To do that, go to this address in your browser, identify your type of business and enter basic store details like name and address.Since I do not want to spend too much time on fairly intuitive processes, I share a link to TikTok’s Seller Academy, any question you have about technically creating your store can be resolved with their detailed videos and texts.
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Advantages of using TikTok Shop in your eCommerce
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As you have seen it is not hard to start using this channel to sell more. But before diving into strategies and examples, let me go back for a second to explain why you should use TikTok Shop from our point of view:
- Access to a new audience: this network has over 1.5 billion monthly active users (over 18 million in Spain). While it is especially strong among Millennials and Gen Z, it is gaining traction across all age groups.
- A high-impact network: just look at the engagement numbers, it averages 52 minutes of daily use!
- Allows purchases within the experience: this is key for encouraging impulse buying, as it removes barriers and friction. As we said, we can sell through our videos and in the profile showcase.
- Organic virality: keep in mind that TikTok users do not mind collaborations that much. If the content is good, it can naturally go viral. There are several noteworthy brand cases one of those I am going to tell you about later.
- Promotional tools: from selling in your livestreams, letting you do virtual showrooms like Laagam, to using your best existing videos as product ads.
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How much does it cost to sell on TikTok Shop?
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I imagine this is one of your biggest questions right now. Obviously, there’s a cost, but it is nothing outrageous.Opening your store itself is free. The platform earns revenue through commissions on your sales. In Spain, this is currently set at 5%, though some categories may have slightly lower rates.As for logistics, in certain markets they offer their own warehousing and delivery service, known as FBT (fulfilled by TikTok). This service naturally has an extra cost, but you are not required to use it, you can use your own logistics.
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Strategies and success stories
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Everything mentioned so far was necessary to understand how and why to use TikTok Shop, but now let’s get to the most fun part of the post: seeing how all of this works in real life.Let’s do it.
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#1 – Cocunat
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You probably know this cosmetics store (if not, you can read a full analysis of their success story here).The truth is, this niche is one of the best-performing ones on TikTok. There is endless content analyzing and testing all these products. There's even a trend where people talk about unrelated topics while doing their full beauty routine.That’s why Cocunat has very naturally incorporated videos like this:
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@cocunat ¿Botox sí o no? ?? Consigue ese efecto sin perder tu expresión facial con CLINICAL BEAUTY FILLER ??? #antiedad #antiedadfacial #antienvejecimiento #skincare #rutinadeskincare #beauty #pielglowy #glow #cuidadodelapiel #antienvecimientofacial #microneedling #botox ? sonido original - COCUNAT S.L. -
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Why it is so good:
- It addresses an audience problem with a solution: it does not tell you to use this instead of botox; it poses it in the right language and tone: do you have doubts too?
- Demo: this treatment involves a usage method that needs explaining, so the content works as a tutorial.
- Two formats: by offering the same product in two presentations, they also work on the promotional side and upselling to increase the average ticket.
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#2 – Oh Juliette
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From an established eCommerce to a more modest store. TikTok is truly a democratic platform in the sense that practically any business can find its place.Oh Juliette is a store specialized in party dresses, a retail shop from Madrid that could hardly have imagined selling on a national scale if not for eCommerce and, especially, for social commerce.Let’s take a look at an example from their timeline:
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@ohjuliettestore Encontrar vestido para tu graduación se siente así >>> ?????????????? #vestidodegraduacion #vestidoinvitada ? sonido original - JD SHOES PERU???? -
It is really good because:
- Product choice is perfect for their audience. Graduation dresses, which are best suited for the young audience typically found on TikTok.
- Trending music, another example of knowing the language of the platform.
- It maximizes the potential of a small business.
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#3 – It’s Lava
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These girls sell handbags and accessories they design themselves. They are entrepreneurs who started with the bare minimum and have grown largely thanks to the digital channel.Of course, they have a store on their TikTok profile, but as a reference, I will point out something super interesting, their use of a feature we have already mentioned: live streaming. Here are some screenshots to give you an idea of how it works.
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Notice that this way you can:
- Show more products at once, instead of tagging one or two items.
- Interact in real time with followers, answer questions, and basically assist the sale.
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#4 – Influencers and Advocates
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Obviously, we need to consider influencers and micro-influencers, who, thanks to TikTok Shop, can sell products from the brands they collaborate with.There are tons of cases, but I will mention one as an example: Utopya, another fashion store. It collaborates with various advocates and content creators who, on their own profiles, showcase the brand’s designs and “tag” them for purchase.For instance, here’s what the influencer Crisocejo does with a Utopya outfit in this video:
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@crisocejo Me he enamorado de este conjunto de traje y lo tenéis por menos de 25€ ?? | Es de @Utopya Shop y os lo he dejado anclado en el carrito naranja ?? #ootd #outfitideas #fashiontiktok #haultok #descubretiktokshop ? sonido original - Cris Ocejo ?? | UGC Spain -
Thanks to this:
- You can create an influencer marketing strategy where campaign effectiveness is measured very directly.
- You increase the reach of your campaigns and reduce the number of steps to purchase.
- You give the recommendation a more organic feel, as it no longer goes directly through the brand’s store.
We could give you a thousand more examples from these and other niches. Maybe we will come back to the topic if you find it interesting. -
Now that you know how to set up your TikTok Shop, are you ready to create it?