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In recent years, TikTok has become a global phenomenon – a social media platform that allows users to create, share, and watch short videos. Along with that rapid growth, TikTok Shop was born, opening up potential online business opportunities for sellers worldwide.
With millions of users around the world and viral videos driving sales, TikTok Shop has become a powerful channel for businesses of all sizes. But is it worth selling on TikTok in 2025? What are its strengths and weaknesses? How can you do business successfully on this platform?
Let’s find the answers to these questions in today’s article!
What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is a shopping feature that allows users to buy products directly without leaving TikTok. This feature allows sellers to showcase and sell products seamlessly through videos, livestreams, and personal pages. For POD sellers, this is a great opportunity to turn creative content into orders while viewers are entertained.
TikTok Shop isn’t just for big brands or professional sellers. In fact, this platform opens up business opportunities to everyone, including individuals, small businesses, and those who have never sold online before. When you sign up for TikTok Shop, you can choose one of four roles that suit your needs and strengths:
- Seller: This is the most popular form for individuals or businesses to sell products directly on TikTok. With the POD (Print-on-Demand) model, you can start with just a few unique designs without investing in inventory.
- Creator: If you have a stable following and regularly produce engaging content, you can earn money by promoting your own products or those of other sellers. However, to participate in this role, you need to have at least 1,000 followers and 50 videos posted in the last 28 days.
- Affiliate Partner: If you don’t have a product but want to earn commissions by promoting products that are already available on TikTok Shop, this is the right option. With this role, you can choose products from other sellers to share and earn commissions for each order converted through your content.
- Small Business: Businesses can promote their handmade or unique products to global customers without the need individual website.
Thanks to this diverse model, TikTok Shop is especially suitable for POD sellers at all levels, from beginners, content creators who want to exploit print-on-demand products, to small businesses wanting to expand their sales channels without having to store inventory. The important thing is that you have unique products, know how to create attractive content, and are willing to experiment.
How Does TikTok Shop Work?
TikTok Shop functions as an e-commerce platform built right into the TikTok app, allowing sellers to showcase and sell products directly through videos, livestreams, and personal profiles.
To get started, sellers need to register for a TikTok Shop account using an email, phone number, or existing TikTok account, then provide personal or business information and wait for approval. Once approved, they can set up their store by uploading products, writing descriptions, setting prices, and setting up shipping methods.
Sellers can reach customers in four main ways: product tags in recorded videos, livestream sales, product tabs on personal profiles, and an in-app Shop tab. When users watch a video or livestream, they can click on a product tag to purchase without leaving TikTok, creating a seamless, convenient shopping experience.
One of the best features of TikTok Shop is combining viral content, creativity, and commerce. With a powerful personalization algorithm, TikTok can recommend products that are suitable for each user based on their behavior and interests, thereby increasing the possibility of conversion. Businesses may also collaborate with content creators to promote products or use TikTok Ads Manager to run in-depth ads, reaching the right target audience.
In short, TikTok Shop is a commerce ecosystem that mixes content creation, social media trends, and online shopping. This brings great opportunities for businesses, especially in the POD field, to reach and sell to millions of users organically and effectively.
Is It Worth Selling on TikTok in 2025?
Yes, selling on TikTok is worth it, especially if you want to reach a generation of young consumers who love creative content and convenient shopping. With over 1.5 billion global users, TikTok is not only an entertainment platform but also a fertile ground for online businesses. However, like any other platform, TikTok has its own strengths and weaknesses. To help you make an informed decision before “getting in the game”, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of selling on TikTok Shop in the next section!
Pros of Selling on TikTok
1. Large User Base
TikTok has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users worldwide, and on average, each person spends 58 minutes per day on this app. Besides, video content can go viral very quickly, helping you reach tens of thousands, even millions of people overnight. This helps sellers reach millions of potential customers around the world easily through quality videos.
2. Increase Customer Engagement
TikTok is a platform with a very high level of natural interaction. Short videos combine music, effects, trends, etc. to create an entertaining shopping experience, not as constrained as traditional e-commerce sites. For example, an exclusive printed T-shirt design can be featured in a mix-and-match outfit video with trending music. Customers not only watch but also comment, share, and buy on the spot.
3. Outstanding Conversion Rate
TikTok Shop brings many outstanding benefits to sellers, especially thanks to its ability to promote strong conversions. With vivid and emotional video content, customers are easily attracted and make quick purchase decisions. In fact, 92% of TikTok users take action after watching product videos. In addition, the product tagging feature directly in the video helps viewers buy immediately without leaving the application, shortening the shopping journey. TikTok’s personalized recommendation algorithm also helps products reach the right people, the right needs, thereby optimizing sales for sellers.
4. Data-driven Marketing
TikTok Shop is not only a sales platform but also provides a powerful analytics system to help sellers understand and optimize their business operations. With detailed sales reports, product performance analysis, customer behavior tracking, and even seasonal and time trends, you will have a comprehensive view of the effectiveness of your strategy and product popularity.
5. Seamless Shopping Experience
TikTok Shop offers a seamless shopping experience by integrating commerce directly into the app. It allows users to move from video to purchasing products with just one tap. This seamless connection shortens the shopping journey and creates an engaging, interactive experience where content and commerce naturally blend. With growing trust from both sellers and buyers, TikTok Shop has opened a new era of digital shopping: seamless, intuitive, and inspiring.
Cons of Selling on TikTok
1. Unavailable in Some Countries
Up to this point, TikTok Shop availability is still limited. To be exact, only sellers from the following regions can sell on TikTok:
- The United States
- The United Kingdom
- China
- Hong Kong
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Indonesia
2. Highly Competitive
As more and more sellers enter the TikTok marketplace, competition on the platform is high. Standing out from the millions of other sellers around the world is a challenge you face when doing business on TikTok. To gain an advantage, it is important to invest time and brainpower in researching your competitors and creating high-quality content.
3. Depends on the Algorithm
The visibility of content on TikTok is highly dependent on its algorithm and is unpredictable. This means that even high-quality content may not always reach its target audience without additional advertising. However, investing in high-quality content is always a solid foundation for increasing the likelihood of going viral and reaching the right audience.
4. Transaction Fees
TikTok Shop does charge commissions and transaction fees. While these fees are not too high, if not calculated carefully, they can significantly reduce profit margins, especially for low-value or price-competitive items. Therefore, you need to factor these fees into your pricing strategy to ensure your business remains profitable without causing “price shock” to customers.
Tips to Success When Selling on TikTok Shop
Selling on TikTok Shop is not just about posting products, it also requires effort and strategy to get orders. Here are six tips to help you succeed in this business platform:
1. Create Attractive Content
Short videos are the most powerful weapon of TikTok. Start by introducing your product in a vivid, relatable way through creative content. Besides, you can take advantage of the effects, music, text, and editing tools available to increase engagement.
Remember to:
- Research popular hashtags and trends in your industry
- Share behind-the-scenes to tell your brand story
- Link to products when possible to drive conversions
- Make product usage fun and inspiring
- Engage with users through Duet or Stitch
And the most important thing is to post regularly. Consistency will help you retain viewers and build a loyal community.
2. Collaborate With KOL
A great way to expand your reach and increase your brand’s credibility is to partner with popular TikTok creators. Influencers can tag products in their videos, making your audience feel more connected and more likely to buy. To collaborate effectively, you can apply the following steps:
- Find the right creator through TikTok Creator Marketplace
- Consider engagement rates and target audience information
- Be clear about your campaign goals: increase sales, traffic, or build awareness
- Prioritize authentic content: unboxing, reviews, how-to guides, etc.
- Always track performance to ensure your campaign delivers a worthy ROI
A smart collaboration strategy can help your product go viral overnight!
3. Optimize Product Listing
A presented product list not only makes it easier for customers to understand, but also makes your products easier to appear on TikTok. Therefore, optimizing product descriptions, images, and tags is an important step to attract the right audience and increase conversion rates.
To do this, you need to:
- Write a short, clear description, and integrate relevant keywords
- Use high-quality images and videos to create a strong impression
- Tag the list with the right categories and hashtags
- Take advantage of tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, eRank or TikTok search bar to catch trends and choose effective keywords
In general, a carefully invested list is the foundation for every successful campaign on TikTok Shop.
4. Use TikTok Shop Ads
If you are a new brand and don’t have a lot of organic reach yet, you can use TikTok ads to quickly reach potential customers. You can attach ads to videos on your feed, branded content, or promotional livestreams. This will help you proactively attract and convert viewers into buyers. Follow these steps to create effective product promotion and sales ads:
- Set up TikTok Ads Manager and clearly define your target audience
- Choose the right ad format: short videos, sponsored content, live shopping, etc.
- Test different creative ideas to find content that “catches the wave” of your audience
- Track metrics like CTR and conversion rate to optimize your campaign
- Start with a small budget, adjust as your campaign shows clear results
With a smart advertising strategy, you can quickly turn views into orders.
5. Performance Analysis and Adjustment
Success on TikTok Shop is not just about great content, but also about understanding data. Take advantage of analytics tools from Seller Central to track performance and make strategic decisions:
- Keep a close eye on metrics like watch time, engagement rates, and customer feedback
- Identify high-performing content to replicate effective styles
- Adjust pricing, promotions, and inventory based on real data
- Continuously refine your strategy to optimize performance and grow sustainably
Data is the key! The more you understand, the further you can go!
6. Encourage User-generated Content (UGC)
UGC (User-Generated Content) not only makes your brand more authentic, but it is also a powerful catalyst for purchasing decisions. When real people share their experiences, potential customers feel more secure and are more likely to be convinced.
How to implement it effectively:
- Organize a hashtag campaign: Invite buyers to film videos using the product and share their real feelings, with your own hashtag.
- Give gifts, discount codes, or special offers to customers who create the best UGC.
- Reshare featured UGC on your TikTok channel, website, or in promotional videos.
- Put UGC on product pages in TikTok Shop to increase social proof and inspire new users.
- Encourage users to tag your account to create a continuous stream of interactions and increase followers.
In addition, TikTok has a feature to display UGC on product tags in videos, creating a sense of love and widespread use of the product. It’s a powerful lever for building trust, driving sales, and engaging communities. In short, UGC not only saves you money on content creation but also creates a natural viral effect, which is true to the spirit of TikTok!
Sell on TikTok Shop With Merchize
TikTok Shop is opening up a golden opportunity for businesses to harness the power of short videos to drive sales. With Merchize, you can get the most out of the platform with print-on-demand (POD) and automated fulfillment, allowing you to focus on creating content and growing your brand.
Why choose Merchize for TikTok Shop?
- Automated Order Processing: Connect TikTok Shop with Merchize to synchronize orders and automate production, packaging, and shipping processes.
- Diverse, high-quality products: More than 500+ POD products from T-shirts, hoodies, to accessories, meeting diverse customer needs.
- Fast production time: Orders are processed and delivered within 3 working days, ensuring the best shopping experience for customers.
- Competitive base costs: Reasonable prices help you optimize profits on each order.
- Flexible shipping support: Merchize supports both “Shipping by TikTok" and “Shipping by Seller" shipping methods, suitable for your business needs.
How to get started?
- Sign up for TikTok Shop: Create a TikTok Shop account and complete the verification process.
- Create a Merchize account: Sign up for a free Merchize account and connect to TikTok Shop.
- Create products and start selling: Design your products, upload them to TikTok Shop, and start your marketing campaign.
👉 Ready to get started? Connect your TikTok Shop to Merchize today to streamline your sales process and maximize your profits!
