Nowadays, social media trends can make or break a brand overnight, and TikTok Shop is quickly becoming the new go-to marketplace for businesses eager to ride the viral wave. But capturing attention is just the first step—the real challenge lies in responding efficiently to the demand that TikTok can generate for your business, and delivering products seamlessly to a global audience. This is where choosing the right order fulfillment strategy can make all the difference.
To harness the power of TikTok Shop, and the potentially massive sales increase that comes with it, you need to fully understand TikTok fulfillment. With thousands of videos, songs–and now–products going viral on TikTok every day, it’s wise to be prepared for that golden moment when your TikTok Shop takes off. In this article, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know to become a successful seller on TikTok Shop, and all of the fulfillment options you have as a seller.
What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok Shop is a new feature that allows users to buy and sell products directly on the app. This has all sorts of implications for buying habits, seller strategies, and how brands interact with their customers. Let’s talk about why this is important, and how your businesses can succeed with (or miss out on) the latest innovation in e-commerce.
The power of Tiktok
TikTok has become the 5th most popular social media app in the world, with over 1 billion users worldwide. Its powerful algorithm has captured the hearts of all age groups, delivering hyper-curated content that people just can’t seem to look away from. Ask anyone you know who uses TikTok, and chances are, they’ll agree that the app seems to know exactly what they’re interested in.
By entering the e-commerce market with TikTok Shop, TikTok has given businesses and influencers a new opportunity to capitalize on the app’s wide reach and take part in the fast-growing social commerce sector. According to an eMarketer Forecast, social commerce sales are expected to reach $144.5 billion by 2027, which is more than double the amount of social commerce sales from 2023 ($67 billion). Moreover, 68.1% of all those sales came from TikTok shop, as of February 2024.
Knowing this, its clear that getting started with TikTok shop is a must for any online retailer.
What can TikTok do for your business?
TikTok was already powerful, but now it can directly influence people’s buying habits, leading to impulse purchases, and quickly skyrocketing brand awareness. The app’s algorithm has a knack for promoting discoverability, and countless individuals have gone from zero TikTok followers to millions of views overnight with a single video. Since TikTok’s move into e-commerce, this kind of virality isn’t just for creators and online personalities. Now, your products can see this kind of action, too.
For consumers, TikTok Shop means a whole new way of discovering and buying products, as well as interacting with sellers. Now, your product listings are presented in the form of a video, similar to any other content on TikTok. In the world of social commerce, your future customers discover products while leisurely scrolling through videos on the app, without even thinking about shopping online or watching an advertisement. And thanks to TikTok’s high-powered algorithm, the products they see are actually relevant and tailored to their interests. In a way, TikTok does all the targeting for you.
Once a TikTok user stumbles upon your product in their video feed, they can enter your shop and discover everything your business has to offer with a single click (and make a purchase just as fast).
For businesses, this new way of reaching consumers comes with massive benefits, and a few challenges to overcome. Namely, you’ll need a solid fulfillment strategy so your business is best prepared for the surge in sales to come.
How to Fulfill TikTok Shop Orders
Now that we understand what TikTok shop means in the context of your business, let’s look at how you can best handle all of this new attention.
When selling through TikTok, you have a few different options for order fulfillment. The most important thing is to choose an option that’s efficient, reliable, and that won’t slow down your business, allowing you to continue scaling your sale channels.
Manual or self-fulfillment
Just like the name implies, with self-fulfillment you will be handling all orders yourself. If you choose this option, you’ll be in charge of all the tasks that come with running an e-commerce business:
- Monitoring incoming orders
- Sorting and packing products
- Handling all outgoing shipments
- Tracking and holding inventory
- Responding to customer inquiries and requests
Understandably, this is a common option for very small brands and those who are just dipping their toes into e-commerce. However, if you plan on taking advantage of all TikTok Shop has to offer, it’s not a sustainable solution. Though it can be done, you’ll sacrifice time and energy while losing out on the efficiency that can optimize your business processes and make TikTok Shop worth it. Since the goal of selling on TikTok is to scale your business, making repeated trips to the post office, holding inventory, and trying to handle all of your orders yourself will only work up to a certain point.
Fulfillment by TikTok (FBT)
Similar to FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) FBT is TikTok’s in-house fulfillment program. With this all-in-one solution, merchants send their stock to one of TikTok’s many contracted fulfillment centers, and the company handles everything else. TikTok’s subcontractors will organize your inventory, respond to orders, handle outgoing shipments, and process returns.
FBT is also automatically integrated into the TikTok app, and you can try out TikTok’s fulfillment services free for 90 days before the costs kick in. This makes it a pretty convenient way to get started with your TikTok shop if you’re looking for a quick and clean solution out of the gate.
The downsides of FBT
Fulfillment by TikTok takes the stress of handling orders off your plate, but it does come with some downsides. Firstly, you’ll have a faceless relationship with your fulfillment partner, sending your products to a fulfillment center alongside the products of thousands of other TikTok (and non-TikTok) sellers. From there, TikTok decides how to fulfill your orders. It also determines what products qualify for free and fast shipping, what makes certain products eligible for returns, and how other logistical processes are handled.
This also means that you’ll lose control over some aspects of your business. TikTok will use its own packaging, which can prevent you from growing your brand, you’ll lose control of your inventory, and the customer service offered alongside your products may not reflect your true business. Plus, the costs associated with FBT can be high, especially if you don’t have quite enough inventory to justify the storage fees and other costs, such as commissions and fulfillment fees on each sale you make.
Third-party order fulfillment with TikTok shop (3PL)
The third option for order fulfillment is using a third-party logistics company. This option is similar to using Fulfillment by TikTok but without the inherent downsides. By outsourcing fulfillment to a specialized 3PL, you can leverage a suite of expert logistics services tailored to your preferences, ensuring that products are taken care of, all while freeing up time to focus on growing your brand.
While 3PLs take care of the same tasks as FTB, choosing a 3PL for fulfillment is the stronger option for several reasons. Having a trustworthy logistics partner means you can outsource fulfillment and storage while maintaining total control over your brand and keeping your inventory at your fingertips.
With the right 3PL on your side, you can expect custom services like branding and kitting, reduced shipping costs, lightning-fast delivery, and a dedicated project manager who oversees all of your orders. Additionally, a veteran 3PL company with modern integrations can offer everything from reduced storage costs thanks to smart warehouse design to easy-to-use warehouse management systems that let you track and control your inventory in real time.
If you plan to scale your e-commerce business with TikTok Shop, choosing the right 3PL could make or break your success. The right fulfillment partner should have an easy-to-use Warehouse Management System (WMS), cost-effective storage practices, dedicated customer service for you and your customers, and agile shipping protocols. These factors ensure that your business thrives during order spikes and that your products reach the doorsteps of every customer as fast and seamlessly as possible.
TikTok Shop Tips: How to Sell More on TikTok
Now that you know how to choose the right fulfillment strategy for your TikTok shop, let’s cover some pro tips for selling on the app. TikTok might be powerful already, but you can unlock its full potential by combining traditional e-commerce strategies with new marketing techniques inherent to the rise of social commerce. Follow these tips to see how starting a TikTok shop can serve your brand the most.
Start by offering a flash sale
We’ll start with the obvious one. Running a sale is a tried-and-true marketing strategy and one of the most popular ways to promote your business. Even though the dynamics of social commerce bring new challenges to the table, that doesn’t mean you should throw out the basics.
When you’re just starting on TikTok Shop, try raising brand awareness by immediately offering a limited-time, limited-quantity sale with deep discounts on leading products. Flash sales are a great way to increase short-term sales, and encourage impulse buying, which TikTok already caters to by nature. Once enough people discover your products, TikTok’s powerful algorithm takes over, exposing your brand to thousands of potential customers.
As a bonus, if you already have a customer base, direct them to your new TikTok account with an email campaign or other social media post. Make the sale exclusively available on your TikTok shop, bringing traffic and purchases directly to your new storefront, and gaining your first followers along the way.
Use affiliate marketing to drive awareness and sales
In the world of social commerce, affiliate marketing will be one of your most powerful tools. You’ll use these strategies with your TikTok shop to spread brand awareness while targeting specific markets and demographics.
To initiate an affiliate marketing campaign, start by finding creators who align with your niche and brand values. These can be influencers and creators of all sizes; just because they haven’t reached 1M+ followers yet doesn’t mean they’re not a worthwhile partner. In fact, smaller influencers may even be more inclined to do business with you, and they often have more niche fanbases, increasing your chances of fostering brand loyalty.
For example, let’s say you want to sell athletic wear on your TikTok shop. Reach out to athletes and influencers who make fitness-based content, inviting them to join your affiliate program. If they accept, send them free products to review on their TikTok page, thus introducing your brand to their follower base. You can also send a unique discount code specifically for their profile, further incentivizing their followers to buy from your shop.
Affiliates are like brand-loyal advocates who advertise your products for you, and to the right audience. Using affiliate marketing to promote your TikTok Shop means more sales, more exposure, and an opportunity to grow your brand alongside creators who are just as eager to succeed on TikTok.
Keep up with trends and viral products
Because TikTok is all about what’s “trending,” tapping into what’s popular on the platform can only help grow your business. Virality on TikTok moves fast, and it seems people’s attention is laser-focused on new trends, songs, dances, and “challenges” from week to week. Now, with TikTok shop, products trend just as well.
If you notice a new trend that fits your brand, participate! Try posting content that follows trends while incorporating your products. If you want to be even more direct, take note of products that are trending on your For You page, and if they match your business, start offering them in your shop, and make content that markets these products while explaining their benefits and offering discounts. Once your products start selling on TikTok shop, the algorithm can produce a butterfly effect, leading to massive surges in sales.
Offer lightning-fast shipping
Another classic tip for success selling on TikTok is to promise lightning-fast delivery for your customers. As mentioned before, TikTok encourages impulse buying and helps users discover products that are brand new to them. After seeing videos and reviews of people just like them using these products, your new customers will get excited to try them firsthand, leading to a purchase.
To match their excitement, offer fast shipping so you can strike while the iron’s hot. This way, your products will arrive in the hands of new customers quickly, so they can use and share your products on their own TikTok page before losing their enthusiasm, and the trends inevitably shift once more.
If you’re planning on offering fast, efficient shipping, you’ll need a 3PL partner who can take the pressure when your products go viral. Your fulfillment partner should have nimble shipping capabilities and close relationships with global carriers, allowing you to offer lightning-fast shipping while remaining flexible during periods of high-volume.
The Best Way to Fulfill TikTok Shop Orders
As we’ve learned, partnering with the right 3PL provider is essential to the success of your TikTok shop, especially if you plan on making it big. There are thousands of fulfillment centers and logistics companies, but if you want to meet the evolving demands of social commerce, you’ll need a reliable fulfillment partner who can handle every order with ease, and who invests in the future of fulfillment technology.
Why TRG is the best choice for TikTok fulfillment
TRG Fulfillment stands out as the ideal 3PL partner for merchants looking to enter the world of social commerce and champion TikTok order fulfillment. With modernized shipping protocols, teams of fulfillment experts, and advanced warehouses located near the nation’s largest ports, TRG meets the demands of any business’s viral moment, no matter how big.
TRG has been fulfilling the expectations of brands entering social commerce for years, and the growth of TikTok Shop has only made us stronger. When you choose TRG as your TikTok fulfillment partner, you supercharge your business with a whole suite of expert logistics solutions:
- Same-day shipping and kitting services
- Easy TikTok integration and automated order fulfillment
- Cost-effective inventory management
- A simplified WMS that keeps inventory and orders highly visible
- Friendly representatives for you and your customers
- Dedicated project managers who oversee your fulfillment from A to Z.
Beyond state-of-the-art logistics, TRG empowers you to maintain full control of your brand while outsourcing order fulfillment. Premium warehouse space makes special requests, custom packaging, and brand-specific projects smoother than ever, even when taking on a high-volume channel like TikTok Shop. Unlike Fulfillment by TikTok, you’ll have a direct relationship with our fulfillment pros, who are ready to take your call and adjust orders at a moment’s notice.
Our warehouses are optimized for B2C efficiency, with tons of organized spaced for kitting and pick-and-packing, all while maintaining high-volume, high-accuracy fulfillment. Plus, with smart warehouse design and strict storage protocols, we have room to house massive inventories in the most efficient way possible. Not only does this ensure your products are safe, but it also brings substantial savings on storage fees, no matter how big your TikTok Shop becomes.
Start your TikTok shop today and scale with TRG!
When you succeed, we succeed. Partnering with TRG means so much more than having a logistics provider. We become your partner in e-commerce success, anticipating new challenges and meeting demands with expert precision as the world of social commerce evolves.
With TRG as your TikTok fulfillment partner, your brand will enjoy all the perks of an in-house distribution center. You can expect rapid shipping, efficient storage, and agile order fulfillment, all while reducing costs and letting your brand shine through every order.
If you’re ready to scale your business to new heights with TikTok fulfillment perfection, give us a call today. We can’t wait to grow with you.