With today’s announcement of a new global alliance with Shopify’s e-commerce platform, TikTok is further investing in social commerce.
TikTok Partners With Shopify is good news for any e-commerce or dropshipping store owner working with Shopify who wants to run ads on the TikTok platform.
The deal aims to help Shopify’s over 1 million merchants reach TikTok’s younger audience and drive sales.
The companies said the partnership will expand to include other in-app shopping features.
Shopify merchants can install the new TikTok channel app from the Shopify App Store to create, run, and optimize their TikTok marketing campaigns directly from the Shopify dashboard.
Once installed, merchants will have access to the critical functions of TikTok For Business Ads Manager.
These ad tools allow traders to create native, shareable content that turns their products into In-Feed video ads that will resonate with the TikTok community.
Merchants will target their audiences based on gender, age, user behavior, and video category and then track the campaign’s performance over time.
Merchants have complete control over their campaigns’ costs, which vary based on their business objectives and budget. This control ensures that they can confidently manage their spending and achieve their marketing goals.
As part of this effort, Shopify merchants can also install or connect their “TikTok Pixel,” a tool that helps them track conversions driven by their TikTok ad campaigns more efficiently.
With this new feature, e-commerce merchants can confidently track user actions such as browsing their page, registering on a website, adding items to their cart, placing an order, and completing the payment.
This comprehensive tracking capability ensures they can accurately measure their campaigns’ success.
Shopify informs TechCrunch that a limited number of merchants previously acquired access to these features as part of a beta test. However, as of today, Oct. 27, the commodity is being made available to all retailers around the U.S.
TikTok Partners With Shopify has come at a much-needed time when e-commerce is booming. This partnership will make advertising on Shopify much easier.
With over 100 million highly active users in the U.S. alone, TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment platforms, “said Satish Kanwar, Vice President of Product at Shopify, in a statement about the new partnership.
” The TikTok channel implies that Shopify merchants will communicate with these new audiences using content that feels authentic and true to the TikTok experience, even those without a powerful TikTok following their own yet, “added Kanwar.”
For example, the companies were spotted testing a new shopping button that allowed TikTok creators to connect their videos to their Shopify storefront. (Teespring also used TikTok to test this.)
Earlier today, TikTok also offered a TikTok Advertising Pixel for Shopify merchants. The collaboration makes the pixel integration a one-click install, so merchants don’t have to manipulate code.
“In a tweet, Blake Chandlee, Vice President of Global Market Solutions at TikTok, said,” We are delighted to partner with Shopify and provide a platform for their merchants to reach new audiences and drive sales on TikTok.
As social commerce proliferates, retailers realize that TikTok’s innovative and highly engaged culture is set apart from other outlets.
“We continuously find new and creative ways to connect brands with our customers. Shopify is the ideal partner to help us develop and broaden our global business capabilities,” he said.
Shopify and TikTok had been working together to test various social commerce initiatives before today’s announcement.
The companies, for example, had been spotted trialing a new shopping button that allowed TikTok creators to link their Shopify storefront from their videos.
(Teespring was also testing this with TikTok.) TikTok had also offered a TikTok Ads Pixel for Shopify merchants before today.
However, the partnership makes the pixel integration a 1-click install, so merchants don’t have to manipulate code.
“We are delighted to partner with Shopify and provide a channel for their merchants to reach new audiences and drive sales on TikTok,” said Blake Chandlee, Vice President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok.
“As social commerce proliferates, retailers recognize that TikTok’s creative and highly engaged community sets it apart from other platforms.
We’re constantly exploring new features and innovative ways to connect brands with our users. Shopify is the perfect partner to help us grow and expand our commerce capabilities globally,” he said.
However, the collaboration of TikTok and Shopify will not be limited to the new TikTok channel app. That’s just the first move.
We understand the deal will soon extend to other shopping features, too.
TikTok says it aims to start testing new in-app features that will make it easier for users to discover Shopify merchants and their goods by extending their scope via video and on their account profiles.
A spokesperson said these features would also “let users browse the merchants’ products and shop directly via the TikTok app.
” They did not provide detailed specifics about the functionality or how the payment component would operate, saying that more information would be available when the new instruments were released.
However, a TikTok spokesperson confirmed the features would soon be released to a small beta community of testers.
Shopify is not the first to acknowledge TikTok’s promise as a new kind of forum for social shopping. A key reason for Walmart’s involvement in the TikTok-Oracle deal was its potential to boost merchant traffic and profits.
This deal’s current status is still uncertain, given the ongoing TikTok litigation and the forthcoming presidential election, the result of which could influence the Trump administration’s TikTok ban.
TikTok has gradually grown its resources for merchants and other social shopping features. “To date, it has been experimenting with allowing users to add e-commerce links to their bios.
Released” Shop Now “buttons for video ads from brands and added shoppable components to hashtags with the e-commerce feature known as the Hashtag Challenge Plus (soon to be used for # ShopBack).
Meanwhile, Shopify has been working to deliver more tools that allow smaller businesses to compete against Walmart and Amazon while also partnering with Walmart to provide its merchants with broader reach.
The TikTok-Shopify collaboration will allow the video platform to compete better against other social commerce outlets, including the growing number of live-stream shopping apps and Facebook and its app family efforts.
Recently, the social giant has released many shopping-focused updates through Facebook, Instagram, and, just last week, WhatsApp, intending to direct users to shop in their apps and then check out with Facebook Pay seamlessly.
The benefit of TikTok is that it’s a social network focused on video, much like YouTube, rather than a site whose origins, like Instagram, were in editorial-quality imagery.
Over time, video features have been introduced to Instagram. Video is now included in a range of items, such as Feed posts, Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV, and finally, Instagram’s TikTok competitor, Reels. But overall, Instagram has begun to feel overcrowded.
TikTok says the new TikTok channel for Shopify merchants is available today in the U.S. It will roll out to other markets next year, including elsewhere in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
TikTok Partners With Shopify is one of the best news stories of 2020. As we all know, TikTok is booming right now, and it’s only right to tap into that young audience with some creative ads.
Tiktok Partners With Shopify, what expectation do you have? Share your comments below.
Start Shopify For Only $1 A Month
Sign Up For A Free Trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.
Try Shopify free for 3 days, no credit card required. By entering your email, you agree to receive marketing emails from Shopify.
