Why Brands, Amazon Sellers and Vendors Should Be Selling On TikTok Shop

In this episode, hosted by Carina McLeod, ex-Amazonian and founder of eCommerce Nurse and Vendor Society, we explore the dynamic world of TikTok Shop and why it’s a must-consider platform for eCommerce brands. Joined by Owen Aderibigbe, ex-Amazonian and Business Development Manager at eCommerce Nurse, we dive into the key opportunities TikTok Shop presents for brands looking to stay ahead in the competitive eCommerce landscape.

Key Discussion Points:
1️⃣ What Makes TikTok Shop Unique?
Discover the difference between TikTok Shop and platforms like Amazon. Learn how social commerce creates a seamless shopping experience and why TikTok’s content-driven approach offers unparalleled opportunities for engagement and sales.

2️⃣ The Power of Content Creation
Understand why content is king on TikTok and how consistent video creation—up to 3 videos per day—can amplify your brand's visibility and sales.

3️⃣ Audience Insights and Demand Generation
TikTok isn’t just for younger audiences. With 40% of the population on the platform, brands can reach diverse demographics and generate demand like never before.

4️⃣ The Investment in TikTok Success
From UGC creators to affiliate partnerships, learn about the resources and strategies required to thrive on TikTok Shop.

5️⃣ Key Differences Between TikTok and Amazon
Dive into how TikTok’s algorithm, ad strategy, and live selling features differ from traditional marketplace platforms like Amazon, offering new ways to connect with your target audience.

6️⃣ Why Early Adoption Matters
With TikTok in its honeymoon period, early adopters benefit from seller-friendly support, discounts, and promotional funding. Don’t miss out on this pivotal time to establish your brand on the platform.

🎧 Tune in now! Whether you’re new to TikTok or looking to enhance your presence, this episode provides the knowledge you need to make informed decisions.

👇Explore our latest blog posts for up-to-date TikTok Shop tips, strategies, and insights—your go-to guide for actionable takeaways and expert advice!
TikTok Shop Blog Posts

#tiktokshop #tiktokseller #tiktokstrategy #amazonvendor #ecommercestrategy  #vendorsociety #ecommercenurse #amazonagency #sellingontiktok #vendorconnect #brandstrategy #amazonsellers #onlineselling

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Transcript

Hi there. Welcome to the eCommerce Nurse podcast. I'm Carina McLeod, ex Amazonian and CEO and founder of eCommerce Nurse and Vendor Society. Today, we're gonna be talking about TikTok Shop and how brands should be thinking about TikTok Shop and why it should be part of their ecommerce strategy. So we have a special guest today, Owen Aderibigbe, who is an ex Amazonian and ex Amazon Seller and Business Development Manager for eCommerce Nurse. So thank you, Owen, for coming today. Thank you. Welcome. Thanks very much.

And thanks for the excellent pronunciation of my surname. Practice makes perfect. It does. Thank you. So today we're gonna be talking then about TikTok.

Yeah. And I know just as us as an agency, eCommerce Nurse, there's been a lot of focus for us as we move into and we've expanded our services into TikTok shop. So it's definitely a hot topic at the moment. But also, when we're speaking with brands, a lot of brands are curious about TikTok. But the biggest question that first comes up, and I'd love for us to clarify with our audience today, is what is the difference between TikTok shop and TikTok and other social platforms?

Yeah. So TikTok, just to sort of put it in its context, is a social platform that kind of differs from, say, Instagram because it's much more focused on sort of short form videos. So it's super sharp, entertaining, like lots of dopamine hits. And, but also what makes it really powerful is the sort of For You algorithm based content. So it's very good at profiling, but it's also sort of uniquely useful, or uniquely set up for eCommerce or social commerce, actually.

Because ads and sort of the ability to shop and shoppable videos all feels very native to the platform. In a way that's not the same with Instagram. And not really replicated anywhere else. And then if you look at that, if you compare it to say something like Amazon. Where I think Amazon are trying to slowly move over to video content and making it more engaging.

But ultimately, it's a shopping marketplace where TikTok are actually building something that's kind of both, right? So, the difference, I guess, between TikTok Shop and TikTok is, to be honest, they're overlaid. So it's just basically TikTok Shop is an integrated platform that sits on TikTok, right? So, to most people, it's just TikTok. But as far as the business is concerned, obviously TikTok Shop allows you, sort of back end access.

So, it's something like Seller Central, for those that are familiar with Amazon, similar to Seller Centre. Both, I've said it the other way around, but you know what I mean. And it basically allows you to shop, sort of in app. So whilst you're looking at your cat videos, suddenly something comes up and it's like, oh, that looks good. And I can buy it now.

Without having to sort of take me off to another platform. And I can actually sort of buy straight away. So it's like shortening that period, that time or that lag between sort of seeing the product and being able to buy the product. You said something really interesting there, social commerce.

And I think that's the key difference here that we're finding, right, as an agency is that, you know, we mentioned ecommerce, and that's typically the marketplaces like Amazon. We could even say like eBay, for example. But actually, there's this evolving platform, which is Tik TOK, which is social commerce, which is the combination, I guess, of the 2. Exactly. Yeah.

And that's ultimately, I think, where we're gonna see so much growth. As a business, and I mean, it's a question that I think a lot of Amazon sellers, but just anyone who's sort of selling in general, is you're thinking, how do I generate demand for my product? So when you're looking at Amazon, it's actually really difficult to generate demand. Right? If you think about generally what happens for most sellers, you are competing, sort of at the lower end of the funnel where, you know, basically it's all keywords based, right?

So you're searching for a product, let's say coffee, and you're fighting for relevancy over that, on that particular keyword. Whereas on TikTok, you have the opportunity to meet customers where they are. So in the sort of entertainment space, and actually say, hey, these are the benefits of coffee. These are the things that help me sort of start my day. And, you know, let's say you're an influencer or, you know, in the eCommerce space and you're very successful and you're saying, okay, actually, here's how I get success.

I'm very, very focused on routine. And as part of that routine, I drink this particular coffee. And suddenly, you're able to sort of get people interested in your product and get people to sort of buy the product. So, I think that's the sort of key difference is there's a real opportunity to generate demand. Whereas I think on marketplaces, it's quite difficult to do that.

I mean, that's a really clear way of explaining the two differences, right, because there's almost a limit on those marketplaces. Like you say, customers are going in, going into Amazon, searching for a product. It's all sort of keyword based. Yeah. Whereas you've got the hashtag TikTok made me buy it.

Right? Is that you're on TikTok. You didn't think that you were gonna make any purchases. You were probably looking at a cat dancing or something. Yeah.

I combined the cat and dancing there. And then you ended up buying potentially some new cat food Exactly. As a result, which is kinda crazy, right? Which goes on to my next question is, and you've sort of touched on it with the demand aspect is, what is that size of opportunity on TikTok shop? Yeah.

So I think size of opportunity and sort of the type of opportunity. So there's, at the moment, as a social media platform, it's still relatively young compared to, say, Instagram. But what you see is, I think at the moment, TikTok, it's about 40% of the country have a TikTok account at this point, which is higher than I thought, actually. I think Instagram's probably at, like, around 70%. So you can see there's a lot of room for growth.

Yeah. But what that means is this is something like 23,000,000 users. And so there's, just in terms of sheer number, there's a real opportunity there. But also, and you kinda touched on that sort of hashtags, but there's also this kind of subcultures that exist within TikTok. Right?

So you have book talk, gardeningtok, biztok. So it's like, there's different subcultures which really, from a business, right? You're more interested in how you're able to reach people. And not just reach people, but reach people that are willing to buy from you. Rather than the volume, right?

So the volume is not as important as who is my target audience and how do I reach them. And TikTok really gives you that power. So in terms of like, that's the kind of the opportunity and the size of opportunity. But also what TikTok gives you is there's an opportunity for you to kind of tell your brand story and connect with communities around the subcultures. Right?

So you can really build a following, and you are able to kind of really, tell a story and connect in a really authentic way with potential customers. You said something really interesting there, 40%. That's crazy because at the moment, I find when we're talking to brands or even when I'm talking to people and I say, oh, we're now in TikTok shop, everybody sort of come the typical response is, oh, isn't that for a younger audience? And also, I speak with a lot of people who say, oh, I don't have a TikTok account. So it's interesting because 40% is a lot higher than I would've expected.

But that part about audience, I think is interesting because I say that because as soon as I started to say I've talked about TikTok, next minute I know my dad's got a TikTok account and he's added me. And then my mum's got a TikTok account and she's added me. And all of a sudden they're buying on TikTok. So we're talking about 70 year olds all already on that. Can you touch on, like, the audience in terms of is it just for young people?

Yeah. So I think like all the social media platforms, I mean, if you go back to Facebook sort of 15 years ago, was also for young people. Right? True. And now, if you look at who's on Facebook now, the majority of people, I mean, I'm not on Facebook, but I know my mom, my grandma was on Facebook.

Right? Yeah. Yeah. So all these social platforms tend to age up.

And, just on in terms of the profile of shoppers. So I think, obviously, the majority of people so I think it was sort of last time I checked, sort of 30% of the users on TikTok are between 25-30. And then obviously, you have the Gen Zers who, I think, account for probably another 25 or so percent. So maybe 50%. You can say it's like the younger generation.

But you are seeing much more growth in the kind of older pace as well. But, you know, as a brand, most brands, if you're looking at Actually, one really interesting product that I know sells quite well is a coffee machine. And I feel like nothing says sort of disposable income age more than like a coffee machine. Right? So from a business point of view, you should probably be thinking in those terms.

Who's actually on there that buys? And I think that number is definitely growing. Right? So, yeah, I think it shouldn't, I think the conversation around whether I should be on this because it, you know, it's a young platform, I think it's long past now. I think brands that are thinking that way are still sort of living in the past.

And I think it's, you know, it's sort of time to get going with it. I say that as someone who's sort of frustrated with having to explain that to Brenda over and over again. That, like, look, if you think you're too old for this, or you're, you're really missing an opportunity. Yeah. And you raise a good point there in terms of it ages up.

Like you say, the younger generation might be jumping on it at the start, but as it grows, it's not a platform that you can ignore. And you just touched on something really, really key there that I wanna go into is you talked about a coffee machine. Now we know that coffee machines aren't cheap. No. And you mentioned about disposable income.

But also that highlights this brand part because there's a lot of ideas out there, right, that TikTok is just for dancing. TikTok is for young people. TikTok is for young people, TikTok is for cheap, non branded products. But actually, that's not correct. Yeah.

It's actually there's older people shopping on there. There is not just for dancing, there's products being sold. And I guess that means that there's actual established brands that are selling on TikTok shop. Yeah. I mean, definitely.

It's all of the above. I think if we go back to even, there was a time on Amazon where you would talk to brands and they would say, Oh, I think Amazon's like discount. It's not for me. It's cheap. It's this and that.

I think TikTok's sort of at that similar age, where that's kind of where we're at now. Where TikTok, I think, is what? It started in 2017, which is Wow. Doesn't feel like that long. No.

No. No. Not at all. So you can see it's still so early. Yeah.

But what that means essentially is that people will, you know, first impressions count for a lot. Right? So from a distance, you might see it and think, oh, this is dancing videos or cheap products. And that's sort of your vision of it.

And it sort of stays that way until somebody makes you see otherwise. But then there are savvy businesses that say, hold on, there's a lot of people on here that are engaged and ready. And I have an opportunity to reach out to them and engage with them on their level. And so obviously the cosmetic space, health and beauty makeup, they're really advanced in that. So all the major brands have a TikTok presence and understand that.

But then we're starting to see consumer electronic brands, companies like sort of LG, Sage, and then businesses that are sort of in the earlier stages of their development that are seeing it as a real opportunity to scale, essentially. So there's brands that are sort of, you know, brand we're working with, Persuade Guard, where they've been going for a while, but they're still not a household name. But TikTok has allowed them to start to get that sort of mainstream audience. And so that's that there's so much opportunity. You know?

It's just, it's overwhelming. I think it's interesting you bring up the part about Amazon because so my background, as you know, is I was a vendor manager at Amazon. I started in Amazon in 2,000 and 4, which at that time everyone thought I was crazy going to Amazon to work within kitchen and home. That was pre home and garden because Amazon couldn't possibly do anything more than books in those days, and DVDs. So we're going very far back now.

And that's what TikTok feels like. Yeah. It almost feels like TikTok is where Amazon was. That whole feeling of everybody like, oh, why Amazon doesn't do kitchen and home? And then my job was to almost influence or persuade brands, establish brands to come on Amazon.

They're all on there now. And actually it's, now we're finding actually, there's all these private label sellers now evolving on Amazon. It's quite interesting how the dynamics have changed. But I guess there's a part here in terms of, there's that saying, right, the early bird catches the worm. And there are businesses that are jumping on TikTok now and learning TikTok and understanding it and being part of TikTok as it evolves.

And there's gonna be brands that are gonna be hesitant, interesting stage that we're at in terms of how dynamic and forward thinking brands are when it comes to online selling. Yeah, 100%. And I think, you know, earlier on we spoke about social commerce. That's a very new concept really, isn't it? We know about, I think most brands understand the power of social media to an extent, right, knowing they need to have a presence on sort of, Instagram or if they're B2B, LinkedIn.

Like, they understand that that's sort of cheaper marketing, cheaper advertising. But I think what we're seeing now is that rather than just seeing it as a marketing tool, but having that opportunity to see it as an actual transactional, commerce tool as well integrated. So it's all happening in real time. Is we're in sort of completely new territory now in that sense. And we're really at the beginning.

Right? This is, I mean, TikTok will say this themselves, right? They are building the plane as they fly it. There's so much that's sort of developing and changing. And it's the brand, there are brands that have already, say, made millions.

Right? And there are brands that are learning in real time. Okay, this is, this is working. But there are also brands that have stuck their toe in and said, this hasn't worked for me and given up. Right?

Because there are so many things to consider, as a brand, where it's like, okay, I wanna get on TikTok. I'm hearing it's doing well. But they don't have any of the expertise in house. They don't have the inclination to get in front of the camera. They certainly don't have the time or or feel they have the time to make the amount of content they need to make, to sort of be successful.

And so it's like there's a wave here, but some people are definitely gonna drown in this way. Yep. Yep. 100%. And there's you've mentioned so many key points there.

And I think just as I've tried shopping on TikTok shop, and I was completely surprised. It was so easy. I can see how addictive it could be. And, you know, and I even mentioned my parents earlier on, they've now purchased, and they do buy on TikTok, and it's crazy because it's actually so smooth, the process. It's almost like you don't realize that you've been brought in, and then you've actually ended up with this purchase.

Now I just wanted to highlight that because I think, you know, a lot of people do sort of still question, oh, why would you buy it on TikTok shop? Once you've made your first purchase, you'll know why. The part really was about brands, and you mentioned some brands can almost drown by it, and some test the water and walk away and say, no, it didn't work. But there's an investment, right? Brands, what is that investment brands need to make when they're thinking about going into TikTok shop?

Yeah, 100%. So I would say the first thing is you need to as a brand invest. It's almost an attitude shift. That's the first thing that needs to sort of happen. Right?

You need to think about this less on just the short term commitment, but more as this is actually an opportunity for me to connect with an audience and build a community around my brand. I think if you think in those terms and you think about, okay, if I keep at this for a year, I will be in a much, much better position than, you know, if I start a year later, whatever. Right? So you're thinking, I'm building a brand here, and I'm thinking for the long term. Because having an audience that you can talk to and directly interact with is invaluable.

So that would be the first thing I'd say is it's a mindset shift. And it's not a sort of get rich quick scheme in a sense. Right? You're not thinking of this as, I'm gonna start this because I'm gonna go viral and sell like millions of products straight away.

So that's the first thing. So in order to kind of make the most of that, there's a massive time investment that happens, right? Because you do need a lot of content. You need a lot of content for a couple of reasons. You need a lot of content because you are learning.

So the more content you make, the more you learn You personally, what works for your brand, what messages, connect with an audience. But also, we talked about the algorithm at the beginning. The algorithm is learning about who interacts with your brand, and who wants to buy from you, and who's interested in your brand. So you need to feed TikTok the content for it to learn, essentially, who the target audience is. And so that volume of content is really important.

So obviously that can be expensive, you know, in terms of time, in terms of, actually quality of, content as well. So, and there's many different ways in which you can build up to that content. But, so it's either you're gonna make the content yourself or in house. You're gonna give out free samples. So you're giving out free samples to affiliates and creating sort of user generated content.

You're working with sort of influencers where you're kind of paying them a certain amount and that usually they have maybe a big name in the space. And they're creating the content as well for you. So there's kind of the, you know, different ways in which you can feed that beast of feeding the content. And what we say as an agency is, you know, especially initially, but I think this is not even just initially, it's just consistently. You need about 3 videos a day, which is a lot of content.

I remember when we first touched on that. When we first launched into TikTok shop, it was like 3 pieces of content a day. And I was like, what? That's crazy. 100%.

100% you need 3 pieces of content. Yeah. And you know, it's short form. And I think what's different, and I think, you know, especially for more established brands, it's that shift from really polished content that you've thought about for a long time, or you've spent a lot of time editing and making it look good, versus something that feels authentic and is a bit rawer and is speaking to an audience that is kind of used to seeing things that feel a bit realer, almost. And so it's like, you almost have to adjust your mindset as well in terms of the type of content you're making.

But because of the volume that you need, that should be easier as well. Definitely. Definitely. And I think that's that unpolished part, I think is the biggest challenge for brands, because brands have been so used to make, spending a lot of time on video content, on their imagery, And then all of a sudden they're told, actually, go authentic, keep it real, you don't need it polished. And then all of a sudden you're seeing this video content up there that completely is basically polar opposite to what you've been doing.

It's a bit unnerving at the start, and we've seen this with brands, and they start challenging on the content. Well, this isn't necessarily on brand or etcetera. And it's only until they see that actually those videos start converting and creating an audience, because that audience wants authenticity and to be real, that they then that's I think when it shifts in their head because they're like, actually, this works. Yeah. But, it takes time.

And I wanted to touch on that. And this isn't a sales point at all. So I launched this brand, Cafe Tico, on TikTok shop. And I guess the biggest thing that has jumped out to me is that investment, as you say. It is about investing in content, investing in UGC models, create your content, giving samples, as you say, to affiliates for influencers, and then pushing that with advertising as well, and even going into live videos as well.

So it's quite crazy, like, in terms of how much needs to be done. Yeah. And it's a different set of expertise as well, which I guess is the reason why we've gone into it. Yeah. As an agency to offer that support that brands don't have. Yeah.

Definitely. I mean, it's almost, it's like a different world almost. I mean, us as an agency, I mean, we even, like, recruiting for the right people, right? If you're coming from a sort of digital marketing background, traditional just digital marketing background, you might not actually be perfect for TikTok, right? Because it's a very, specific way of creating content.

Right? And we talk about the fact that there's almost like an impulse, the impulse buying. Right. That happens as a user. And that's, it's, it's because you're scrolling or, you know, you're seeing different bits of content.

And it's almost like you can't have too much of a sort of circuit breaker, right, where you see something that doesn't blend with your experience up until now. Yeah. Because if you do, then you're almost too conscious. You're like, oh, this looks like an ad, for example. This looks like a polished piece of content which I'm not interested in and you sort of move forward.

Whereas if you're seeing content that feels completely part of that, that TikTok live almost but is also selling you something, you go with it and it feels more natural. And it's like, okay, cool, I'm gonna buy this or I'm gonna find out more. So, it's that. And you need people to create content that blends in. And that's where we found that it's, there's a lot of testing and learning that happens, but it's, as you said, it's a completely different sort of skill set to sort of the digital, traditional digital marketing.

Definitely. And with that, the traditional digital marketing, but also there's the part of, there's the Amazon piece, right? A lot of brands will automatically think, okay, I'm guessing TikTok shop is like Amazon. And, you know, we're an agency that focuses on helping brands grow on Amazon, so that's our knowledge, and we've gone into TikTok shop, and now we're helping brands on TikTok shop. Completely different, completely different departments, completely different service, completely different skill set.

What would you say, if anyone is listening, and I know we've covered this off throughout our conversation, but those key points that do, what are the key points that are different between Amazon and TikTok shop? Yeah, so I don't know who needs to hear this because I know that TikTok themselves are definitely, you know, there are departments in TikTok that are like, yeah, if you're on Amazon, come on TikTok. It's exactly the same thing. It is absolutely not the same thing. So let's just start there.

So yes, there is this sort of marketplace element and we know that TikTok is modelling a lot of that, what's happening on Amazon, to create that on TikTok. But as we've just discussed, content is king. So if you are used to creating content and maybe refreshing it every quarter, or, you know, maybe not even as much as that once a year. Some A plus pages, some infographics, very static images that, you know, they're done, it might take a while to develop, put them up, you don't think about them again, you know, for a while. That mindset and that sort of the team that you need to create that will not be enough for TikTok.

Because as we've already discussed, you need at least 3 videos a day. So that's the first thing. Now, we've discussed, obviously, if you have in house capabilities to create the videos, that's one thing. So, that's constant ideation, right? You're thinking, okay, what works?

And it's not just what works for you as a brand, but you have to think about what's going on TikTok at the moment, right? Because you wanna feed into some of the trends, some of the sort of styles. So that again, it all blends in. So there's that element as well. So you need somebody who is TikTok native, right?

Who understands what's going on. So then there's the creating the content, the ideation piece. And then, right, let's say, right fine, you're not creating the content yourself. But you're then working with affiliates or UGC creators. Now that sounds lovely.

Right? TikTok will say, guys, there's an affiliate, we have an affiliate platform. It's really easy. You just sort of give away some samples and then somebody creates the content for you and it's easy peasy. You don't have to worry about it.

But that, in itself, is a lot of work. Because you have to find the right creators. You have to sort of make sure that people are right for your brand. You have to manage those relationships. People can be flaky.

Yep. And so, it's like that in itself, managing affiliates could be a full time job, right? 100%. And then, so that's just on the content creation. And then you're thinking, okay, right.

So some videos are doing really well, organically. I wanna boost this now. Yep. So you wanna spend some money on ads. You're spending money on ads, but you don't understand how ads work.

So you might be losing money on ads. So there's that. And I would say that, you know, if you are an Amazon seller, this is for Amazon sellers specifically, right? You're probably used to PPC. Where again, that's sort of keyword based.

Whereas TikTok is a lot more, the advertising is based on sort of profiling, right? And making sure so. And it's very linked to the content, the type of content you've created. So that, again, in itself, sort of a whole new way of thinking about advertising. And it's probably more similar to say, Facebook or maybe even Google, or DSP, if you're that far along on your Amazon journey.

So that's another piece. And then obviously there's the eCommerce side which, you know, listing optimization. So again, if you're used to doing that on Amazon, that should be pretty straightforward. Then you gotta think about fulfilment. Yep.

So, if you are an Amazon seller, you know, you might already be using FBA. TikTok now have their own version of that. Just to emphasize the point that TikTok are very much on Amazon Hills in terms of trying to be the, eCommerce platform. So understanding, I guess, the different logistical implications of being on TikTok. And then the other thing is that at this point, TikTok are really pushing, for both sellers and customers.

The incentives of you can get discounts here that you can't get anywhere else. So you have to then manage promotions, discounts that kind of get people's attention. And then the sort of final piece in terms of the selling side is, TikTok live, which we haven't really touched on yet. Which is in itself a phenomenon and can be thought of as a completely separate way of selling based on the sort of in feed videos or the marketplace side. And so, you know, what's that involved?

I mean, that is basically anyone who's familiar with QVC or tele shopping, it's like that, but I guess, modernized. Yep. And in a way, much more powerful because there is, there again, it's that integration between, it's literally just on my phone. I can buy this product now, I don't have to call anything. And so, it's super quick in terms of that transaction.

But also, you have, from a business point of view, you have a really good opportunity to answer any questions that customers have. And so conversion is happening by the second. So, you know, the brands that are doing this very successfully, measure their sales in terms of units sold per second. That's crazy. Right?

That's crazy. So, it's a totally different way of saying, but it's incredibly powerful. And, you know, so many use cases. I mean, there's brands out there, I'll just talk about one, Nature Spell, where they were selling, they were selling, I think they did £100K in a 4 hour live stream. Wow.

So, it's that in itself. I mean, if you were just to do something on TikTok on that, you can imagine what that looks like for a business who's not been doing that and then suddenly is doing that. Yeah. Yeah. The opportunity.

Yeah. And everything you've said, it's just what's really interesting is speed. And it's funny because I thought Amazon moved fast. But TikTok, wow, it's just, it's so fast to keep up. As you say, with constant trends, with the different things that are going on.

TikTok are still figuring everything out. They haven't, as you say, they're learning to fly the plane as they go along. And all of this stuff is going on. But so the speed is crazy for anyone that thinks Amazon's fast. You've gotta be ready to triple that even more.

But also like you say, there's that change piece, right, with Amazon, as in Amazon is quite static, actually, when you compare it to TikTok. And it's about momentum. There's kind of momentum, right, with TikTok, but not completely because ads, for example, on Amazon, probably your best performing ads are ads that have been running for the last 6 months because they've got the traction, they've got the momentum, and Amazon can see the conversion, the relevance, etcetera. But on TikTok, it's different. Right?

It's about most recent videos. What ones do you boost? So if you're posting 3 videos a day and one gets traction, you're gonna wanna put ad spend behind that, right? And so that is constant, constantly creating new ads that are potentially stopping and starting as opposed to Amazon. 100%.

And I think as a business it's always good to think about the third party partners or the platforms that you're working with and how they are incentivized and why they are incentivizing. Yeah. So for TikTok, obviously, what's really super important for them is they want evergreen content. They want, sorry, they want content that's constantly being updated. They want new content because they want users to stay on there as long as possible.

Whereas Amazon is not necessarily so focused on that is because it is just generally a marketplace. So TikTok rewards new content. It rewards consistent content, which is why it's so, sort of labour-intensive for brands. Yeah, interesting. Whereas Amazon, you've got, it's all about relevancy, and relevancy is almost happens over time when you start seeing products appearing and then they convert.

Whereas, yeah. Yeah. And also, Amazon is, it definitely rewards, sort of social proof. Right? So, and TikTok does as well, but the way Amazon works is obviously based on reviews, it's based on, sort of, yeah, as you said, how the relevancy is based on sort of sales volume and sales history over time.

Right? Yeah. And that's the focus, right? It's almost saying, this is a product that we know sells well and we know that people like because so many people have already bought it already. Whereas TikTok is a lot more focused on, it's almost like this is the product that's making the, the brand that's doing the most interesting things.

And they could be brand new, actually. There is a social proof element as well when you go on the store and you can see how many products have been sold. But it's not built on the same premises as Amazon in that sense. Yeah, yeah, completely. And for those brands that are listening today and that we might have almost convinced to sell on TikTok shop because the opportunity's there and, you snooze, you lose type, as those sayings go, What sort of incentives are TikTok offering at the moment to, brands that are looking to open up a TikTok shop?

Yeah. So the stage that TikTok are at is is really interesting. They want sellers. They want sellers. They're nice to sellers.

They are making themselves available for sellers. Right? There's none of that automated seller support where you can't talk. They're all in at the moment. Right?

This is the honeymoon period as it were. And so, they're offering all kinds of discounts that are changing all the time. So, things like, no commission on sales for 60 days or 90 days. I don't know when you're listening to this, but I'm sure you will find, I think over the next sort of 6 months, you will see that that's definitely still gonna be in play. And I think it'll probably be longer.

They have all sorts of incentivization for fulfilment as well. So they're sort of taking money off fees for that. And then one thing they're constantly doing is, once you're on the platform, is promotions that they are funding. So TikTok will say, 20% off this product, but you are getting full price for that product. They are funding that promotion.

And again, they're thinking of it from both sides, right? That what they wanna do at this stage, is encourage sellers to get on the platform but they also wanna encourage buyers to buy on the platform. And so they're incentivizing both at this point. And that's investing a lot in that process. So just for that reason alone, it's worth investing at this time.

As I said earlier, I don't think it's something you dip your toe into and say I'm gonna test it and go. So, if that's the only reason you're getting involved, I don't bother. Yeah. Yeah. You know?

Think about this as a long term thing. But it's just that that's some of the benefits that can come if you act now. I love that. For those that are listening that are selling on Amazon are probably laughing whereas you commented about that that you're in that honeymoon period where they want sellers. Because I remember those days at Amazon Yeah.

Where, you know, you were a vendor manager, you were always available. Seller manage the team on the seller side were always available, and things change. The tables turn. Yeah. They're not, they haven't turned, and they won't for a long time on TikTok.

So it is that opportunity where, you know, and you jump in there early, you get that support from seller, you can learn a lot as well. 100%. From seller, as in if you become a seller on TikTok shop, the team will give you that support, which is 100%. Which is fantastic. And so for those that have been listening today, that hopefully gives you some insight, and hopefully, you, are excited about the opportunity of selling on TikTok shop.

Owen, if there are brands that are listening today and thinking, right, we wanna launch on TikTok shop, but we don't have the expertise, where should they go? Yeah. So, you can email me directly at, so owen@ecomercenurse.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Owen Aderibigbe at LinkedIn. Owen Aderibigbe.

You just search it. It's very easy to find. There's not that many people with the name. And, yeah, or just the eCommerce Nurse website as well. But, yeah, always happy to chat to anybody who's got questions around this.

Great. Thank you so much. So hopefully you are all tempted. We've sold you the opportunity. And no, we are not sponsoring in any shape or form TikTok.

We have just seen opportunity there. We see social commerce as an area that is growing. It's in its infancy. If you are selling on Amazon, you'll see that it is becoming quite saturated, or it is becoming, it is saturated. It's a pay to play platform.

It's getting harder. It's more competitive. Margins are getting tighter. So if you're looking at your strategy and thinking, I don't know about the longevity with Amazon or the sustainability of working with Amazon. Yes.

Amazon is gonna always be that platform that you need to almost be part of. But if you're thinking about the future, definitely make sure that TikTok is on your agenda. So thank you, Owen, for speaking today and being a host and sharing your knowledge, which I absolutely love. I love this topic. I love the information that you've shared today.

It has been really insightful. Awesome. Thank you so much for having me on.