TikTok Shop marks mid-year sales campaign breakthrough

So, you're scrolling through your “For You” feed on TikTok and the next second you discover a short video demonstration of a super glue product or pair of jeans that you've seen trending on TikTok. Or a video of someone going through the advanced features of a smart watch, saying how affordable it is, and of course, how you can buy it on TikTok.

This is the allure of what has come to be known as “shoppertainment,” the strategy pioneered and perfected by the short form mobile video app. This blend of entertainment and commerce has proven to be very effective at captivating consumers and has doubtlessly pointed numerous users to head straight to TikTok Shop, the in-app shopping feature within TikTok.

Since its introduction to the Philippines a year ago, TikTok Shop has leveraged this strategy to enjoy a steady uptake both in the number of buyers and sellers setting up their accounts. Judging by the results of its recent 6.6 anniversary sale alone, TikTok Shop achieved a breakthrough mid-year sales campaign. Gross merchandise value increased by 68 percent during the period of June 1 to 8, compared with the average daily level.

Jonah Michael Ople, fashion category lead for TikTok Shop Philippines

On this same baseline, the number of users on the platform also increased, as daily new customers went up by 158 percent. The period also saw increased attention and sustained interest among viewers, as live page views jumped to 150 percent of the baseline, marked by a 19 percent increase in live watch duration per user.

Since its introduction to the Philippines a year ago, TikTok Shop has leveraged shoppertainment to enjoy a steady uptake of buyers and sellers setting up their accounts.

TikTok Shop's one stop e-commerce solutions

The platform is committed to boosting its support of local brands and entrepreneurs as it marked its first year of showcasing its potential and empowering them to greater success in the e-commerce space.

Rapidly attracting businesses, customers, and creators, TikTok Shop reported a 117 percent year-on-year increase in sellers over the past six months. More noteworthy is that there was a 53 percent year-on-year increase in sellers who quickly achieved breakeven status in the same period.

During its first TikTok Learning Summit held in February 2023, TikTok Shop celebrated the victories of its partner creators, celebrities, brands, and agencies, and presented to its nearly 500 attendees a rundown of the platform's comprehensive support system and plans to ensure growth for its sellers.

Fashion Category Lead for TikTok Shop Philippines Jonah Michael Ople said many creators have positive stories of how the world's leading destination for short-form mobile videos enabled them to rise to superstardom. Brands and sellers can leverage TikTok's popularity and various business tools to reach the same heights of success on the platform. Based on where one is as a seller, Ople said, “We work closely with our brands and sellers to understand their business needs and provide them with the resource1s and e-commerce solutions that help enable their brand growth on TikTok Shop.”

For his part, the Philippines' Market Leader for Global Business Solutions Paolo David said at TikTok, “we are on a mission to enable brands and sellers to unleash 'shoppertainment' by making the day's most engaging entertainment even easier to shop, unleashing sales.”

TikTok Shop has become a thriving marketplace, with its top five categories being beauty and personal care, womenswear and underwear, menswear and underwear, shoes, and phones and electronics. However, TikTok Shop's impact goes beyond driving success for local brands. The platform actively contributes to the betterment of the community through initiatives like the BuyLocal Bazaar program to support the livelihood of local farmers and agropreneurs by providing them with opportunities to showcase their products on the platform.

Immersive, personalized, persuasive platform

TikTok Shop is the perfect platform for merchants to reach an expansive audience, grow their social presence, and build authentic connections with consumers. With its easy-to-use interface and innovative features, sellers can easily showcase their products or services in creative ways that capture the attention of potential customers, thus giving rise to the era of shoppertainment.

Businesses now leverage shoppertainment to engage with their customers through storytelling and visual appeal, creating an immersive and highly persuasive shopping experience. Brands can stand out from the competition through content that appeals to customers emotionally and visually to drive better sales.

Additional support comes through TikTok Shop's various campaigns lined up during key time points throughout the year to further support sellers and creators to grow. These campaigns include bimonthly payday, Super Brand Day, and TikTok Shop's own intellectual property campaign, “Friday FriYay” event. Creating a sense of excitement and urgency, these campaigns offer an enticing mix of valuable discounts, freebies, buy-one-get-one offers, and exclusive bundles.

Further optimizing the marketplace experience is the TikTok Shop Shopping Center. The feature has become the newest destination to offer personalized recommendations and a way to discover new products and discount vouchers, and the centralized e-commerce solution within TikTok Shop empowers sellers to effortlessly showcase their products, drive higher conversion rates, and foster strong seller-customer relationships, ultimately ensuring a successful selling experience.

Customers can shop with confidence

Customers engage with official and reputable brands and merchants on TikTok Shop. With strict guidelines for sellers, TikTok Shop ensures that it provides users with a safe and secure shopping experience.

To ensure a responsible selling experience, merchants are advised to undergo training courses through the TikTok Shop Academy. To further protect intellectual property rights, TikTok Shop also launched its Intellectual Property Protection Centre, allowing brands to upload their own IP rights documentation and report any infringements.

Optimizing growth potential

TikTok Shop Philippines appointed its first-ever Mega campaign ambassador, the self-made celebrity entrepreneur Glenda Dela Cruz (@iammissglenda), CEO of Brilliant Skin Essentials Inc. (@brilliantskinofficial). Her success attained at such a young age is just one of many inspirational stories about brands and entrepreneurs finding growth on the platform.

SY Glow (@syglow.official) and Tiny Buds Baby (@tinybudsbaby) traced their success on TikTok during the pandemic but realized greater growth when they transitioned to TikTok Shop, highlighting the transformative power of the platform.

Louiejay Baloc (@louiejaybaloc) and Sammy J (@sammyj_bamf), on the other hand, discovered their potential via TikTok Shop and both realized significant GMV growth and won awards since setting up their TikTok Shop accounts.

The success of these brands, sellers, and creators can easily be yours by starting your own e-commerce journey and signing up with TikTok Shop. You can register as an individual seller.

With exciting sales activities happening regularly, every day is a great day to start becoming part of TikTok Shop. In addition, the big mid-year sale continues as brands and sellers are gearing up for the coming 7.7 campaign, in which more discounts, freebies and other eye-catching promotions will attract more customers and maximize your sales.