TikTok Shop: Complete guide to making your first sales [2025]

• Go to the Seller Center homepage.

• Click on “Set up shipping” under “Set up shipping and return warehouses.”

• Set your shipping information.

Integrate your products and work on your listings

Adding a product isn’t just about filling out a form. It’s about telling a story in a few seconds. Each listing includes a title, a description (preferably optimized), photos, sometimes a clip, and of course practical information: prices, stock, and delivery times.

TikTok values immersive content: the more sophisticated your visuals and text, the higher your visibility in the algorithm. It’s not a static catalog—it’s a living space.

There are three ways to add your products:

• Basic information (name, image, category, brand)
• Media (images, video)
• Product details (description)
• Sales information (price, stock, variants if required)
• Estimated shipping costs

• Download a template for each category.
• Fill in the required fields: name, description, images, stock, etc.
• Upload the file to the platform.
• In the event of an error, TikTok tells you exactly what to correct, without having to start all over again.

• Link the TikTok Shop Pixel to your ecommerce site in your CMS.
• Once your products are online, you can modify them at any time from the Seller Center.

You have access to all the essential functions: stock updates, price modifications, temporary deactivation, duplication, or deletion. Products are classified by status—active, deactivated, suspended, draft, or deleted—so you can easily find your way around.

Once you’ve created your catalog, you’ll have a page dedicated to your products directly on the app. You can add this link directly to your account bio and create a real in-app online sales platform.

Source: TikTok Newsroom

Commissions and fees

As a seller on TikTok Shop, you’re subject to a commission fee for each order processed via the platform.

This amount corresponds to a fixed percentage of 5%, including taxes (VAT), automatically applied to your sales.

The calculation takes into account the total amount paid by the buyer, plus the discount taken by the platform, minus any refunds.

Calculation formula: (Customer payment + platform discount - any refunds) × 5%.

In certain cases, TikTok Shop may apply reduced commission rates for a limited period, in particular during promotional offers aimed at sellers.

Logistics and shipping

TikTok Shop offers two distinct shipping methods: Shipped via TikTok Shop or Shipped by seller. Each has its own advantages, constraints and, above all, logistical implications that it's essential to understand before making a choice.

• Shipping via TikTok Shop means that the platform takes charge of parcel delivery, relying on its partner carriers (mainly Chronopost, both domestic and intra-EU). However, you remain responsible for the initial storage of your stock.
• Shipment by the seller, on the other hand, leaves you in charge of all logistics: choice of carrier, label management, shipment organization and customer service. You can outsource these tasks if you wish, but TikTok does not.

How do you activate the desired option?

Everything happens in your Seller Center, under Orders > Shipping settings. If both options are available in your country, you can choose the one that suits you best. Please note: any new warehouse address is automatically set to “Shipped by TikTok.”

To enable the “Ship from Seller” option, you must first create a shipping cost template.

What types of content are available on TikTok Shop?

Shoppable videos

These are videos that appear in the feed and have a small orange basket, i.e., a direct link to the product available on your store.

Source: TikTok Newsroom

Adding them to your profile is easy:

1. Shoot your video

Grab your smartphone and shoot, or pick from your gallery if you already have a ready-to-use sequence.

2. Edit the content and add a product link

Once you’ve finished editing, press “Next,” then click on “Add link.” Select the product you wish to highlight: your complete catalog is at your fingertips.

What if you can’t find it right away? Click on “Add more products” and explore the other options available.

3. Name the featured product

Found the right product to feature? Perfect. All that’s left is to give it a simple, self-explanatory name. This is the text that will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your content and will encourage viewers to click.

Keep keywords and SEO in mind because TikTok is an important search engine, especially for younger people today, with 64% of Gen Z consumers in the US using TikTok as a search engine in 2024, according to Statista.

4. Post

Before you click “Post,” take a minute to refine your caption. Use hashtags and a catchy tagline, all in line with your product.

A well-positioned post, with a clear call to action, can generate much more than a simple view of your content—yes, the goal is to sell!

And of course, make sure that your content complies with TikTok Shop’s rules: a non-compliant link can be deactivated without notice!

LIVE Shopping

Source: TikTok Newsroom

Wondering whether livestreaming can boost your business? The answer is clear: yes, without hesitation.

Selling live on TikTok is now one of the most powerful levers for creating a strong relationship with your audience, generating sales in real time and growing your community. It’s not just a fun TikTok trend—it’s a winning strategy!

A few statistics from TikTok that speak for themselves:

• 54% of TikTok users are more receptive to live branded content.
• 1 in 4 users are ready to buy during a live broadcast, simply because they can ask questions live.

Simply put, you capture attention, you respond in real time, and you turn views into sales.

Good news: there’s no minimum number of followers required to launch your first live stream.

Simply link your personal TikTok account to your TikTok Shop. To do this, go to your Seller Center, then access the “Linked TikTok Accounts” section and connect the right profile. Once linked, you’re ready to post.

Affiliate marketing

The TikTok Shop affiliate program lets you collaborate with creators to promote your products through short videos or live sessions.

Thanks to this network of partners, you can increase your store’s visibility, develop sales, and reach new customers, while building trust around your brand.

To join the program, all you need to do is register as a seller on TikTok Shop. Once your products are online, you can activate affiliate marketing directly from your seller dashboard, by clicking on the “Affiliate” tab in your dashboard.

Two types of collaboration are available: open collaborations and target collaborations.

• Open collaborations give any TikTok creator access to your products, via the marketplace. Interested content creators can add them to their showcase and start promoting them freely. The commission you define is automatically paid for each sale generated.
• Target collaborations, on the other hand, enable you to offer your products directly to specific content creators, by submitting a customized offer with a defined commission rate. This gives you greater control over the partnerships established and the associated content.

It’s also possible to combine the two approaches. If a product is listed for both open and target collaborations, it’s always the higher commission.

TikTok’s 9 top tips for success with TikTok Shop

So your TikTok Shop is online? Congratulations!

Now the real work begins.

Here are the best practices given by TikTok to optimize your marketing efforts and boost your sales, without wasting time and energy on what doesn't work.

Don’t limit your catalog

Resist the urge to publish only your bestsellers. Of course, they’re a sure bet; but on TikTok, and more broadly in social media, visibility doesn’t just depend on star products. It’s also built on volume, regularity,... and sometimes even the unexpected.

Don’t forget to post all your products, including those you’re less confident about.

Why should you do this? Because TikTok Shop is based on the platform’s flagship feature: algorithmic distribution. Every posted item is a potential gateway to your world for potential customers.

Share a large number of shoppable videos

The more videos you share with integrated product links, the more your visibility on TikTok explodes! It’s the key to success, whether you’re an ecommerce giant or a young brand just starting out. 

Every video is a chance to be seen, shared, and recommended, thus allowing you to climb the search results and algorithmic suggestions. It’s simple: the more you create, the more you sell!

But don’t fall into the trap of recycling content from other platforms. What works elsewhere doesn’t necessarily work on TikTok!

Show yourself as you are, have fun with the format, and your audience will return the favor a hundredfold.

Consider the shopping cart by adding product links

You know this little orange cart: it’s the direct link between your content and conversion. It should appear on all relevant videos, without exception. Ideally, of course, the product featured should perfectly match what’s presented in the video.

For companies who want to take full advantage of TikTok Shop, every piece of content is an opportunity to add a point of contact between the brand’s storytelling and the product listings visible in the Shop tab. The more you multiply these links, the easier it is for your customers to navigate, explore, and buy.

Activate affiliate marketing intelligently

If you’re just starting out on TikTok Shop and your network isn’t yet fully developed, go for the open affiliate plan! It’s the ideal way to quickly gain visibility and promote your products. It’s simple: you offer creators the chance to promote your products, and they earn a commission on every sale.

Once you’ve identified the gems among the content creators or established solid partnerships, you can refine your strategy. Move on to targeted collaborations to maximize the impact and relevance of your campaigns.An expert tip for structuring your commissions: start with an attractive rate of 10%.This will create a real dynamic and encourage creators to invest. Then, as your gross sales volume increases, you can gradually adjust this rate downwards (for example, 5%, then 1%).

The aim is to find the perfect balance between incentive for creators and profitability for your brand.

Launch your first Shopping campaigns

Video Shopping Ads (VSA) are an excellent entry point. Prioritize your high-performing organic videos: if they’ve already converted without ads, they’ll do wonders with them!

You can either use the same products as in the organic version, or promote others. And yes, you can even sponsor a post without an initial product link.

Structure your Video Shopping Ads ad groups

Three to five active videos per group, a common budget. Test two types of strategy:

• Based on gross revenue (Maximum Delivery): bidding strategy based on a profitability objective. It enables TikTok to optimize ad delivery while trying to keep the average cost per action (CPA) around the target amount defined by the advertiser. The aim: to obtain maximum results (clicks, views, conversions, etc.) for the budget spent, while accepting variations in cost per result (ideal if your objective is sales or lead volume and not immediate profitability)
• Based on a capped cost (Cost Cap): bidding strategy based on the volume of results. TikTok maximizes the use of your budget to obtain as many conversions as possible, without aiming for a fixed CPA (ideal for controlling profitability). The aim: to achieve conversions (e.g., purchases, registrations) at the targeted average cost, even if the actual cost per action may fluctuate slightly.

Try single-product vs. multi-product campaigns. Results will vary from account to account, but the important thing is to observe and decide on the basis of data, not intuition.

Scale progressively

Is your ad group running smoothly? Perfect.

Increase the budget every week, keeping a close eye on the rolling return on ad spend (ROAS) over the previous 7 days.

For “cap cost” mode, start small, then gradually increase once the first data has been consolidated.

Increase your marketing accounts

You’ve got your official account, but did you know you can link up to four more? Take advantage of this to segment by persona: a “beauty” account, a “decoration” account, a “lifestyle” account, etc.

Create native content, in the style of user-generated content (UGC), to appeal to different sensibilities, and reassure, always reassure!

Try LIVE Shopping campaigns

Want to organize a live shopping event? Try LIVE Shopping Ads.

It’s a great way to get started: gross revenue and a modest initial budget (a few dozen/hundred dollars). It’s a random format, of course, but it can be highly effective for certain items and niches. Worth a try!

Track your real ROI

TikTok Shop isn’t just paid. There’s organic and affiliate marketing. To evaluate your performance, calculate your overall marketing ROI with different TikTok video ideas:

ROI = Total sales volume / (advertising spend + affiliate commissions)

This ratio gives you a true business vision. It’s your real profitability on TikTok, far beyond the advertising return alone.

TikTok Shop isn’t just another gadget in the world of ecommerce. It’s a refreshing new way of thinking about sales: more visual, more direct, and above all, in a single application.

Now you’ve got everything you need to get started: create your store, post attention-grabbing content, collaborate with popular creators, test your campaigns, and adjust your strategy using data (such as the best times to post on TikTok).

The playground is huge, the tools are there, and the opportunities are just waiting for your creativity!