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Selling on TikTok Shop in 2025: What brands need to know
How to Sell on TikTok Shop in 2025
When you’re shopping online or looking for product recommendations, where do you go first? Ecommerce is booming, with a year on year gain of over $500bn since 2022.
The growth of social commerce has shown there’s one clear option – TikTok Shop. Providing a clean, easy to navigate interface there’s no wonder why it’s the top choice for businesses and customers alike. Over 200,000 UK businesses are now operating on the platform, up 2X from last year.
TikTok is the 5th largest social media platform globally! Use it to your advantage.
Why not tap into it?
Your audience is likely hanging out on TikTok, with the average user spending 107 minutes per day on the app. So that means your brand should be hanging out on there too.
Here’s why TikTok might be the right place for your business:
→ Huge Reach: TikTok has over 1.5bn monthly active users – with TikTok Shop baked seamlessly into the user experience, your product could reach thousands or millions of potential customers by a short video.
→Simple Shopping: The in app setup removes a lot of the friction traditional ecommerce has. No annoying forms, no switching between tabs and no shady third party websites. A simpler transaction from business to consumer.
→ Smart targeting: TikTok’s algorithm is freakishly good at showing the right products to the right people. Even small brands can get massive exposure by tapping into TikTok’s ad features like Dynamic Showcase Ads and Spark Ads.
That said, TikTok Shop isn’t for every brand. Success on the platform depends heavily on aligning with its younger culture: fast trends, eye-catching visuals, and content that feels more like entertainment than advertising. If your brand thrives on storytelling, creativity and community engagement and your customer is glued to TikTok already, you’re golden.
However, if your customer prefers a more traditional, research-heavy buying journey, you may find more traction on a platform like Instagram or Facebook. TikTok users expect authenticity and quick value, so brands that can entertain while they sell typically win.
How to set up a TikTok Shop (and be successful)
Setting up may seem daunting but it’s actually pretty straightforward. First, sign up through the TikTok Shop Seller Center using your TikTok account or email. You’ll need to fill out a few basic business details and upload any documents TikTok asks for — nothing too complicated.
Once your account is created head over to the product upload page and start uploading. Add clear images, detailed product descriptions and pricing information along with any offers or discounts. If you have an existing Shopify store, you can sync your products over directly to save time.
And how do I sell?
It’s quick to set up but selling successfully is all about thinking like a creator, not a brand. TikTok is built for fun, authentic content. The more natural your brand comes across, the more chance at success you have.
Have a look at our ecommerce work.
Hey, let's not forget about Instagram!
While TikTok may be growing fast, Instagram is still a major player in the world of social commerce. For some brands it may even be the safer bet with Instagram’s broader audience covering a wider range of ages and shopping habits comparatively. Features like Instagram Shops, Product Tagging and In-App Checkouts have been around far longer too, meaning the buying process is more familiar and trusted by users. If your target audience isn’t all-in on TikTok then Instagram may be a safer bet for your brand.
That said, you don’t have to pick just one platform. The smartest brands will be meeting their customers wherever they like to shop, whether that’s TikTok, Instagram or somewhere in between.
Need a hand setting up?
Social commerce is only getting bigger. Whether it’s joining the fast-paced, creator-led style of TikTok or a more established platform like Instagram, the opportunity to grow in 2025 is huge. The key is staying creative, being flexible and keeping customer experience front and center.
Not sure where your brand fits best? Our strategy team is here to help. Whether you need a clear plan or a design overhaul, we’ve got you covered.
