If you have been wondering whether setting up a TikTok Shop as an Amazon seller is worth the effort then there is something that you should know. Quite often, Amazon isn’t where the shopping journey begins, it is where it ends.
Imagine this. A potential customer is scrolling TikTok on their lunch break at work. They watch a creator apply a serum and share their skin results a few weeks later, with visibly clearer and brighter skin. Or someone demonstrates a cleaning spray lifting a stubborn stain in seconds. They are curious. They save the video. Then, a few days later, they open the Amazon app, type in the product or brand name and click “Buy Now”.
If this sounds familiar, this is how a large number of online purchases happen today, particularly in the health and beauty sectors, or for any product that is easy to demonstrate, or has a visibly different before and after result.
The problem is, if you are only selling on Amazon, then you are relying on shoppers finding you once they get there. And Amazon is very competitive and expensive to get consistent visibility. You are competing on keywords, bids, and price, with every other seller in your category. But what if you could create demand before a customer even reaches Amazon?
That is where TikTok Shop comes in. In this article, we’ll explain why starting a TikTok Shop can be a real boost to your Amazon business, and then walk you through the setup process step by step, including the things that can catch you out as a new seller.
It is easy to think of Amazon and TikTok Shop as competitors. But in reality, they play very different roles in the customer journey, and they can work brilliantly together.
Amazon is intent-based. The customer already knows what they want, so they search, compare, and buy. Your job as a seller on Amazon, is to capture that existing demand better than your competitors’ listings.
TikTok is discovery-based. The customer didn’t wake up that morning wanting your product. They were shown it, they saw it in action, and now they want it. Many of them will head to Amazon to complete the purchase, because they trust the fast Amazon Prime delivery, easy returns, and a checkout they have used maybe hundreds of times in the past.
This is often called the ‘halo effect’ in e-commerce, and it is bigger than most sellers realise. Measurement platform Fospha has reported that around 40% of Amazon revenue for the brands it studies is influenced by paid media outside of Amazon, mostly Meta and TikTok.
So what does this mean for your e-commerce business? Here are the key benefits…
When a shopper has already seen your product in action on TikTok, they arrive on Amazon with the intent to purchase. They are not browsing, they are looking for you. This typically shows up in Amazons brand analytics, as a rise in branded searches, more detail page views, and higher conversion rates, as buyers have already made up their mind.
And branded searches are the best kind. You don’t have to reply on advertising, although they’re cheaper to win with PPC, and they convert better.
Some products are much easier to sell when people can see them work. Think skincare, cosmetics, teeth whitening, supplements, cleaning products and kitchen gadgets. Anything with a satisfying demonstration or a clear before and after is perfect for TikTok.
On Amazon, you only have a handful of image opportunities and videos to make your case. On TikTok, real people can show your product being used day after day, building the kind of trust and social proof that is hard for a product listing to match.
A hard truth is that on Amazon, your customers are Amazon’s customers. It is hard to build a community or brand following when customer information is held under lock and key and shoppers are only ever one click away from a competitor.
TikTok gives you a place to build brand awareness on your own terms. Your content, personality and your followers. Over time, this helps to create brand recognition that follows the customer onto Amazon, and other channels that you sell on. It also makes your business less reliant on a single marketplace (it is never good to have all your eggs in one basket!)
This is where TikTok Shop really comes into its own. Through the affiliate program, creators can promote your products in exchange for a commission via the sales that they generate. You can partner with influencers who are focused on your particular target market, whether that is over-40s skincare, male gym-goers, or new mums.
These creators already have their audience’s trust. When they recommend a product, their audience listens. And because you only pay commission on sales, it can be a very cost-effective way of driving profitable demand.
We’ve seen the halo effect firsthand. At Seller Presto we recently worked with a client who setup a TikTok Shop alongside the affiliate parner program. Creators in their small niche began to produce content and drove sales via TikTok Shop, but what was really interesting was what happened to their Amazon sales……
As affiliate content gained traction, the client saw an increase in organic Amazon sales. Customers were discovering the brand on TikTok and then completing their purchase on Amazon. TikTok created the demand and Amazon captured the sale.
We’ll go into the affiliate strategy in more detail in an upcoming article; however, let’s first focus on the first important step. Getting your TikTok Shop set up properly.
The good news? If you’re already selling on Amazon, you will probably have most of what you need to hand. Before you begin, gather the following:
There’s no monthly subscription fee like Amazon’s Professional Seller plan, which is a nice bonus. Instead, TikTok charges a commission on each completed order. In the UK, the Commission Fee is 9% (inclusive of VAT), calculated on the order total including any customer-paid shipping.
On top of this, you’ll need to budget for:
Bear in mind, TikTok does change its fees from time to time. So always check the latest rates in Seller Center before you set your pricing! Prices were correct at the time of this article.
Setting up a TikTok Shop is fairly straightforward. But there are a few important details that can cause delays (or worse, a suspended account) if you get them wrong. Here’s what’s involved…
First things first, you need a TikTok account for your brand. If you already have one, great. If not, create one before you do anything else.
Here’s a top tip: when you sign up for TikTok Shop, use the same login credentials as your existing TikTok account. You can sign up to Seller Center using a phone number, an email address or your TikTok account, but signing in with your TikTok account links your new store straight to your current TikTok page. This means any followers you’ve built up come with you, and you can start tagging products in your videos right away.
Each shop must have one official TikTok account, this is your main brand account, and it’s the only one that can sell products directly from your shop. You can also link up to four marketing accounts to help promote your products further. So if you run separate accounts for different product lines or regions, they can still drive sales to one shop.
Next, you’ll choose your seller type. Most Amazon sellers will select ‘Privately-owned business’ (for limited companies) or ‘Sole trader’. Choose carefully! TikTok warns that this selection cannot easily be changed once it’s submitted.
You’ll then need to enter your legal company name, trading name (optional), company registration number, and registration date. Make sure these match your Companies House records exactly. Even small mismatches in spelling or address formatting can trigger a manual review and slow things down.
A primary representative (usually the owner or a director) will also need to verify their identity. This is done by scanning a QR code on your phone, capturing your ID, and recording a short verification video. It only takes a few minutes.
Finally, choose a shop name, add your logo, and provide contact details. Avoid words like ‘official’ or ‘flagship’ in your shop name, as TikTok doesn’t allow them.
This is a big one. Make sure you only create one TikTok Shop per business. TikTok monitors identity signals very closely, including ID, business details, phone numbers, email addresses and bank information. If it detects duplicate accounts for the same business, those accounts are likely to be suspended. In some cases, TikTok can take action against all connected accounts.
It can be tempting to set up a second shop if your first application gets stuck or rejected. But don’t do it! Instead, contact seller support (or speak to a TikTok Shop partner like us) to resolve the issue with your original application.
Once your application is approved, you’ll see a ‘Set up your shop’ page in Seller Center. This tracks your progress and shows which tasks need completing before you can sell. You will need to:
Now for the fun part. You must list at least one product to activate your shop. There are several ways to get your products onto TikTok Shop:
A word of caution about the URL tool, though. It gives you a great starting point, but you should always review the draft before submitting it. Check that everything has been pulled across correctly, fill in any missing fields, etc. Also, only import content that you own, your own images and copy, not another seller’s.
Not every category is open to every seller immediately. Some categories are locked, and you’ll need to upload additional documents before you can list. This is done through the Qualification Center in Seller Center (My Account > Account Settings > Qualification Center).
This is particularly important for our health and beauty sellers. For example:
You also need to be careful with product claims. TikTok doesn’t allow any medical claims, so nothing that suggests your product can prevent, treat, or cure a condition. And any nutrition or health claims for food and supplements must be authorised (in Great Britain, these are listed on the GB NHC register). If your Amazon copy is already compliant, you’re in a good position. But it’s always worth a second review!
This is your opportunity to really give your products the edge over the competition. Complete as much information as possible, every attribute, field etc. Use product description text and images that help customers to make an informed choice. The more confident a shopper feels about your product, and the more they understand it, the more likely they will be to purchase and not return it.
TikTok grades every listing into a quality tier – Poor, Fair or Good. To reach the ‘Good’ tier, TikTok’s own guidance says you need a quality title, at least five high-resolution images, a well-structured description, and all of the required category-specific information. Higher-quality listings get better visibility, so this is a crucial step.
Here are a few quick tips:
The good news is that a lot of what works on Amazon crosses over to TikTok Shop. For more listing optimisation tips, take a look at our article on Amazon listing optimisation.
Once your first products are approved, your shop is up and running. And here’s the exciting bit, even with just the store live, you’ll often start to see sales come through. Shoppers can find your products through TikTok Shop search, the Shop tab, and your brand’s profile page.
Just remember that TikTok keeps a close eye on fulfilment. Ship orders on time, keep your stock levels accurate and respond to customer messages quickly. Poor performance can hurt your visibility (and your account health), so it’s important to monitor and maintain this carefully, just as you would with Amazon.
A live store is a great start. But if you want to really grow your sales on TikTok, and see that halo effect on Amazon, the affiliate program is where the magic happens.
In a nutshell, you set a commission rate, and creators apply to promote your products. They make videos (or go LIVE) showing your products in action, and earn a commission on every sale. The right creators, focused on the right audience, can drive serious demand for your brand in a short space of time.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to building a successful affiliate strategy, from finding the right creators and setting commission rates to sending samples and briefing content. So we’ll be covering this in much more detail in our next blog. Watch this space!
For Amazon sellers, particularly in health and beauty, or with products that have a great before and after, TikTok Shop is one of the best ways to create demand, build your brand off Amazon, and ultimately drive more sales on both platforms.
But we know that all of this can seem complicated. Between the verification checks, category approvals, product claims, and listing optimisation, there’s a lot to get right. And that’s before you’ve even started looking for creators!
The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone. Seller Presto are official TikTok Shop partners, and we can Setup TikTok Shop for you. We can onboard you onto TikTok Shop, help you unlock restricted categories, optimise your product pages for conversions and sales, and manage your affiliate partnerships, so you can focus on running your business and increasing your product range.
Ready to find out how TikTok Shop could grow your Amazon sales? Get in touch with our friendly team today. Fill in our online contact form, call us on 01642 054694, or email our team on info@sellerpresto.com.
If you want to unlock your Amazon growth potential but simply don’t have the time, Seller Presto can manage your entire Amazon operations. Get in touch to find out how we can transform your product sales today.