TikTok for ecommerce: Inside 10 ecommerce brand's TikTok strategies

When Jones Road Beauty shared their initial TikTok videos following their 'less is more' makeup style, they had little expectations about how they'd fare.

But the positive response blew them away

The bite-sized videos drove engagement and 4xed the makeup brand's revenue as per to Cody Plofker, the Director of Ecommerce. In fact, TikTok contributed 2percent of the company's total revenue in 2020, a number that grew to 34% in 2022.

What is it that makes TikTok able to drive such impressive results?

We looked at 10 brands on the e-commerce market (including Jones Road) winning on TikTok and analyzed their strategy including the types of videos they're uploading and how they're engaging their audience.

The results of our research have been compiled into tactical steps so you can make highly-converting TikToks which increase brand recognition, grow engagement, and increase sales.

10 steps that are backed by science to boost your TikTok game

In light of lessons learned drawn from more than 330 TikToks We've compiled our top eleven action steps to help you get started:

1. Be aware of which and what your customers' watch2. Create a full-funnel TikTok strategy
3. Include Native TikTok and polished content in your strategy
4. Plan holiday campaigns in advance
5. Stay on top of relevant TikTok trending topics
6. Use video hooks and pattern interruptions to grab attention
7. Utilize the green screen effect to present authentic brand stories
8. Include experts from the founders, niche experts, and employee-led videos into the mix
9. Have an engagement plan in place
10. Collaboration with TikTok influencers in order to market your products and boost sales

 1. Watch out for who and what customers watch

A quarter's worth of TikToks from 10 online retailers highlighted an essential fact: winning on TikTok takes more than an understanding of "what" is important to your users.

Instead, get into the:

• The questions your buyers' prospective customers are asking
• They're reacting to trends
• Hashtags that they're looking into (or are actively looking for)
• and, of course and, of course, and, the TikTok creators that they're being

Tools such as Sparktoro help with this.

Another idea is to type a word related to your company's name within your TikTok search bar, then browse through hashtags and keywords that come up. Through the posts that people make on TikToks using these hashtags, you'll be able to determine your target audience's interests on the app.

Take it from the washable rugs brand Ruggable. Their TikToks demonstrate that they know their customers thoroughly. This clip on coastal cowgirl decor, for example, shows the team's analysis of the latest styles on the platform to give advice on interior design trends:

 2. Develop a full-funnel strategy for video for TikTok

All the ecommerce players that we have tested a video strategy divided by funnel stages that are at the core of their TikTok branding. So you'll see:

• Top funnel educational or entertainment video
• Middle-funnel content which addresses issues about on-the-fence customers' concerns.
• Bottom funnel videos announcing discounts and sales

Videos of all kinds help you reach individuals who are not aware or have questions and want to buy.

Here are some of them:

 Videos that teach about subjects that are relevant to your target audience and your value proposition

The brand of health supplements for the gut, AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens) provides wellness-related tips to high-quality content.

The home decor business Lulu and Georgia, created the 10-part series, Ten design rules that we follow for bringing in new followers and educating their audience:

 Source

 The need for awareness of products is creating series-based content

The hashtag #streetinterview has 7.7B viewings on TikTok which indicates that these types of series-based, interviews have quite some viewer demand.

There's a reason 4 out of the 10 brands we studied make episodic videos that feature street interviews. And they do these interviews not only for their top-funnel education but also for increasing brand awareness.

AG1, for instance, captures the reactions of strangers after giving samples of their supplement drink. These videos that show first-time reactions are entertaining to watch. They inform viewers of the benefits of AG1 while hosts explain why the drink has been beneficial:

Videos with answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)

As you expand your TikTok following, people are likely to ask similar questions about your service in comments. Use the comments to develop new TikToks answering them.

AG1 views this as a mid-funnel opportunity since these commenters could be one step away from purchasing:

 Source

 Comparison videos

Comparative videos are another option to create middle funnel content.

Magnetic lashes and press-on nails brand, Glamnetic does 'why-we're-better-than-the-competitors-videos' well:

Take note of how they display press-on nails from other brands being removed when wearing these nails for everyday tasks ahead of they demonstrate how Glamnetic's nails don't come off while performing the same activities.

Brands selling e-commerce can be emulated their competitors by "showing" why their products are superior to the others in the market so that customers are convinced to buy from them.

 Product behind-the-scenes (BTS)

Let us know how you are working on your products, or highlight what makes them unique with the mid-funnel TikToks of your product behind-the scenes.

The Ruggable video, as an example describes how they evaluate their rugs by using a relaxed and entertaining accent to persuade viewers that their rug is worth the purchase:

Pro Tip: Build brand affinity through sharing behind-the-scenes-content such as photoshoots' backstage content and event highlights -The gangs of Jones Road as well as Lulu and Georgia do these well.

 Product explainers or tutorials

Yet another video idea that can convince potential customers to buy from you are explanations of your product that demonstrate the different ways to use your product.

Notebook and stationery store, Notebook Therapy, creates videos to promote the new collections that they will launch:

Gut-healthy soda brand, OLIPOP adds a variation to their videos, providing recipes for drinks that made with their soda (think OlIPOP-derived Pina Colada and mocktails). The brand also makes combinations that combine two flavors from their line:

These videos do more than encourage sales but also retain loyal customers with suggestions for different flavours and combinations using OLIPOP.

 Discount, launch of new products and restocking announcements

The funnel that is bottom-up the sale announcements, the unboxing process, and launch TikToks help viewers envision their own experience using the product.

Let's say you've launched an exciting new line. Promote it by creating a TikTok similar to the one in the image below -- sharing an overview of the new items. Here's an example:

Additionally, if there are lots of questions regarding when the product is going to be replenished, make sure to post restock announcement videos.

They don't have to be difficult. Look at this example from the skincare brand, Pipette Baby. The creator of the video brings products that have been replenished in front of the camera for a close-up before placing them into the basket.

 Videos that engage customers who've already bought from you

Finally, create TikToks that provide ideas on how customers could benefit from your product.

In the case of apparel companies, this would mean showing ways you can style your outfit. Beauty brands can share makeup designs or routines for skincare that customers are able to try. Similar to that, food and drink sellers are able to share recipes.

OLIPOP's flavors in TikToks are one of the examples here. Another example is the cleaning of products or maintenance tips such as this video from Ruggable for cleaning small spots from their rugs:

 3. Incorporate native TikTok as well as polished content to your strategy

9 of 10 online retail companies that participated in this study make use of a mix of real (native videos recorded using the app) and pre-recorded, professional-quality product videos that they post on the TikTok channels.

This approach is great for maintaining the TikTok posting schedule as you do not have to worry about sharing only professionally edited videos that take an entire team to create.

The ideal mix for your channel depends on your product type and video strategies.

Notebook Therapy, for example, posts time-lapse videos sharing bullet journaling inspiration and step-by-step doodle videos that are best consumed in edited versions in order to speed up the viewing experience:

4. Plan holiday campaigns in advance

A majority of the companies we studied also plan TikTok campaigns for upcoming holidays and events.

As an example, the female hygiene brand Thinx has partnered with a psychiatry resident to celebrate National Stress Awareness Day (relevant to their branding) to share stress relief tips.

Similar to that, Glamnetic posted makeup looks for Pride month:

Make use of a retailer's marketing calendar to organize your marketing campaigns Create 3 to 5 TikToks to create excitement around the upcoming holiday sale and to drive sales.

 5. Be aware of the latest TikTok trends

The majority of the e-commerce businesses we researched are quick to adopt TikTok developments that are relevant to their brands.

For example, Ruggable hopped on to discuss the Netflix show Queen Charlotte but with a fun approach -- sharing photos of rooms featuring their rug designs that resemble those taken from the show that's currently trending:

The creation of trending TikToks showcases your personal brand image, helping to connect to your target audience. You also gain recognition and followership because TikTok users following the trend watch your video.

Make sure you regularly review videos under the Discover tab on TikTok to see trends users are responding to. Then decide if the trend is relevant to your brand before you create an TikTok on it.

 6. Use video hooks and pattern interrupts to capture the attention of your audience.

The research also found that how the majority of TikToks utilized video hooks with engaging content (opening scenes) and pattern interrupts ( visual shifts in the video which shift on the viewers' eyes) to draw attention of viewers.

Check out this image taken from OLIPOP where the creator is noticed by a tin-wearing host

Similarly, this Tiktok from Ruggable uses a pattern interrupt which is a dog that talks announcement of a rug sale that is adorable and distinctive -- to encourage the viewers to take a look:

In order to add hooks that are engaging and pattern interruptions for your TikToks, pay attention to what makes you pause as you scroll through content on your stream (the For You page).

Sooner or later, you'll begin to notice the engaging openings to videos share similarities. For instance they begin with jokes, an inspirational quotation, or an inquiry that you have. Also, they include pop culture references.

 7. Utilize the effect of a green screen to tell authentic brand stories

The effect of a green screen (available within the app's effects gallery in the section called Create) allows you to superimpose any video or image on your background.

By using it to add an interesting background relevant to the topic of your TikTok has to do with, for example an advertisement for a film or blue ocean, you could create a visually appealing video.

Use it to tell entertaining stories and make tutorials or how-to TikToks using pictures or videos that demonstrate how you're demonstrating.

Another suggestion is to make use of the effect of green screens to reuse the content you've made. Consider images on YouTube, videos on your Instagram, or published blog articles.

AG1 created the TikTok that featured their social media manager's talk head, backed by images and stock photos of their 2022 Impact report.

The host shared 3 interesting takeaways from their research and also highlighted how AG1 is adhering to their principles. By doing this, the video hits two birds with one stone: educates its viewers, and demonstrates AG1's branding principles:

 8. Incorporate founder-led videos, expert niche and employee-led videos into the mix

A majority of the companies we reviewed create TikToks featuring their employees, founders, or niche experts -- ideal for showcasing who your brand is to connect with viewers.

Glamnetic and Jones Road, in particular are the best examples of this kind of video.

For example, when Glamentic achieved 1.2 million transactions on Shopify and posted an announcement on TikTok featuring their founder sharing details of the event:

Jones Road, on the other hand, spotlights their creator for many different goals like:

• Responding to questions from the public concerning their products
• Inquiring viewers about what they'd prefer to see
• and, describing the reason that led to the creation of a product

If your founder doesn't want to be on camera, however, collaborate with internal subject matter experts to share educational content.

Another idea is to go in the background and include employees in your TikToks. The inside story of a model working with Thinx is a fantastic example:

It is also possible to make staff picks for an entertaining variation with these TikToks:

 9. Put a plan for engagement in place

To allow TikTok to make triple-digit sales, it's important you create a community there.

How do you go about doing so? Be in contact with people who follow you. It's not just about responding to their posts, but. Here are some suggestions:

• Ask followers to use their stitch feature to make TikToks that share their reactions to your video. Thinx even incentivized users to build these TikToks.

• Make fast TikToks on the app to respond to comments on your videos. Responses to videos are extremely useful for addressing questions relating to your products or helping customers resolve any reservations they may have. Jones Road founder, Bobbi Brown, responding to comments about their Miracle Balm being sticky is a good instance here.

• Host giveaways. Pipette Baby hosted one in the summers offering sunscreen (very weather appropriate, isn't it? ).

 10. Work with TikTok influencers in order to advertise products and drive sales

The majority of the brands we evaluated collaborate with niche creators. The benefits? Increased engagement and following by increasing brand recognition and trust, as well as driving sales.

It is possible to achieve a variety of targets with a alliance, for example:

• Make people aware of a brand new product
• Reach a new audience
• Announce a sale

Try different strategies using TikTok influencers to find out which ones get the highest engagement from your customers. You can ask for example, makers to create unboxing videos or posts on TikToks that share their opinions of your products.

You can also ask them to record TikToks which show their initial reactions towards your product- something that SKIMS does in collaboration with creators:

Wrapping up: Key takeaways as well as reminders

Our most important takeaways from this mini-study include:

All the TikTok channels we examined have a video strategy in place, with brands using TikToks for education, entertainment or engage and promote.

Many brands showcase their unique personality by sharing their secret processes and highlighting the human beings behind their company on their TikToks. We watched a plethora of employee- and founder-led videos, too.

For a successful start for your own account, you must first understand the types of videos that your target audience are looking for on the app. Then, you can design a video strategy for the account. TikTok account.

Use a variety of video types and engage with your followers. It is also possible to work with internal staff as well as subject matter experts as well as other TikTok creators to grow your following and increase the credibility of your brand.

Let's see your achievement through TikTok