TikTok Dropshipping is becoming a go-to choice for many around the world. When we use a dropshipping model, we do not actually keep the products in stock. We don’t even own them. When we get an order, details are sent to the supplier. They take care of the rest.
Using social media is a very great way to promote our products. There are many social media apps out there. But TikTok is the best one we can use for dropshipping. As you know, TikTok lets us create and share short videos.
These videos are about a minute long. They’re engaging, fun to watch and help us promote our products. Over the years, TikTok has grown quite a lot in popularity. It might even have over 830 million monthly users worldwide in 2023.
Imagine if all, or even half, of them, bought one of our products for even a dollar. That’s quite a lot of money. And that’s exactly why we need to learn TikTok dropshipping. It may seem simple at first, but there are a few things we need to learn about.
Today we’ll discuss anything and everything that has to do with TikTok dropshipping. We’ll learn all about what TikTok dropshipping really is. We’ll cover how it works, what we can and can not do, and more.
So, buckle up, and let’s get started!
I. What Is TikTok Dropshipping?
TikTok dropshipping, in a nutshell, is about using the platform for promotion. We simply create cool product videos. Then, we just publish them on the platform. After that, the algorithm does the rest.
Well, the algorithm plus our expertise. The reason behind using TikTok for dropshipping is to drive traffic. So, most of our time is spent creating promotional content. We have to share the videos. We have to talk to the audience, tell them a story, or even entertain them. We may even have to contact a couple of influencers.
But all of this is just the organic part. We can use paid ads as well. If we truly believe we have the right dropshipping products, we can run paid ads. This way, we reach more people in a targeted way. If we want to use TikTok, we need to look at:
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TikTok users
Most people on TikTok are teenagers or young adults. Knowing this will help us figure out which products we should promote.
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Product categories
We can sell anything we like once we have the experience. But in the early stage, it’s better to work with the products we know best.
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Current trends
Learning about current trends can come in handy. We can use this knowledge to make videos that are likely to get more views.
This video is super handy for beginners. You can learn how to start dropshipping on TikTok:
II. How Does TikTok Dropshipping Actually Work?
Now that we know what TikTok dropshipping is all about let’s see how it actually works. All the magic starts with catchy content and great products. To get our TikTok dropshipping business up and running, we need to do a little homework.
We have to find the right products and suppliers. Then we can move to the TikTok part of dropshipping. After finding the right products, we have to record a video. This is the time to get our creative juices flowing.
It can be anything. Someone is using the product. An explainer video about the features. Anything, as long as it can capture the viewer’s attention. Once the video is completed, we need to add a catchy description and mention the price.
Oh, and we also have to add the product link. Without it, our customers won’t know where to go. Once this is all done and dusted, we can post the video on TikTok. Now we must decide whether to use organic marketing or paid ads (we’ll cover those later on).
When the video is up and running, potential customers will see it. They’ll click the link to buy the product. Now, they’ll be redirected to our dropshipping store. Here, they’ll place the order. All the details will be sent to our supplier.
The suppliers will ship the products to customers, and we, along with the supplier, will make money. Ta-da, everybody wins! It seems simple, but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We still need to learn a couple of things, so let’s move on.
III. How To Find Winning Products For TikTok Dropshipping?
Finding the right products to sell is pretty tough. But there are tons of apps we can install from the Shopify store for help. That’s not all. We can even use third-party tools to research competitors.
These tools help learn what competitors are doing. We can then use this newly found knowledge to do it better. Finding the right products is very, very important for success. If our products are not suitable, we are only wasting money on ads.
Along with using the apps and tools, we need to do our research. We can look at popular hashtags. This will help us figure out what people on TikTok are interested in. We can then use this information to find the right products. Utilizing TikTok’s creative center is essential if you want to fully capitalize on its substantial user base. By exploring the diverse and innovative content produced by TikTok creators, you can gain valuable insights into emerging trends and viral challenges, helping you identify winning products that align with the current interests and preferences of the TikTok community.
Another great thing we can do is figure out how much money our target audience actually has. We can’t really spy on people. But we need to know everything about their purchasing power. Let’s say most of our audience is in their teenage years.
Teenagers generally don’t have a lot of money. So choosing products around $400 or $500 won’t really help. In this case, it would be better if we found more affordable products and promoted them instead.
IV. Organic Dropshipping On TikTok VS TikTok Ads
By now, we’ve covered all about what TikTok dropshipping is and how it works. You’re probably thinking that it’s pretty similar to Facebook Dropshipping. To be honest, it is to a certain extent.
But it’s not exactly the same. For this reason and many others, let’s look at the differences between organic dropshipping on TikTok and paid ads. Organic TikTok dropshipping is all about natural reach.
It’s about using hashtags. It’s about talking to audiences. It’s about increasing views. Paid ads, on the other hand, are about increasing targeted views. We don’t need to be an expert to create a TikTok ad. It can be done in minutes and from our phones.
Some of the many differences between organic and paid marketing on TikTok include:
Purpose – this is the first and most important difference. With organic marketing, our purpose is to build our brand on TikTok. But with TikTok ads, we want to reach as many people as possible.
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Reach
Reach is basically the number of TikToker who have viewed your post at least once. Organic marketing on TikTok allows us to reach TikToker who are actually interested in our products. TikTok ads, on the other hand, help us put content in front of targeted audiences.
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Cost
This is the big one. TikTok ads might not be very expensive, but organic marketing is absolutely free. If we take the organic route, we do have to put in a little more effort to increase views and reach their people. But it’s worth the wait.
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Targeting
With organic marketing, we have limited control over who sees our content. But we use paid ads, we can be very, very precise. We can target TikTokers based on age, gender, interest, and more.
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Ad Placement
When we post an organic video, we rely on the natural flow of things. We hope that the algorithm will show our content to the right people. But, with paid ads, we can pay to have our video in the users’ feed. It’s like having the money to do the talking.
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Time
When we choose the organic way for TikTok dropshipping, we need to be patient. Organic markets require time. So our growth will basically be slow and steady. But with TikTok ads, we can pay to have more views in less time.
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Scalability
A lot of people get confused when it comes to scalability. To scale our dropshipping business, we need to have a loyal following. This means we need to have meaningful connections with our customers. So TikTok ads might not be good for scalability when we’re just starting out.
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Risk
We need to know that risk is something that comes with both options. We use paid ads. We must know that ad performance can go up and down. This means there is a bit of financial risk involved. If we choose organic marketing, growth is slow. So we might risk fast profits.
We can clearly see that both organic and paid marketing have their ups and downs. So how do we choose? Well, there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all approach here. We need to figure out our business objectives first.
If we want quick profits, maybe paid ads are the way to go. If we want stable long-term growth, organic marketing is the answer. As a general rule, we should try our hand at organic methods first.
This will help us understand what type of content TikTokers like and what they don’t. Then we can use this information to create effective paid ad campaigns. It might require some extra effort. But our ads will perform better, and we won’t waste any money.
V. The Dos and Don’ts Of TikTok Dropshipping
We have almost covered everything we need to. When we’re learning about TikTok dropshipping, it’s easy to mix things up. Especially if it’s our first time, this can lead to major problems for us down the road.
To have a successful dropshipping business, we need to do quite a bit of learning. But it’s all worth it in the end. All this learning will help avoid mistakes. We’ll get the results we want in no time.
So when it comes to TikTok dropshipping, there are some things that we can and can not do. Let’s look at what they are:
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Do’s of Dropshipping
Starting and running a successful dropshipping business isn’t easy. We have to get everything right. Oftentimes this becomes a big challenge. Luckily there are some things that can help us. Some of these things include:
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- Providing customer support
- Talking about our brand’s vision
- Making engaging videos to promote products
- Chatting with the audience to earn their trust
- Editing our video content to make it pop
- Trying to make a memorable impression
- Using organic marketing when we start our business
- Using paid ads when we have a bit more experience
- Adding appealing captions to our videos
- Using competitor research tools
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Don’ts of Dropshipping
When we started our dropshipping business and used TikTok, all of us were a bit confused. We try different things and don’t really know what to do. Some of these things aren’t effective. They won’t get us any results. We’ll also end up wasting time. Some things that you should not do include:
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- Listing products without asking the supplier
- Addressing complaints about products in a negative manner
- Going overboard with the features of a product
- Not testing the product before launching a TikTok campaign
- Not analyzing products and sales data
- Not using data to update your marketing efforts
- Spending too much money on ads right away
- Posting videos with no sound
- Posting videos on TikTok with the product link
- Not mentioning the price of the product
VI. Final Thoughts
TikTok audiences and dropshipping are two things that go hand in hand. Sellers promote products through fun videos. Customers can buy those products online. It’s a great way for marketers to reach a wide audience and start their own businesses. TikTok dropshipping is quite exciting. But it’s not as simple as it might seem. There are a few things we need to learn first.
Tools like Koala Inspector can also help make things easier. When we use the Koala Inspector, we can take a sneak peek behind the curtain. It allows us to see what our competitors are doing. We can also use it to find great products. It makes running a dropshipping business on TikTok much easier, thus helping us make more money. Koala Inspector is a must-have if we want to succeed in the competitive dropshipping market.
VII. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is TikTok dropshipping?
A model where the seller promotes the goods via TikTok. Suppliers deliver the product to the customers. It’s important to know that the seller doesn’t actually stock the goods.
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How to find winning products for TikTok dropshipping?
You can check trends to observe successful TikTok dropshipping to find products. You can also use tools like the Koala Inspector to find good products.
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Why is customer support important in TikTok dropshipping?
It helps build long-lasting relations and makes the customer think that we value them. This turns first-time buyers into long-term customers.
