TikTok Shopping Ads: What they are and how they work

TikTok Shopping Ads is the new crown jewel in the world of e-commerce on this social network. In short, it’s a way to turn your TikTok addiction into a shopping addiction. Awesome, right?!

What do we have here? Proof that social networks are no longer just for socializing—they have also become tools capable of boosting sales.

On TikTok, brands can develop campaigns that generate greater engagement with their audiences. It’s an ideal tool for delivering messages in an original, fun, and entertaining way, thanks to the different tools it offers, such as TikTok Shopping Ads. With the TikTok shop seller center, you will be able to create TikTok campaigns for your e-commerce achieving a  worldwide reach.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is TikTok Shopping?
• How to set up TikTok Shopping to TikTok Ads account
• Shopping Ads Formats
• Benefits of using TikTok Shopping Ads

What is TikTok Shopping?

Tired of opening multiple tabs to buy what you see in a video? TikTok has the solution you didn’t even know you needed. With more than 1.69 billion active users, TikTok not only wants to steal your time with viral videos, but now it also wants you to buy the products you see. And it’s succeeding! In 2024, the app was not only one of the most downloaded but also became the new paradise for online commerce.

Imagine being able to buy the outfit your favorite influencer just wore without leaving the app. That’s TikTok Shopping: a feature that allows brands and influencers to turn every video into a shopping catalog.

TikTok Shopping Ads enables brands to interact meaningfully with their customers by offering solutions, shopping features, and tools. In addition to TikTok videos showcasing e-commerce content, there is also an option to activate a tab on the brand's profile to display all its products. The main goal of these new tools is to increase sales and enhance ad visibility on the platform.

With the creative features TikTok offers, brands have the opportunity to create e-commerce campaign content in a native and natural way that impacts users with a high purchase intent while using the app.

TikTok Shop has landed in Spain like a meteor full of deals, promising to revolutionize how we spend money while scrolling through the app.

This new feature, which officially arrived in Spain in December 2024, allows Spanish users to shop directly within the app. Ready? Let’s explain how TikTok Shopping Ads work.

How to set up TikTok Shopping to TikTok Ads account

To set up TikTok Shopping in your TikTok Ads account, there are two options. The first is from the TikTok Seller Center which allows you to connect one or more Shopping Ads accounts by following these steps:

1. Connect your Business Center

2. Connect to your Ads Manager account

3. Connect to your TikTok Shop and TikTok account

4. Create and publish your ads

The second option is from the Business Center. It requests access to one or more TikTok Shops by following these steps:

1. Request access to the TikTok Shop from the Business Center.

2. Resend the request from the Business Center if necessary.

3. Seller approves the request in the Seller Center

4. Manage TikTok Shop permissions in the Business Center

What formats are available in Shopping Ads campaigns?

Shopping Ads include three types of ads: video shopping (Video Shopping Ads), catalog listings (Catalog Listing Ads), and live shopping (LIVE Shopping Ads). These allow users to highlight one or more products in video ads in the "For You" feed. To allow users to buy your products directly, you need to know how to add the buy now button on TikTok to include it in your videos to direct the user to the TikTok shopping cart.

• Video Shopping Ads

Every scroll can turn into an impulsive purchase. This format enables purchases directly from in-feed video ads. Brands can highlight one or multiple products with video-format ads in the TikTok feed. When a TikTok user sees your Video Shopping Ad, they can browse the products in your TikTok Shop by clicking on the product card or the pinned link, leading them to the store to complete the purchase.

The advertiser selects highly relevant and easy-to-understand videos for the "For You" page so users can explore their products. The main objective is to maximize product discovery and increase both purchase intent and conversions.

To create Video Shopping Ads, you must follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a new campaign from TikTok Ads Manager.

Step 2: Set up an ad group: Select Video Shopping Ads as ad type.

Step 3: Create your ads.

• Catalog Listing Ads

Advertisers can add a shopping tab to their profiles. Additionally, they can sync their product catalogs with the app and create a direct link to their online store. This second ad format combines the platform's algorithm recommendations with the advertiser's product catalog to create and display product-focused ads to TikTok shoppers.

For optimal results, having a well-optimized catalog is key. Feeds, within Adsmurai Marketing Platform, helps manage and improve product catalogs to make TikTok ads more effective. With advanced rules, automation, and real-time optimization, Feeds adjusts titles, descriptions, and images to enhance each product’s relevance within the platform’s algorithm. This boosts visibility and ad performance while ensuring product information is always up to date.

• LIVE Shopping Ads

Buy while watching someone promote products in real-time. You can purchase products directly without leaving the app.

The goal of this ad type is to direct users from the "For You" page to a live shopping event on TikTok, allowing them to participate and discover a brand’s products. Sellers and creators can showcase products live. Buyers can:

• Ask real-time questions

• Interact with the community

• Receive product demonstrations

• Access exclusive discounts

• Participate in giveaways

Benefits of using TikTok Shopping Ads

Selling products through social media offers major benefits for brands. Here are the superpowers TikTok Shopping Ads provide:

• Simplifies the shopping experience: Shopping is as easy as scrolling. With three new ad formats in TikTok Ads Manager, your customers can shop faster and more seamlessly.

• Unlocks the full potential of your catalog: Showcase your products not only on the "For You" page but also in live streams and other areas of TikTok. Scale your product catalog with new formats to capture emerging trends.

• Finds your buyers like a GPS: TikTok’s AI is so smart it will find your potential customers even if they’re hiding under a rock. It creates ads automatically to capture them. Reach audiences most likely to convert with fully automated creative features and smarter, more advanced technology.

• Higher performance and optimization opportunities: TikTok Video Shopping Ads incorporate new features to help TikTok Shop merchants maximize their performance.