TikTok’s expansion into e-commerce is reshaping how brands and creators engage with consumers, offering new monetization opportunities through features like TikTok Shop, in-feed product links, and live shopping events. 

As TikTok continues to roll out these tools across Europe and other markets, industry professionals are strategizing to maximize their impact. From optimizing product listings and leveraging data-driven creator marketing to exploring new ways to enhance social commerce, experts are navigating the platform’s evolving landscape. 

This report highlights insights and strategies from leading industry figures on how brands and creators prepare to capitalize on TikTok’s growing e-commerce ecosystem. Focusing on creating authentic content, utilizing localized influencers, and integrating TikTok’s shopping features into broader marketing plans, these professionals share their approaches to thriving in the fast-paced and competitive world of TikTok-driven commerce.

Our 500-day strategy includes TikTok e-commerce and 11 other monetization options. As part of the TikTok Creator Network, 500 MGMT gains direct insights and access to valuable data, which we use to guide our US and international clients. 

To prepare for TikTok’s e-commerce expansion in Europe, we regularly coach our creators on best practices and leveraging TikTok’s new e-commerce features. We emphasize the importance of properly labeling ads to ensure they maximize earnings while staying compliant with regulations.

Emma Harman – President, Whalar Group EMEA

The long-awaited TikTok Shop could go beyond the hype and reshape the e-commerce landscape. It’s easy to be cynical, but several evolving factors are trending towards this. The single-click functionality comes in as search, and thereby product research shifts from Google to TikTok. 

For brands, this dramatically accelerates the traditional sales funnel, with consumers able to stay in-app to experience the entire sales cycle. Brands are discovering that Creators supercharge the shop concept by dimensionalizing the products—showing them in real-world contexts and answering questions on the spot—which adds a layer of engagement and authenticity.

These Creators, going beyond influencers, bring items to life in a way that resonates deeply with their audiences. The greatest sales experience is now available to all. The fulfillment mechanisms underlie all of this with TikTok incentivizing the ease of the buying, removing further purchase and click-to-buy barriers. The lower sales funnel efficiency and conversion universe is about to have its head turned.

Joseph Sottile, Co-founder, Diffraction Academy

We’re working with TikTok Shop to further develop resources and breakout strategies to help guide both creators and brands on content creation that drives not only sales, but community and engagements!

Diffraction Academy will be launching TikTok Shop educational materials this quarter. When it comes to TikTok, there’s a ton of misinformation, so to prep our clients we’re focusing on being a source of clarity and doing the dirty work of seeing what’s working and not. In addition, we’re adding in collaboration programming for our US and EU creators to further viewership reach.

Natalie Driver, CRO, The Creator Society

We are always working to figure out how to leverage new e-commerce features as they hit the market.

While it’s important for all creators to prepare for these shifts, we believe every platform has its ‘stars.’ That said, we are currently working to identify and sign the talent TikTok’s e-commerce needs.

Oli Hills, CEO at Nonsensical

Once you’ve got your Shop in the best possible place, it is then getting the necessary resources in place to build hype on the platform. This can be achieved through creating content on your own organic TikTok channels, hosting regular TikTok Shop live streams, working with affiliates and influencers to promote your products for either a fee or commission (or both), and finally your paid media strategy for amplifying successful content to maximize sales. 

When it comes to affiliates, it is a numbers game. The most successful companies selling on TikTok Shop are working with thousands of affiliates, but you have to appreciate this takes time and effort to build up. It also requires flexibility and trust to allow affiliates to create content in their own style to maximize sales through their page. 

From a TikTok Shop live perspective, it’s again a numbers game—successful brands are going live 1-3 times per day for a minimum of 2 hours per stream. While this is resource-intensive, sales can really build up over time. 

As I said at the start, TikTok Shop is all about going all in, and the brands that commit and invest are the ones who are succeeding.

Roee Zelcer, CEO of Humanz US

We’re excited to see TikTok’s e-commerce expansion in Europe, with developments like TikTok Shop launching in Spain and Ireland, and features such as in-feed product links and live shopping events gaining traction.

These advancements are opening up new opportunities for brands to engage with consumers in innovative ways. At Humanz, our strategy to capitalize on this trend focuses on leveraging our strengths in data-driven creator marketing. Our approach emphasizes creating localized, authentic content that resonates with specific European audiences.

By utilizing our data, we identify hyper-localized influencers whose followers closely align with a brand’s target market, ensuring campaigns are both relevant and impactful. We guide our clients in effectively using TikTok’s e-commerce features, integrating product promotions seamlessly into influencer content.

Thomas Walters, Co-Founder and Europe CEO, Billion Dollar Boy

With social commerce, the social aspect is the key to driving successful commerce strategy. It’s the opportunity to share, discuss, and be talked about, that remains the defining feature.

Brands, especially those in Europe that will be new to TikTok’s e-commerce features, shouldn’t just be thinking about how to make it easy to purchase items, but how to make it social. Meaning, making it feel less transactional and tapping more into the cultural zeitgeist—whether that’s through trends or creator-led brand partnerships, for example. 

Creators have an established audience on TikTok and by leveraging this active community and simplifying the purchasing process, there’s a huge opportunity to maximize the potential of social commerce.

Other ways to collaborate with creators is by inviting them to be the first to review new products or having them help co-design products. Creators can seamlessly integrate into the non-linear customer journey by providing proof points at various stages.

We’ve already seen many brands and creators have success with TikTok’s e-commerce features, especially in the beauty, fashion, and retail sectors, so European brands in these sectors specifically should pay attention.

These sectors are most organically suited for social commerce patterns of behavior. They fit the mold because they operate in the aspirational but accessible sweet spot, making impulse purchases more likely—a key factor in social commerce.

Christopher Jacks – Director of Growth Strategy at HireInfluence

Recently, we have seen increased interest from brands looking to incorporate TikTok shop into their overall influencer marketing strategy.

Leveraging TikTok shop is a fantastic opportunity to maximize the value of creator-first content and contribute to KPIs that fall outside the traditional brand awareness metrics commonly associated with influencer marketing. HireInfluence is uniquely positioned to offer our clients an array of strategies for TikTok’s e-commerce features by leveraging the resources provided by TikTok’s agency program.

Through this program, we have a direct line of communication with TikTok, which provides us with best practices for incorporating features like TikTok shop into influencer campaign activations. It is important to note that incorporating strategies like TikTok shop into influencer campaigns requires a firm understanding of not only the technical setup, but also a well-defined strategy for creator activation.

HireInfluence works with clients interested in incorporating TikTok shop to advise on elements that must remain unique to TikTok shop content, like a call to action, content style, and creator selection.

Dimitri Morgulis, Head of Business Development at HypeFactory

Influencers continue to drive purchase behavior with their unique ability to create a sense of authenticity and foster community.

Whether through simple integrations or challenges designed to generate UGC (User-Generated Content), influencers play a crucial role in digital marketing. For example, an influencer might encourage their audience to share videos of themselves using an innovative face mask and use the brand’s hashtag. Combining UGC with influencer marketing can help you reach a broader audience and boost brand awareness.

It’s also important to consider the brand’s target audience. Ensure that the messaging resonates with their language and values. Choose influencers who align with the interests and values of this audience. Avoid making the brand’s voice sound out-of-touch or insincere. Stay authentic, true, and simple, and use engaging emojis when targeting the Next Generation audience—just be careful not to use any inappropriately.

As we prepare for more requests to launch influencer marketing campaigns, remember that simply registering on TikTok Shop and listing your product isn’t enough. The competition is fierce, and customers are more likely to gravitate toward brands endorsed by TikTok influencers.

It is also critical to experiment with new formats which are favored by the TikTok algorithm. For example, experiment with live streaming which is already a big thing in China and is growing fast in the US and Europe. Therefore, effective business development requires collaboration with creators who align with your target audience and goals.

Ted Murphy – Founder of Izea

Our strategy to leverage TikTok’s e-commerce features involves our recent technology partnership with TikTok, which has significantly enhanced our IZEA Flex platform.

This integration provides brands and marketers with in-depth insights directly within the platform, enabling them to optimize campaigns and drive superior results. The partnership gives Flex users seamless access to TikTok’s vast content ecosystem and performance analytics.

This empowers them to better comprehend and capitalize on the impact of influencer content. As a result, Flex marketers can access expanded engagement metrics and audience demographics, allowing them to make data-driven decisions that boost their return on investment.

In terms of streamlining paid media campaigns, our integration simplifies the handling of TikTok influencer campaigns. Flex now provides direct access to TikTok’s Spark Codes, which allows marketers to swiftly obtain ad authorizations from creators, enabling them to proceed with campaigns more efficiently.

Additionally, all TikTok campaign content can be organized and stored within Flex’s ContentMine, a central hub that makes it easy for brands to access and amplify their assets. Flex also displays the remaining days of ad authorization for each Spark Code on every piece of content, helping marketers to effectively plan and optimize their amplification strategies.

In preparation for this shift toward TikTok e-commerce, we are equipping our clients with these robust tools and insights to ensure they are well-positioned to maximize their engagement and return on investment on this rapidly growing platform.

Andy Timothy Hochbichler, Co-Founder and CEO, All That Matters Consulting 

TikTok’s e-commerce expansion in Europe represents a significant shift in the digital marketing and retail landscape.

With TikTok Shop and other commerce features rolling out across the continent, brands and agencies need to adapt quickly to capitalize on this growing channel. Here’s how they can prepare:

It’s an opportunity for brands and agencies to connect with audiences in innovative ways. By creating engaging content, leveraging TikTok’s shopping tools, optimizing for mobile, and staying adaptable, brands can effectively position themselves to thrive in this rapidly expanding digital marketplace.

That requires a strategic approach that aligns with both the platform’s unique dynamics and our clients’ specific goals. Here’s a comprehensive guide on strategies you can implement and how to prepare clients for TikTok’s e-commerce shift:

1. Develop a TikTok Content Strategy with Influencer Collaborations

Create a content plan focused on TikTok’s style: short, engaging, and trend-driven videos. Collaborate with TikTok creators who align with your client’s audience to boost credibility and reach. Plan authentic content like product demos, challenges, and live shopping events to drive direct engagement and sales.

2. Set Up and Optimize TikTok Shops with Paid Advertising

Help clients set up TikTok Shops, ensuring products have compelling visuals and descriptions. Launch paid ad campaigns using formats like Spark Ads and In-Feed Ads to drive traffic directly to these shops. Use TikTok Pixel to track behavior and retarget interested users, constantly refining based on ad performance.

3. Monitor Performance and Adapt Quickly

Use TikTok Analytics to track key metrics like engagement, click-through, and sales. Hold regular check-ins with clients to review performance, share insights, and make quick adjustments. Encourage testing new content types and features to stay ahead of trends and optimize for what works best.

Thinkific Creator Taylor Loren

Personally, I’m integrating more organic content from my brand partners to show my audience how the brands I choose to work with really are a part of my day-to-day work and life, whether I’m getting paid for that content or not.

For example, I had a brand partnership with Thinkific two years ago, but I still regularly share how I’m using it for my course and why I love it, because I think my audience would actually get a lot of value from it.  I also expect to see more content similar to the “empties” trend, where creators show their finished bottles of product to prove that they actually use (and love) it.