TikTok has become a powerful launchpad for brands, helping businesses – big and small – reach millions. Its ecommerce marketplace, TikTok Shop, provides brands with the tools to move beyond just raising awareness and directly into seamless shopping experiences. But with so many of the best brands on TikTok vying for attention from similar sects of Gen Z, what exactly does it take to stand out?
For ecommerce brands looking to make an impact, thriving on TikTok Shop requires more than just a trendy video or viral moment. Let’s dive into the shared characteristics of successful TikTok Shop brands and the actionable steps emerging brands can take to reach new heights.
Key Traits Shared By the Best Brands on TikTok
From Rare Beauty to Louis Vuitton to Fenty Beauty, all of the best brands on TikTok Shop consistently employ key strategies to foster a strong connection with their audience and deliver on expectations.
Consistent Voice and Visuals
For a brand to truly resonate on TikTok, it must have a recognizable and relatable identity. Successful TikTok Shop brands understand that consistency is crucial on social media platforms, where viewers are overwhelmed by endless feeds of content. A clear, distinctive identity enables brand awareness amidst the noise.
- Authentic Messaging: Top brands on TikTok avoid overly polished or corporate language. They embrace authenticity, speaking in a tone that feels real and approachable, which resonates deeply with TikTok’s Gen Z audience.
- Visual Consistency: High-performing TikTok brands maintain a cohesive look. From color schemes to video style, viewers know what to expect visually, making it easier to recognize and connect with the brand.
Consider the packaging and fulfillment side of maintaining brand consistency. Shipfusion’s custom packaging services ensure that brands not only appear consistent online but that customers’ unboxing experiences align with the brand’s look and feel, creating a lasting impression.
Standing Out Through Quality and Novelty
Standing out on TikTok requires products that don’t just meet needs but capture the imagination. TikTok users are not just looking for everyday products – they want items with personality, uniqueness, and quality.
- Showcasing Quality: Video content that highlights high-quality materials or craftsmanship builds trust with customers. Successful brands frequently demonstrate the durability, utility, or exclusivity of their products, especially when paired with close-up or ASMR-style shots that showcase textures and details.
- Introducing Novelty: TikTok’s audience is curious and trend-driven, so novelty often wins. Brands offering innovative, hard-to-find, or even quirky products tend to capture viewers’ interest. For instance, a cosmetics brand like Rare Beauty or Fenty Beauty might stand out by introducing an uncommon ingredient, while a clothing brand like Louis Vuitton might spotlight unique designs or limited-edition releases.
Reliable order fulfillment services, like Shipfusion’s 99.9% on-time delivery, ensure these unique products reach customers efficiently, reinforcing the perception of quality and reliability that brands strive to uphold.
Connecting Through Storytelling
High-performing TikTok Shop sellers know how to keep viewers hooked with compelling, story-driven content. They connect emotionally, tapping into every hashtag challenge and emerging sound to resonate with their audiences’ lives, cultures, and sense of humor.
- User-Centric Stories: Successful brands create stories that feel relatable, focusing on customer experiences and problems solved by their products rather than on the product itself. This builds a sense of shared experience and community.
- Influencer Marketing: Many successful brands on social media leverage the power of influencer marketing to enhance storytelling. Influencers offer authenticity and a built-in audience, making them ideal for amplifying brand messages in ways that resonate with followers.
Creating this type of content requires understanding what resonates most with your target customers, whether they be Gen Z or any other demographic. TikTok’s data analytics allow brands to track what type of content drives the most engagement, helping them shape future social media strategies.
Emulating Marketing Strategies That Drive Results
Content on TikTok is short, punchy, and designed to grab attention instantly. Brands that succeed on TikTok Shop know how to take full advantage of TikTok’s format to communicate their value in seconds.
Tutorials and Demonstrations
Videos that show how to use a product are popular and often have high conversion rates. Tutorials give brands a chance to showcase benefits practically and directly, making it easier for viewers to visualize owning and using the product themselves.
Trendy Formats and Challenges
Participating in TikTok challenges or using popular sounds can be effective in reaching a wider audience. For example, a beauty brand might create makeup tutorials to trending audio, while a pet brand might showcase products through a funny challenge involving pets.
Using real-time reporting tools to track TikTok trends helps brands identify which formats work best and lets them adjust strategies quickly, keeping their TikTok marketing content fresh and relevant.
Leveraging TikTok’s Features: Hashtags, In-App Shopping, and More
To truly harness this social media platform's potential, the best brands on TikTok optimize their content using a suite of features, including:
- Branded Hashtags: Hashtags not only increase visibility on social media but also allow brands to create their own “trend” or campaign that fans and influencers can participate in. These hashtags create a sense of community, brand awareness, and reinforce brand identity.
- In-App Shopping and Livestreams: TikTok’s in-app shopping features allow viewers to buy directly without leaving the app, reducing friction in the shopping experience. Some brands go further by hosting live shopping events, where they can showcase products in real time and engage directly with potential customers on social media.
The best brands on TikTok stay at the top of their game by establishing back-end logistics to meet the demand social media campaigns create. Shipfusion’s reliable inventory management services allow brands to fulfill orders quickly and accurately, maintaining customer satisfaction throughout peak demand.
Examples of High-Performing TikTok Shop Brands
The best brands on TikTok Shop aren’t just selling – they’re creating memorable experiences that elevate their products. Here are a few examples:
CeraVe
This skincare brand has embraced TikTok through a community-driven approach. By leveraging popular dermatologists and skincare influencers, they have transformed clinical skincare into a TikTok sensation, leading to numerous sold-out products.
Gymshark
This fitness apparel brand maximized user-generated content and influencer partnerships, encouraging customers to share workouts and fitness journeys in Gymshark gear. Beyond TikTok strategy, Gymshark's overall social media strategy leans into creator content, challenges, and brand ambassadors with the goal of amplified reach.
Drunk Elephant
Known for its unique packaging and product quality, Drunk Elephant regularly partners with influencers and uses TikTok trends to showcase skincare routines. Their engaging, colorful visuals and behind-the-scenes social media content have cemented their place as a fan favorite.
The Underlying Similarities Between These TikTok Shop Brands
These examples underscore the importance of merging a strong brand identity with customer-centric content strategies on social media. While these brands each have distinct approaches, they share the ability to understand what their audience values and creatively deliver it.
Standing out on TikTok Shop requires more than just luck or viral soundbites. Brands that succeed here know how to combine a clear brand identity with quality products, engaging content strategies, and a data-driven approach to TikTok marketing.
The Best Brands on TikTok Use Shipfusion
For new brands looking to harness TikTok Shop, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Following the lead of high-performing brands, you can start by creating a cohesive brand identity, investing in quality products, and connecting through storytelling.
As you attract more viewers and orders, Shipfusion’s suite of ecommerce fulfillment services can ensure your customers receive their purchases with accuracy and speed, helping you foster long-lasting relationships on every social media and social commerce platform.
Ready to elevate your TikTok Shop game? Contact Shipfusion to discuss the possibilities a partnership can bring.
