Tag: TikTok

TikTok has recently powered up its social commerce value proposition to brands, launching a suite of three ad solutions called Shopping Ads. Identifying brands’ most pressing needs when it comes to using the platform for product and brand marketing, TikTok developed new formats to address these pain points, namely – Video Shopping Ads, Catalog Listing Ads, and Live Shopping ads. 

In fulfilling its mission of becoming a reliable partner for brands and their business, TikTok has integrated digital enablers to help brands successfully put their consumer engagement in place – and for the newly launched Shopping Ads – TikTok has tapped Smartly.io as its first-to-market campaign and ads partner. 

TikTok Shopping Ads is a smarter and simplified solution that drives maximum impact by mixing the best of TikTok’s existing e-commerce advertising products with new tools. As TikTok’s first-to-market campaign and ads partner, Smartly.io will be supporting brands in its Video Shopping Ads and Catalog Listing Ads formats. 

Smartly.io will empower brands with the tools and automated workflows needed to enable scale, optimisation, and testing to drive real results that take their TikTok Shopping Ads to the next level. The social advertising platform will be supporting the creative and campaign creation and management process for Video Shopping Ads and Catalog Listing Ads. 

When TikTok rose to the top of its game, it hadn’t originally been seen as a channel to discover consumer products, but instead as mainly a social media platform for bite-sized entertainment. Khush Karai, the APAC Marketing Lead of Smartly.io, believes the tipping point has been the pandemic. 

She said that the pandemic accelerated peoples’ reliability on social media, and TikTok most especially for its unique format, the short-video platform naturally evolved to be an essential part of consumers’ buyer journey. 

“TikTok’s popularity has steadily increased over the years and gained a strong fanbase. As it became the world’s most visited website last year, brands and advertisers started to plan how to include TikTok in their social advertising mix,” said Karai.

Another strong factor in the transformation of consumers’ purchase journey would be TikTok’s unique ‘For You’ page which enables personalisation, bringing the most curated and suited content for a specific user. Through this experience, users had quickly grown to see TikTok as a source to discover something new, whether that’d be relevant content or products to buy. 

The ‘For you’ page, in line with commerce, will become even more valuable for both consumers and brands with the latter afforded the new Shopping Ads solution. 

With Smartly.io, brands are able to scale, optimise, and test their Shopping Ads to drive performance. According to the platform, they have observed that 86% of customers saw performance lift for test campaigns against core performance metrics. Together with its strong partnership with TikTok and years of expertise with leading brands and advertisers, Smartly.io can be a strong strategic partner to help brands ace their paid social game on TikTok. 

Why brands must start testing now for TikTok Shopping Ads

“Right now is actually just the perfect time,” said Karai. 

As brands and advertisers gear up for the upcoming festive period and the holiday shopping season, brands must now take the time to test these formats and see what works best. These ads are perfect opportunities for brands looking to launch new products during the holiday season, and with these use cases in mind, brands can plan ahead. 

Smartly.io, the new TikTok ads partner, also gives a tip right off the bat – use Shopping Ads with Triggers. In this way, brands can create assets in advance and schedule campaigns to start and end on particular dates, which can be during the Mega Sales Days. This will be largely useful in the South East Asia region, as we’ll see an uptick in campaigns over the Mega Sales Days and this is a great way for brands to stand out from their competitors. 

Karai says that the new commerce solutions from TikTok show the extent to which social media can influence consumer behaviour today. Smartly.io has been sharing its predictions about the ever-evolving consumer behaviour and strongly advises brands to adopt the multi-platform strategy. Within this strategy emerges the need to leverage the high-level traction of TikTok.

TikTok’s Shopping Ads offer a one-stop solution for brands to drive e-commerce sales and allows them to meet shoppers along the purchase journey – from content to cart.

Smartly.io’s solution for TikTok Shopping Ads enables seamless campaign management, bulk optimizations, reporting, and creative automation. Advertisers have access to automated workflows that help them to enable scale, optimise, and test ads that drive results and connection.

Visit Smartly.io for more details.

Singapore – Job platform Indeed has launched a new channel on the short video platform TikTok in a bid to aid Gen Z and millennial job seekers to any available job opportunities on the platform. The channel will officially launch on August 23.

Said campaign aims to target the large millennial and Gen Z audience that is active on the social networking platform.

The campaign, called ‘You Better Work, Boss’, is based on research showing that this generation is already changing their relationship with work and expects employers to strive hard to attract and retain their employees.

The initial content will be produced by popular influencers such as JAMIELIMYY, IANJEEVAN and AINLOVESCODE. Their material will include ‘A Day in the Life of’ series, which will show how some professions work, conversations about how to get ready to enter the job market and new jobs. The channel will also dive into the future of work and what it will change for the younger generations.

“The campaign’s key message centres on urging GenZ jobseekers towards employment through Indeed’s seamless and user-friendly job search options. In line with TikTok’s digital learning initiative, which curates life tips, career advice, motivational speech videos, and other educational content, the new campaign encourages the youth to discover their dream job with the help of Indeed,” the company said in a press statement.

Meanwhile, Nishita Lalvani, marketing director at Indeed India and SEA, commented, “We want to support the aspirations of Gen Z and Millennials who will make up a large part of the workforce soon. They are set to have a 50–60 year career ahead of them, and we foresee the need to help this group of workers navigate the jobs sector whilst staying true to their beliefs.” 

She added, “Gen Z workers prioritise a positive work-life balance. They seek work environments that are empathetic and diverse, offer learning opportunities, and align with their core values. Indeed’s new TikTok channel is aimed at helping to bridge the gap between Gen Z and PMET employers and help everyone find common ground where businesses and employees can thrive together.”

Singapore – TikTok Shop, the new e-commerce solution by short-video platform TikTok, has officially launched in Singapore. Starting 10 August, shoppers can usher in Singapore’s 57th birthday festivities via the TikTok Shop 8.8 campaign.

As part of the platform’s ongoing efforts to support local businesses, TikTok Shop is a dynamic marketplace built into the TikTok platform, allowing consumers and creators to connect and engage directly with brands and sellers. 

In particular, TikTok Shop offers merchants and brands a bustling online space they can leverage to connect with newfound consumers keen to discover new brands and share fresh finds with others.

Ng Chew Wee, head of business marketing for APAC at TikTok, said that they have observed that Singapore has exceeded its potential as a major e-commerce market, with its projected market volume expected to hit US$11.45 billion by 2025. 

She stated, “As more people shop online, TikTok Shop presents the ultimate convergence of content and commerce with unique Shoppertainment experiences for all.”

Wee added, “In this way, TikTok Shop not only empowers local businesses to effectively tap onto the platform’s fast-growing audience base to drive tangible business results but also affords the delivery of content that delights and entertains – resonating with the right audience across the discovery to purchase stages.”

With TikTok Shop, sellers can also create an e-commerce experience by having full control of the end-to-end process within TikTok – from uploading the products to curating the point of purchase as well as managing shipping and order fulfilment – affording a seamless consumer journey that will help businesses thrive. 

Additionally, sellers will also be able to tap into the rich variety of content formats to showcase their creativity, connect with their audiences and be discovered by the community. These include shoppable live sessions and creator collaborations that can be easily forged using the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program, which connects creators with sellers through commission-based product marketing. 

Indonesia – Taiwanese martech TenMax has announced a new TikTok integration for Gojek Ads Network (GoGAN), allowing Indonesia marketers and advertisers to use GoGAN to programmatically place TikTok In-Feed video ads.

Through this new integration, GoGAN now also supports TikTok’s most popular ad format, In-Feed, the video advertisements embedded into a user’s ‘For You’ feed. In-Feed ads can be up to 60 seconds long with the look and feel similar to native organic content. 

To utilise this feature, marketers need to upload their video content into the GoGAN interface and select their targeted audience. The supported video aspect ratios are 9:16, 1:1, and 16:9.

In addition, GoGAN lookalike audiences can now be magnified on TikTok through ‘audience augmentation’ technology. For a multi-channel campaign, GoGAN users only need to build a single target audience and the AI will match it with similar TikTok users, or those of any of the other media selected for the campaign.

Jeremy Lin, general manager and managing director at TenMax Indonesia, said, “This integration is an exciting proposition for marketers as it brings together the current best-in-class digital ad product with the Indonesian market’s most precise targeting engine. GoGAN will amplify the performance of brands’ TikTok advertising and this synergy between in-depth insights and high-impact video ads cannot be found elsewhere.”

He added, “As we continue to add more media publishers to GoGAN, it becomes even easier for brands and marketers to reach all their targeted audiences and strategic goals from this single platform,” added Jeremy Lin.“ TikTok is shaping the way Gen-Z, especially in Indonesia, communicates and interacts with the world, and now GoGAN can connect with these coveted younger consumers.”

Singapore – E-commerce enabler in SEA, Synagie, has unveiled its regional TikTok Shop Incubation Programme, which has been established with the aim of helping brands to accelerate their digitalisation and to jump-start their social commerce journey by onboarding onto TikTok’s latest commerce solution.

The programme will be immediately available to the 600 brands Synagie manages and to incoming brands looking to expand onto TikTok’s dynamic content channel. As part of the programme, the company will be waiving platform management fees for brands and sellers for up to six months or until a predetermined level of sales is achieved, whichever comes first. Other initiatives such as training sessions and workshops organised in collaboration with TikTok will also be part of the programme and Synagie’s offerings to brands.

Since 2021, TikTok Shop, which enables merchants to integrate their e-commerce infrastructure with Open API and sell their products across the TikTok ecosystem, has been progressively rolled out across SEA and is now available in six countries, namely Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, as well as Thailand.

Pei Gy Wong, Synagie’s vice president for channel development and store management, shared that they have worked closely with TikTok Shop teams across the region since the pilot to integrate their backend systems, and they now offer brands and sellers a seamless and secure way to onboard and manage this channel with their existing digital commerce touchpoints. 

“With the extended platform management fee waiver, we aim to nurture the spirit of partnership as we explore this new digital frontier together. Further, with the rise of social commerce in the region, we felt it would be important to help our brand partners explore this avenue to enhance their digital commerce strategies,” said Wong.

As a TikTok Shop Partner (TSP) and content agency partner within its multi-channel network, Synagie offerings are able to address TikTok commerce’s challenges of fulfilment and logistics. The integration of Synagie backend with TikTok Shop will provide end-to-end ecosystem support for brands and sellers, similar to its services across other digital commerce platforms.

Moreover, with video content being a requisite for TikTok Shop, Synagie’s curated content packages are available to brands looking for additional support. Synagie maintains a database of close to 6,000 nano and micro-content creators across SEA who will be able to help brands curate content. It is currently retained by brands such as Nike, Kiehl’s, Shiseido Group, KOSE and Philosophy to create video content and produce live stream shows regularly.

Manila, Philippines — TikTok, the popular short-form video platform, recently launched its online marketplace, TikTok Shop, in the Philippines. Through this brand new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop aims to open up more business opportunities for brands and small- to medium-sized enterprises. All these, whilst providing a fresh new shopping experience for users and opportunities for local content creators alike.

TikTok Shop in the Philippines aims to provide local businesses with a new avenue for reaching out to customers. It also aims to make purchasing possible and more accessible for Filipinos without leaving the mobile entertainment platform. At TikTok Shop in the Philippines, users can purchase items from various categories of products including fashion, home and living, beauty and personal care.

Meanwhile, merchants will be able to enjoy zero commission fees on the platform for selected products whilst payment service fees are capped at one per cent to payment service partners. TikTok Shop products can be purchased through product anchors embedded in short videos, live streams, and the TikTok Product Showcase tab of a merchant’s TikTok page, making it easy for users to be entertained and yet shop at the same time.

Last June 15 to 21, TikTok Shop held its maiden mid-year sale in the Philippines, highlighted by super deals and users enjoyed up to discounts and subsidised shipping and first-time buyers received coupons and discounts.

Celebrities and top content creators joined the very first sale, including actress Glaiza De Castro, TV host Macoy Dubs, and content creator Alfea, who did key live sessions and short video posts via TikTok Shop.

Kimberly Duyag, CEO of local cloth and garment brand KILY.PH, shared her experience, “Many sellers have been surprised by the platform’s support, especially the free shipping vouchers and discount promotion. Plus it also enables merchants, brands and creators to showcase and sell their products directly on TikTok via feed, content or live stream.”

The week-long mid-year sales campaign saw TikTok Shop Philippines gain a 33% growth in its daily gross merchandise value. The e-commerce platform’s number of daily orders likewise jumped by 29%, while the volume of live stream climbed 36% compared to the previous week.

Singapore – TikTok has introduced Follow Me, a multi-channel global programme aimed at driving awareness and helping small-and-medium businesses (SMBs) in Asia leverage the power of TikTok to drive business success. With Follow Me, brands will be able to integrate the diverse and creative formats available on TikTok into their marketing strategies to involve, connect, and engage with the massive audience base available on the platform.

The 6-week program will run from end-June to early August and provide SMBs with guidance on how to get started on TikTok as well as tips and insights from existing users on the platform. In other words, Follow Me will serve as a guide for SMBs looking to translate their stories into creative videos and build their own community on the platform.

Esme Lean, head of small and medium businesses at TikTok APAC, shared, “SMB owners wear an endless number of hats ‒ from CEO to head of marketing to being a friendly neighbour and pillar of support to their peers. We recognise that many of them have a lot to juggle, and Follow Me will provide SMBs with the knowledge and understanding they need of TikTok to effectively utilise it as a launch pad to supercharge their growth.” 

With the platform’s large, multi-layered ecosystem of creators and communities, this programme will help SMBs get acquainted with newfound consumers as they discover new brands and share these fresh finds with others.

To help SMBs access the resources to kickstart their journey on TikTok, TikTok is creating a dedicated splash page on July 7 that includes tutorials from other small businesses from the region – namely beauty, health, and wellness company Fondokmai, sauce producer Purefoods, learning centre Step Up English, cosmetic brand Alive Lab, bakery Goldelucks, and handbag brand Oktaviana Tas Grosir – where they will be charting their personal journeys on TikTok, on top of providing tips on how to best tap into the power of community and entertainment to win the hearts of consumers online.

The splash page will curate different learning roadmaps based on visitors’ goals, in addition to directing SMBs to a 6-week email series that will outline the best practices for running their first-ever TikTok campaign as well as integrating their brand’s story into their videos. This will include directions to set up a free Business Account, access to the Creative Centre for content inspiration, and insights into how TikTok’s Ads Manager and Promotion features can be leveraged to further reinforce campaign outcomes.

Nitchakran N., VP of Purefoods, shared, “TikTok has definitely been a strategic partner for us at Purefoods. This powerful platform has supported us in creating authentic connections with our customers – acting as a key communication tool, in addition to a future sales channel. The support from TikTok has enabled SMBs like us to be stronger and we are truly grateful to have this partnership in place.”

Regina, owner and founder of Oktaviana Tas Grosir, commented, “TikTok is definitely the best marketplace for small businesses like mine. I’m grateful and overwhelmed with this growth opportunity as well as the huge number of orders coming in from TikTok every day, so much so that we’ve had to open three additional warehouses, on top of expanding our team.”

Manila, Philippines — TikTok, a leading destination for short-form mobile video, celebrates this year’s Pride Month by promoting inclusivity. The platform aims to champion individual expression while also spotlighting the strength of the LGBTQIA+ community.

To officially kick off the month of June, TikTok launched this year’s pride month campaign with the official hashtag, #PrideTogetherPH.

TikTok continues to serve as a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community where users can engage and build relationships with key figures and advocacy organisations. For interested users, they can join in on the discussion and catch the Sama-sama tayo #PrideTogetherPH live stream on June 15, 17, 22, and 24.

The live broadcast will compose numerous prominent LGBTQIA+ creators including Show Suzuki, Roanne and Tina, Rica Salomon, and Miko Esjay together with various music artists like Paul Pablo, SILVY, and Anne Marie.

In addition to the jam-packed events, anticipate a well-rounded discourse with a specially curated digital content series named #QueerTalk with OxfamPH and #ATBPride with LoveYourselfPH. Both are video series expounding more about LGBTQIA+, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill, and different gender identities in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Vancouver, Canada – Global social media management platform Hootsuite has joined the content marketing speciality within TikTok’s Marketing Partner Program. As an official badged partner, Hootsuite has launched an integration that enables its customers to effectively manage, execute and optimise their TikTok content alongside their other platforms, from one integrated tool.

To empower businesses to explore the vast potential of this immersive platform and ease the transition for marketers looking to scale content creation, Hootsuite will be guiding its customers through this integration, one step at a time. Hootsuite will be helping its customers become creatively courageous on TikTok by launching a full suite of educational resources.

Maggie Lower, chief marketing officer at Hootsuite, said, “It’s safe to say that this partnership with TikTok has been much anticipated—as much for Hootsuite as for our customers. We’ve watched as video content has grown into a powerful tool that successful brands use to socialise with the world, and have identified the pain points our customers face in creating this type of content.I am beyond thrilled that Hootsuite can now play a more direct role in helping businesses become fearless on this unique, rapidly evolving digital platform.”

By way of the new integration capabilities, customers will now have the ability to elevate their content sharing experience on TikTok, and feel empowered to take the leap with Hootsuite as a trusted partner.

Meanwhile, Melissa Yang, head of ecosystem partnerships at TikTok, commented, “At TikTok, we are always looking for ways to make it easier for brands to develop great content that resonates with their communities. We are excited to welcome our new content marketing partners into the TikTok Marketing Partner Program, and to be collaborating with some of the most trusted partners in the industry.”

She added, “These partners will provide marketers with simple, effective tools to help them to regularly publish content, gain valuable performance insight, and meaningfully engage with their communities.”

San Francisco, USA – WooCommerce, the open-source eCommerce platform, has announced a strategic partnership with TikTok to connect the 3.7 million Woo-powered stores and the TikTok community with a new, official extension TikTok for WooCommerce – available now in the WooCommerce Marketplace. The new extension allows merchants to sync their catalogue to TikTok and promote their products via ads to its one billion active global users. 

Merchants can now create native, shareable ‘in-feed’ TikTok ads directly from their WooCommerce dashboard – including an embedded Smart Video Generator that simplifies the process by producing video ads using existing product images. The integration also allows for an advanced TikTok pixel to be used on a merchant’s website for ongoing campaign performance tracking.

The integration will offer priority access to all of the eCommerce features TikTok plans to release in the upcoming months.

Melissa Yang, head of ecosystem partnerships, TikTok, shared, “The TikTok community loves to discover new businesses and products, and we’ve seen countless merchants grow their audiences by embracing the creativity and authenticity of the TikTok platform. We’re thrilled to partner with WooCommerce to help their merchants build meaningful presences and drive sales on TikTok.” 

Yang added, “TikTok is the fastest-growing advertising channel for merchants to take advantage of, it was the top app by worldwide downloads in Q1 2022. Through our partnership, we’re bringing merchants direct access to TikTok ad tools, including enablement and education to getting started.” 

Meanwhile, WooCommerce merchant Button Poetry, which produces and distributes poetry media, commented, “It is an exciting tool that lets us connect to one of our most engaged fan bases. It is easy to use and slick. We’re very excited about expanding our reach with TikTok,” said WooCommerce merchant Button Poetry, which produces and distributes poetry media.