How to Use TikTok to Research, Design, and Sell New Product Ideas

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TikTok is the ultimate app for both consumers and businesses to unleash their creativity and showcase their products in a fun and engaging way. With a user base of over a billion, TikTok offers endless opportunities to reach and interact with a massive, diverse audience.

The app has been often misunderstood as just an app for Gen Z and the younger generation, but this line of thinking will only hurt potential growth and opportunity for any brand and business. Whether you’re a casual user or a business looking to promote your brand, TikTok provides a platform to express niche interests, discover new trends, and connect with people from all over the world.

Here are the major trends in which TikTok is changing the way we design, market, and distribute consumer goods.

TikTok Trends:

Common TikTok FAQ's:

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Niche Products can Find Large Audiences

TikTok’s algorithm for curated content is a game-changer for finding different brands in a short amount of time. Instead of only seeing content from the brands, people, and hashtags people follow, TikTok dynamically curates content down to the unique interests. This means that no matter what niche it is, from Dungeons and Dragons enthusiasts to 3D printing artists, content will be tailored specifically for each user’s interest. 

For new product brands, this is a golden opportunity! By partnering with influencers, tagging distinct and trending keywords, and efficiently promoting products, you can reach micro-niche audiences and showcase your products in an organic way. Even in a crowded app space, TikTok’s algorithm ensures that all new products can find their perfect match and reach the ideal product-market fit.

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Influencers Help with Products Going Viral

Building your brand on TikTok is just like any other social platform — it takes time, creativity, and a dash of luck to see your unique content take off. But there’s another way to skyrocket your brand to success: tapping into the massive and engaged networks of influencers!

TikTok influencers can drive massive awareness for new products faster than ever before. What’s the secret? TikTok influencers already have an established following, and can engage their audience like no one else. Followers can participate in challenges, join in on popular trends, post video duets, join TikTok live streams, and add in on the conversation.

Influencer marketing is becoming a must-have for any new product launch, and TikTok influencers are at the forefront of this trend — so much so that they have launched their own Marketplace to search for influencers and creators.

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Capitalizing on Trends for Product Ideas

Trends such as viral sounds and popular hashtags are a tremendous part of how TikTok videos and brands gain widespread traction. Just take a quick search for #TikTokmademebuyit and you’ll be amazed at the hundreds of products that have gained a massive following. From high-tech vegetable choppers to smart coffee tables, these products are driving thousands of searches on Google and Amazon and often selling out fast!

If you want to stay ahead of the game, you can use TikTok’s Trend Discovery Tool to know what’s on your audience’s mind, what’s hot in your industry, and what’s going viral in real-time. As a product designer, you can get valuable insights into consumer product interests and solidify your product-market fit.

Here’s a bonus tip! Take the time to read through the comments section on viral product videos. You’ll understand how products could be improved and what features consumers love. With the Trend Discovery Tool and strategic capitalization on trends, your product could be the next big thing!

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Post-Purchase Feedback can Improve Products

TikTok calls the impact its platform is having on consumer’s buying journey the “infinite loop“, and for good reason. Consumers can discover, research, review, and participate in product conversations at any stage of the process.

For new products, the value of TikTok doesn’t stop after making the sale. Gather post-purchase insights, engagement, and feedback to continuously improve your product and make modifications. Brands can take advantage of TikTok’s video reply feature to directly respond to individual comments, thus sparking more conversation with consumers and building more meaningful engagement.

Common TikTok FAQ's

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How to sell products on TikTok?

Ready for your brand to take-off? Firstly, you need to create a TikTok account and set up a business profile. You can check out TikTok’s business landing page to learn more about different marketing strategies for your brand.

Utilize TikTok’s e-commerce features like the shopping features, which allows you to add links to your products in your video descriptions. You can also add product tags to your videos to make it easier for users to find your products.

Running TikTok ads could be a great way to reach a large audience quickly. You can use the platform’s targeting features to reach the right people based on interests, behaviors, and demographics.

Keep creating captivating content, engage with your target audience, and track sales and metrics to see what’s working and improve on your marketing strategy.

How to add products to your TikTok shop?

After being verified as a business account and completing all the requirements for your TikTok Shop, you can now add your own products.

To add products to your TikTok Shop, go to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then tap “Manage Shop”. Tap “Add Product” to create a new product. Enter your product’s details, such as the product name, description, price, and product images. Make sure to also add the link of where to buy your product, and select the categories that best fits your product.

Review the information you entered and make any necessary edits. When you’re ready, tap “Publish” to make your product live. They will be sent for review and won’t be added to your videos until they have been approved.

After being approved, you can now use the shopping feature in your TikTok videos to showcase your products and link them to your TikTok Shop. Note that TikTok may have limitations on the types of products that can be sold through its platform.

How to promote Amazon products on TikTok?
To promote Amazon products on TikTok, you first need to be in Amazon’s Affiliate Program and then you can earn commission on any sale made through your unique referral link. Search for Amazon products that are relevant to your page and target audience that you believe will resonate well on TikTok. From there, you can create engaging videos to showcase highlights of the products. On each video, you can refer to your profile bio, which will have your Amazon storefront link.
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How to find trending products on TikTok?

There are numerous ways to find trending products on TikTok, and you can add your brand to the hype train! One way to keep up with the trends is utilizing TikTok’s Trend Discovery Tool to see what kind of products are going viral, and what are the hottest hashtags being watched and searched. With this tool you can also find which TikTok creators are trending, providing you with ideas for which influencers to partner with when it comes to your niche. There are also popular sounds that go viral which you can use as new ways to showcase your products for your own page.

How to link products on TikTok?

After setting up TikTok Shop or TikTok Storefront, you can create organic TikTok videos that contain Product Links. To create a video with a product link, first create a video on the TikTok app.

​From the Post module, tap “Add Link”, and then select “Products”.

​From the Showcase module, tap “Add” to select the product you want to feature in the video. ​Enter a Product name and tap “Add”. ​Repeat this process for each Product Link you want to add to your video. Finish creating your video and post!

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