What is TikTok Shop?
TikTok is a social media app and TikTok Shop is the app's built-in commerce solution for sellers, creators and affiliates.
It enables TikTok users with business accounts to sell directly to the public on the platform, with handy features like Live Shopping and shoppable videos.
Who can sell vitamins and supplements on TikTok Shop?
In theory, anyone can sell vitamins and supplements on TikTok, provided you reside in one of their select markets / supported countries (including the UK and the US), are able to successfully apply for an account and can supply them with all required setup documentation.
As a long-established manufacturer and wholesaler of vitamins, supplements and health foods in the UK, we can:
i) supply you with UK-made, quality assured, legally compliant off-the-shelf products to list (whether under our Specialist Supplements Ltd branding or your own branding - see below); and
ii) support you through their setup process, by providing you with product certification, compliance paperwork etc. We can also advise on some of their other onboarding requirements.
If you are considering selling on TikTok, we are the ideal partners for you. We have many resellers who currently sell on their platform successfully, and so are familiar with their processes and requirements.
What do I need to do to get selling on TikTok Shop?
Step 1. Sign up as a TikTok seller and complete their onboarding process.
Step 2. Upload your products to TikTok Shop.
Step 3. Link your TikTok Shop account to your TikTok Account.
As part of the onboarding process mentioned at point 1 above, TikTok may request certain information, certification and documentation from you...
Food Business Operator (FBO) registration:
It is a legal requirement to register yourself as an FBO (i.e. a food business) before you sell food supplements in the UK.
Any business selling food (including food supplements) must be registered with their local council at least 28 days before trading.
Registration is free, quick and easy and can be done online.
To register, you must simply provide the local authority with your business details, including your contact information, food activities and premises details.
You can find out more here: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-supplements
Food hygiene rating:
As no food is being prepared on the premises, this is not applicable to you. We supply you with pre-packaged goods that do not require refrigeration.
However, if you require details of our hygiene rating, they can be obtained here.
Certificate from approved food manufacturers:
We can supply you with an HACCP certificate and covering letter.
Why sell on TikTok Shop?
The TikTok platform can offer a wide demographic of potential shoppers, to whom you can market your range of vitamins, supplements and health foods.
While it can take time to rank in search results and start attracting traffic to a website / e-commerce web store, and the more obvious Amazon route can be an expensive one and highly competitive, TikTok Shop represents a new (possibly more accessible and immediate) route to market and making sales.
Embrace the power of social commerce and set up TikTok Shop to enable easier, instantaneous and widespread product discovery of your brand.
For example, the popular hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt alone generates an incredible 1 billion views per week globally. What's more, 2 out of every 3 users of the app is likely to make a purchase (according to TikTok Marketing Science Global Retail Path to Purchase Study 2021 conducted by Material).
While Google is a common starting point for online shoppers, consumers are increasingly turning to their favourite social media apps first, to find what they are looking for - chief amongst them: TikTok.
This is particularly advantageous to vitamin and supplement retailers, as other social media platforms (such as Facebook and Instagram), as well as Google Ads and Shopping Feeds, can make it difficult to market these types of product because of their policy stance on the sale of certain ingredients and supplement types.
Not only has TikTok become a search engine in its own right, a source of inspiration and product discovery, and a powerhouse product recommender - it has also become a convenient and effective platform for retailers to sell directly to consumers.
What are the benefits of selling on TikTok Shop?
Arguably the biggest advantage of selling vitamins and supplements on TikTok Shop is the fact that it eliminates the extra step to convert your TikTok fans into customers, by offering shopping options from directly within the platform. This means you don't miss out on the impulse buys!
It is fast becoming a "go-to" for product discovery (particularly for Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers), and this in turn means that brands benefit from showing up in search and the ability to offer fast and convenient in-app shopping options.
If you are an entrepreneurial influencer, TikTok Shop integration will help you introduce products into your entertaining videos and other content in a natural, organic way.
When your brand goes live, it’s a great opportunity to demo products and answer questions in real time, encouraging fans to purchase those products directly from the app. Items can be added to the user’s cart during the livestream and they can check out instantly or at the end of the broadcast.
Shoppable videos on TikTok are content with shoppable links that allow users to buy products without leaving the content.
Other key benefits of selling vitamins and supplements on TikTok Shop include:
- an instant, broad and otherwise possibly inaccessible potential customer base
- a trusted platform, supporting your credibility
- a personalised shopping experience based on TikTok user behaviour (increasing the chance of conversion)
- benefitting from virality with TikTok trends and hashtag challenges.
How can I create my own brand of vitamins and supplements to sell on TikTok Shop?
With our help, it's so easy.
If you want to stand out from your competitors by selling a range of supplements that is unique to you, and can only be purchased from you, but don't have the time, budget, knowledge and/or expertise to formulate a range of supplements and bring them to market, why not sell our market-ready products under your own personalised branding.
This is called the "private label" or "own label" option and here's how it works...
We provide you with an "off-the-shelf" range of high quality products to choose from. We handle the formulation, legal compliance, manufacturing process and stock storage / management. This means that you have none of the hassles or expense associated with minimum manufacture runs for each formula, or the risk on shelf life.
You simply pick and choose the products you would like to re-brand under your own personalised labels. You can sell one, a few or all of our products under your own label.
For a one-off fee, we will set up, design and print your personalised labels for orders you place with us. These will feature your business logo, unique product names and your contact details. Alternatively, you can supply us with your own artwork for a completely bespoke look. Our label printing is free for the life of your account with us, for all product orders placed.
We even label your products, with your labels, free of charge for all dropship orders (i.e. orders going to direct to your customers or being collected by TikTok).
TikTok shopping continues to grow in popularity and this growth shows no signs of abating, making it an ideal tool for starting or expanding your vitamin and supplements business.
