Leveraging the power of TikTok with our commerce ad products

The world of commerce is changing. Digitisation and behavioural shifts triggered by the pandemic have created a new landscape for brands to traverse to connect with consumers. As an immersive and creative platform with more than one billion users and counting, TikTok provides an unparalleled opportunity for brands to entertain and engage their audiences in ways that encourage them to buy. That's why we've partnered with IAB Europe and invited thought leaders from across the industry to discuss commerce and where it's heading.

In this series of videos (and a handy takeaway guide), we hear from five industry experts – Daniel Knapp, Chief Economist at IAB Europe, Michelle Kagel, PSO Commerce Specialist at TikTok, Nilam Atodaria, Global Product Director, GroupM, Aoife Dowling, Head of Agency Partnerships, EMEA, Shopify and Ryan Martin, PMO at TikTok and Chair of the IAB Europe Brand Advertising Committee – about their views on the future of commerce.

So, what is commerce, anyway?

A system of trading and transacting at scale, commerce has been around for as long as we have; what's exciting is seeing how it has developed over time. From social or community commerce to influencer partnerships, we're just scratching the surface on the potential brands have to connect with consumers in new and innovative ways and create more shoppable moments. Hover over the video for our experts' view and a cheeky look into the etymology of the word.

Shopping made social

A recent development we're experiencing is the emergence of social commerce, which sees consumers able to visit a platform, discover something, fall in love with it and buy it. As exemplified by #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, TikTok is collapsing the purchase funnel and making buying and selling goods frictionless, giving consumers the opportunity to go from discovering engaging content through to purchasing, without leaving the platform.

Our experts discuss how the recommendations of friends and creators through social commerce is changing the power dynamic of how people are discovering brands, and the importance of personalisation and direct connections with consumers.

Brave new world – what does the future hold for commerce?

The pandemic triggered an explosion in the adoption of digital commerce and marketing, and our experts agree that the increased advancement of shoppable solutions is going to present massive opportunities for brands, but also challenges. Brands that have the ambition and agility to pioneer new commerce experiences, combining social content with traditional commerce solutions, will be first in line to see success in this new world of commerce. The mission for brands is now to turn one-time shoppers into superfans and to foster long-term relationships with consumers – find out how our experts see this going in our third video.

Start building your TikTok advertising strategy now

TikTok's effect on shopping trends is a powerful and well-documented cultural phenomenon. With over 5 billion views and counting on #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, it's clear that our take on digital word-of-mouth marketing is here to stay. To that end, below is a guide to some of the commerce ad products available on our platform.

Collection Ads

Collection ads are an immersive, high-impact ad format designed for discovery and education. Users can explore multiple products or offerings in a fast-loading gallery page without ever leaving TikTok.

Dynamic Showcase Ads

Dynamic Showcase Ads are a feed-based personalised marketing solution that automatically promotes relevant products to users who have engaged with those products on other platforms.

Spark Ads

Spark Ads are a native ad display format featuring authentic TikTok accounts and organic functionalities on the For You Page. Spark Ads currently support advertisers using existing posts from branded TikTok accounts or partnering creator accounts.