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From FYP to ROI?
TikTok publishes a surprisingly detailed guide about selling on its platform, amid waning support for a U.S. sell-off.
From FYP to ROI?
TikTok publishes a surprisingly detailed guide about selling on its platform, amid waning support for a U.S. sell-off.
Today in Digital Marketing
by Tod Maffin email • LinkedIn • socials
Today's News
If your brand sells physical products, there are lots of places to sell them — your own web site, Amazon, Shopify — and TikTok desperately wants to be on that list.
To that end, the platform has released a surprisingly comprehensive guide detailing all the inner mechanics of selling products on TikTok.
What's in the Guide
The guide is 93 pages long and covers the basics of setting up a store on TikTok. It also offers tips on how to create ads that drive sales. It has details on how to set up a live commerce stream, and a bunch more. It’s a PDF and is free to download.
Western Consumers Still Shy
TikTok has been pushing for more brands to get on board, and has seemed sometimes even a little frustrated that the uptake isn’t more impressive — especially in Western markets, where consumers have proven themselves to be lukewarm to the idea.
Western consumers remain wary, likely due to the preference for in-store sales, as well as concerns about TikTok’s links back to the Chinese Government.
But even so, TikTok’s overall sales volume is rising, even at a lower rate.
TikTok users spent $3.8 billion in the app throughout 2023, up 15% year-over-year, and while a lot of that has gone towards in-stream donations for creators, there is rising potential for sellers as well.
Which logistics solution handles TikTok Shop sellers' products? |
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Surprise Jump in Ad Spending Coming
American ad buyers are feeling more optimistic about this year’s landscape. In a new survey, the Interactive Advertising Bureau boosted its ad spending forecast to nearly 12% growth.
What's Behind the Boost
The main reason for the unexpected jump in confidence was that media buyers reported being more confident in the overall economy. They also expect the upcoming U.S. elections to drive ad spending, of course.
Digital Leads the Way
As for what they’re buying: Digital ad spending is expected to grow more than 13% in 2024. Buyers are shifting more of their budgets to digital channels, particularly video and social media. TV ad spending is also expected to grow, but at a slower rate at about 6%.
What It Means for Brands
The boosted forecast is good news for brands. It means they'll have more opportunities to reach their target audiences across multiple channels. But it also means they'll face more competition for ad space, which could drive up prices.
TikTok Copies Yet Another Instagram Feature
Another salvo in the the endless, perhaps pointless war of duplication between Instagram and TikTok — the latter adding a new feature to its inboxes: Basically, Instagram Notes.
Notes are short messages that show up as a thought bubble above profile avatars at the top of the Stories row, and on the profile page. They disappear after 24 hours. They can be up to 100 characters long and include text, emojis, and GIFs.
Familiar Faces
And yes, this is basically the same as the feature Instagram introduced last year.
One sort of hilarious bit is that TikTok can’t copy the name and call the feature TikTok Notes, and that’s because it has its own spin-off app called TikTok Notes which, is itself, pretty much a direct rip-off of the main Instagram app. (I’ve never understood why they chose to name their photos-only app after a format for text, but whatever.)
What It Means for Users
This of course gives users another way to communicate with friends on TikTok, if brief and fleeting. And in the end, it’s another way for TikTok try to keep users engaged and in the app longer.
Google's Ad Tech on Trial
Google is heading back to court — this time, to defend its ad tech business. The American Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the company, claiming it has a monopoly on the ad tech market.
This is different than the anti-trust case the company lost last month. That focused on its search engine.
The Case, In a Nutshell
The DOJ alleges that Google's dominance in ad tech hurts competition and drives up prices for advertisers.
The government says that Google exerted “a campaign to condition, control, and tax digital advertising transactions over 15 years” by illegally tying its tools together and excluding rivals from being able to fairly compete.
The suit describes it as a ripple effect that began when Google built advertiser demand through its dominance in search.
Then, Google bought publisher ad server DoubleClick in 2009, giving it a large publisher base that sought to connect with advertisers in its ad network, plus a nascent ad exchange.
Once Google controlled all sides of the market, the DOJ alleges, it took exclusionary action to mutually reinforce its monopolies, including by manipulating ad auctions to give itself an advantage and placing unfair conditions on accessing its tools.
Google denies the claims [PDF], saying its ad tech business is fair and competitive.
What Happens if Google Loses (Again)
The trial could have major implications for Google's core business model.
If the DOJ wins, Google may be forced to break up its ad tech business or change how it operates. This could, of course, impact the broader online ad industry.
Watch this space.
TikTok Sell-Off Bill Loses Steam
A U.S. bill that would force TikTok to sell off its Americans operations is losing support. The bill, introduced earlier this year, aimed to address concerns about TikTok's ties to China.
Why Support is Waning
Lawmakers are reportedly hesitant to support the bill due to concerns about its impact on the US economy. Some also question whether a sell-off would actually address national security concerns.
Divided by Politics
Even amid the decline in support for banning TikTok, views remain divided by political party.
Support for a TikTok ban continues to fall in both parties, but Republicans remain more likely to back this than Democrats.
A Comprising Coming?
Instead of a sell-off, lawmakers are said to now be exploring alternative solutions, such as stricter regulations on TikTok's data collection and storage practices. This approach could address security concerns without requiring a full transfer of ownership.
What It Means for TikTok
The loss of momentum for the sell-off bill is, of course, good news for TikTok.
The company has maintained that it does not pose a national security risk and has taken steps to address concerns about its data practices.
RELATED: Does TikTok Really Pose a Risk to US National Security? [Wired]
Google Expands Virtual Try-On
Google is expanding its virtual try-on tools to more brands and products. The feature uses augmented reality (AR) to let users try on products virtually.
More Products
Last year, Google launched the tech but restricted it to men’s and women’s shirts and tops. It was impressive, and included showing what the fabric would look like when it draped, when it was in shadow — even with wrinkles.
Now, Google says it is expanding it to include dresses.
Industry Analysis
It’s a significant advance in Google’s virtual depictions, which, ideally, will help people when making purchases online, by better displaying what the item looks like in reality.
Though it’s not reality, and that’s why in-store shopping will remain the go-to for many consumers on certain purchases.
But ideally, virtual try on tools like this will make it a little easier to shop online, and avoid the annoying process of having to manage returns in the mail.
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