Scaling TikTok Shop: Why Volume Comes Before Precision

Scaling TikTok Shop runs counter to most growth marketing initiatives. It’s about volume and reach first, and precision second.

Once you have a regular schedule of organic content and are seeing success in creator collaborations, scaling your TikTok Shop efforts is the next step. However, being hyper-focused on the creator profiles you’re targeting is not going to breed scalability. In fact, it’s going to make it harder for you to identify what types of creators and tactics are going to crush it for your store.

To scale TikTok Shop (or any social commerce channel, for that matter) you need to cast a wide net at the top of funnel—and only refine once you’ve hit on the formula that really works for your brand.

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Start broad—and then go narrow

Just as we covered in our sourcing TikTok Shop creators chapter, influencer marketers need to commit to working with hundreds of creators from the start—even though 90-95% of these creators won’t contribute to revenue right away.

Sound counterproductive? As Micah at Zeroto1 explains, efficiency only happens once you hit a certain level of virality on TikTok Shop:

”Before you get to efficiency, before you get to revenue on TikTok shop, first you’ve got to think volume shots on the goal to find out who your top creators are.”

- Micah Whitehead, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeroto1.

To identify those top performers who can drive the majority of your revenue, you need a significant sample size to identify what’s really working for you. There’s a good chance this profile could be different than who you expect will perform well—but you’re only going to find out by placing a lot of bets and seeing what pays off.

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Double down on your top performers with Superfiliate

Once you’ve nailed volume and you’re able to identify which creators are performing best for you, this is where the so-called “80/20” rule come into play. In other words, you need to switch your focus to that 20% of affiliates who are driving the majority of your revenue:

”You'll get more bang for your buck by spending most of your effort trying to replicate in 10x what you're getting out of the stuff that's working.”

- Micah Whitehead, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeroto1.

By doing this, you can find that playbook that works for your brand—and disseminate it to the rest of your affiliate program.

With Superfiliate’s TikTok Shop integration, it’s easy to identify and double down on your top performers. Our centralized video dashboard consolidates all TikTok Shop videos from your affiliates into one space that you can filter based on creator, date, or performance metrics. Understand which individual videos are driving engagement and conversions, so you can identify trends in content types and creators.

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BUT: Be mindful of profitability

Unlike owned ecommerce channels, brands don’t fully control the customer/creator experience on TikTok Shop; there are few tools at your disposal to manage those ongoing relationships natively.

As we mentioned in the last chapter, the operational costs of running a TikTok Shop storefront (commission, seller fees, Spark Ad spend) mean that affiliate partnerships can quickly become a costly exercise:

"At the end of the day you can be doing a ton of volume, but if it's not producing contribution margin there, then the rest is history—it doesn't matter."

- Jonathan Snow, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Avenue Z.

In other words, you need to decide where you efforts (and your budget) are best spent on TikTok Shop. Is it long-term community building, or deal-motivated activations?

Building and maintaining long-term relationships with high-performing creators is the best way for influencer marketers on any platform to build a resilient social commerce strategy. When creators have the certainty of ongoing income opportunities, freebies, and performance insights, they’re more willing to go the extra mile for your brand.

As Dan at 456 Growth explains, TikTok Shop is already experiencing a shift from affiliate-only partnerships to hybrid arrangements. A growing number of high-performing creators are receiving some form of upfront compensation in exchange for more deliverables or meeting specific performance goals:

“In high GMV-driving creators, it’s moving from affiliate to what we're starting to see already, which is hybrid compensation model. This is nominal flat fees, anywhere from a hundred bucks to $500, plus a commission to incentivize success.”

- Dan Albert, Co-Founder and Partner at 456 Growth.

Negotiating retainers and VIP commissions can provide a real linchpin for your affiliate program, but this needs to balanced with budget considerations and long-term revenue potential. As competition to partner with relevant, high-performing creators heats up on TikTok Shop, influencer marketers need to stay conscious that the window get the very best value is closing:

“This isn't necessarily a long term play; it could be a short-term opportunity or it could be a long-term opportunity. But the smart brands and creators are going to be aggressive and they're going to capture all the value they can now. They're going to control their audiences and their touch points—and they're going to be able to build a long-term business around it.”

- Dan Albert, Co-Founder and Partner at 456 Growth.

Ultimately, your TikTok Shop efforts need to contribute positively to your brand’s bottom line. You need to find that balance of investing in long-term partnerships versus shorter activations designed to boost a product launch or holiday sales.

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Thinking creator (and customer) first

But no matter whether you’re opting for short-term or long-term collaborations, investing in good customer care as your storefront scales is key. As you collaborate with more creators, you need to be confident you can support the challenges that will inevitably arise.

Whether it’s products being lost in transit or personal challenges faced by creators, handling these challenges with respect and professionalism bolsters that relationship—and your brand’s reputation, as outlined here by Catalina Leyva at Mary Ruth’s:

“We've dealt with everything from bottles being damaged, bottles being lost…And we're like, hey, we marked your content complete. Don't even worry about it, take care. It's all about the customers at the end of the day. Yes, they're a creator, but they also could be a potential customer of Mary Ruth’s.”

- Catalina Leyva, Director of Retention and Social Commerce at Mary Ruth’s.

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Remember: embrace the ecosystem!

It’s impossible to design a TikTok Shop growth strategy that’s going to be successful 12 months or even 6 months from now. TikTok is constantly adding new features and levers for influencer marketers to pull on—and the success of your strategy will depend on your ability to pivot.

Oliver at TikTok Shop’s biggest piece of advice? Make it your priority to lean into the unique nature of the ecosystem:

"TikTok is unique as a channel from others, so you need to be willing to test and learn and get comfortable within the ecosystem we've designed. What I would really encourage what we've seen from a lot of the brands that are finding success here; a willingness to play in the sandbox with us."

- Oliver Silzer, Partnerships and Business Development TikTok Shop.

To scale successfully on TikTok Shop, brands can’t get too attached to any one strategy; be open to experimenting with different content styles, testing different types of collaborations and commission structures, and engaging with your community in new ways.

What works today likely won’t pay massive dividends for long, so you need to stay hyper-focused on what TikTok is prioritizing and follow suit; the platform will reward you for it!