Shopify partners with TikTok to offer Aussie merchants “unrivalled” access to new audiences

TikTok and Shopify are partnering up in Australia, allowing merchants to create and run campaigns directly geared towards users of the social media platform.

The partnership is intended to help small business owners tap into the TikTok community, allowing them to expand their reach and optimise their marketing campaigns.

It taps into the COVID-19 boom in e-commerce, which was spearheaded by stay-at-home restrictions but is now continuing due to familiarity.

It also comes off the back of a sharp increase in the number of merchants using the Shopify platform. In 2020, the number of new store creations on Shopify were up 76%, compared to 2019.

“This year, we expect to see even more merchants invest in delivering seamless digital experiences for their customers by taking advantage of how commerce is evolving,” managing director for Shopify APAC Shaun Broughton said in a statement.

“Local merchants will benefit from new and fun ways to engage with consumers on their preferred platforms and channels.”

Ultimately, interactive and engaging content, targeted to the right audiences, can have a significant impact on a business’ bottom line, he added.

According to Brett Armstrong, general manager of global business solutions for TikTok in Australia and New Zealand, this is just one of the “new and innovative solutions” the platform is exploring to help connect brands with users, at scale.

It will offer small business owners “unrivalled opportunity” to reach new audiences, he said in a statement.

There’s no guarantee of going viral, but there’s no doubt TikTok users have the power to send small businesses into the stratosphere.

Aussie beauty business My Glow 2 saw sales increase by 1000% during the COVID-19 pandemic, something it attributed to the brand’s TikTok presence. As of October last years, the co-founders had racked up more than 33 million views on the platform for their behind-the-scenes business content.

The platform also proved a lifeline for SmartCompany Resilience Awards winner Sticky. The lolly store’s staff started posting mesmerising videos of them hand-crafting their confectionery, amassing hundreds of thousands of views, and leading to sales from all over the world.