I Tried Shopify Dropshipping On Tik Tok

I Tried Shopify Dropshipping on TikTok

Tick-tock: you may love it or hate it, but there’s no denying the massive opportunities on the platform. With the potential of just one viral video, you could become the next internet sensation or scale your business overnight. I've been overlooking TikTok, so I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. In this article, I’ll be detailing how I built a brand new business from scratch and tried to make it go viral on TikTok in less than 72 hours. The goal? To transition from zero to a profitable business with growth potential. Here’s the breakdown of the game plan and the results.

The Idea & Game Plan

My strategy was straightforward. I planned to capitalize on one of the greatest internet opportunities by building an e-commerce store on Shopify. I spent hours researching products and discovered a unique shower head that was already seeing success on Instagram but had untapped potential on TikTok. I created a Shopify store for this product, named it Vortex, and prepared to run a TikTok ad campaign featuring an inventive ad format.

Store Setup

Product Research: I spotted a new, unique flow-pattern showerhead which I believed could go viral.
Domain & Branding: Secured a clean domain name - Vortex.
Store Design: Designed the store with a modern, clean aesthetic and optimized product pages with high-quality images and a simplified logo.

The Ad Campaign

To fit the TikTok audience, I needed the ad to blend with the other videos on the platform. I turned to a popular trend where people humorously show something they want by slamming a credit card. My friend Sabrina, an influencer, helped recreate this with the shower head. With some simple edits, we launched it.

Launching the Ads

Created ad campaigns on TikTok.
Targeted demographics and interest groups.

Day One Analysis

We received significant traffic, over 748 visitors, but no sales. Some adjustments were required:

Price Adjustment: Lowered the product price by $ 5.
Image Updates: Revamped and optimized landing page.
Target Audience Tweak: Shifted from a younger audience to women aged 18-55+.

Day Two Analysis

Despite some improvements, we received only one sale from 1000+ visitors. A major realization was the initial campaigns were reaching a younger demographic, who likely didn’t have purchasing power.

Last Resort Play

I tripled the ad budget and diversified ad sets. Remarkably, this brought a few sales overnight:

Day 1: No conversion
Day 2: Four sales, rapid improvement

Final Results & Reflection

Generated revenue: $ 140
Total expenses: $ 353
Net profit: -$ 213

Despite the negative return, the second campaign showed potential. If given more time to optimize, enhance ads, and implement upsells, the product could be profitable.

Although the business wasn't an overnight success, the challenge provided valuable insights. I’ll continue leveraging TikTok while picking up shifts at McDonald's to recoup the losses.

Keywords

TikTok
Shopify
Dropshipping
E-commerce
Viral Marketing
Ad Campaign
Product Optimization

FAQs

How did you decide on the product to sell?

I chose the product based on its unique design and its potential for virality. It was already gaining traction on social media platforms.

Why didn’t the ads perform well initially?

The ads initially targeted a younger demographic (ages 13-17), who likely didn’t have the purchasing power. Changing the target audience to 18-55+ women helped improve performance.

What adjustments did you make to increase sales?

Key adjustments included lowering the product price, updating the landing page, and changing the targeted demographics.

Did increasing the ad budget help?

Yes, increasing the ad budget and diversifying ad sets resulted in a few sales overnight, suggesting potential for scaling with proper optimization.

What are the next steps for the business?

If I had more time, I would continue optimizing the product page, refining ad content, and implementing upsell strategies to improve profitability.

While TikTok can drive significant traffic, it requires precise targeting and optimization to convert visitors into customers. It has potential but needs careful strategy implementation.