Unlock your creative potential: TikTok ideas for Retail and CPG businesses

It’s no secret that TikTok is a powerhouse for marketers, just take a look at the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag. It can incubate trends, people and products from nascency to household name status and audiences are increasingly using it as a pre-shopping research tool. The research shows that 67% of users say TikTok inspires them to shop even when they’re not planning to.

Though the joy of TikTok is the breadth of niche content on the platform, it’s equally influential for traditional verticals like retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG).

The retail sector, encompassing fashion, electronics, and more, has found a goldmine in TikTok. Whether it’s via jumping on trends, popular music, slick editing or working with TikTok creators, there is endless opportunity for retail brands to showcase their products in creative, engaging ways.

The ideal creative content mix for a retail brand will vary. For example, some fashion brands might focus more on appealing, product-led videos, while others might lean into sales and discount content. We’d always suggest taking an experimental approach, testing and learning will help brands find the right creative formula and winning TikTok ideas. A good starting point would be to aim to engage, entertain and provide utility throughout your content.

Local success story

Fashion and other types of retail brands can take an always-on approach to TikTok advertising and better customer acquisition by maximising the mileage of their organic content. Philippines-based fashion brand Oasis Collections found that by launching a Video Shopping Ads campaign using various types of content such as product try-ons, new launch teasers and styling tips, they were able to capture different audiences and retarget them to boost product sales. The campaign eventually drove over 12.5x return on ad spend on TikTok Shop.

Beauty and personal care brands within the CPG vertical have had remarkable success on TikTok. 77% of users leverage the platform as part of their CPG shopping journey (vs. 51% for other platforms)⁴ and one in 10 users were influenced by video content to make a CPG purchase in the past 3 months.⁵ Beauty, homecare and food and beverage brands that have nailed their creative strategy and TikTok ideas can turn their products into cult-status items.

Local success story

Taking advantage of the thriving beauty community on TikTok, Malaysian beauty brand maintains a strong organic presence on TikTok, often experimenting with new video styles and ideas to engage with their audience. To scale their 2024 Ramadan/Raya sales, they launched a series of Branding and Shop ads to drive awareness and conversions. Well-performing videos were used in their Top Feed, Community Interaction and Video Shopping Ads campaigns, targeting users at different points of their experience on TikTok. By priming audiences with Branding Ads, they saw a 24% uplift in conversion rate and 10.2% lower CPA.

Ready to harness the power of TikTok for your business?

Find ideas and ad inspiration with the tools on the TikTok Creative Center. Explore Top ads, Top keywords and try our cutting-edge generative AI TikTok Symphony Assistant.

Whether you're in retail or CPG, TikTok's diverse ad formats and targeting capabilities can help you reach your marketing goals. Get started today on TikTok Ads Manager to start testing your creatives.

Related articles

• From cart to heart: How TikTok can help your small/medium CPG brand to make a lasting impact on consumers

• The E-Commerce Starter Guide for Small-Medium Business

• How to generate leads for your small business on TikTok

Sources:

1. TikTok commissioned study on n=4320 TikTok users and non-users on their Fashion consumption and behaviours in SEA, conducted by Toluna, Feb 2022

2. TikTok Marketing Science Global Retail Path to Purchase conducted by Material August 2021 (N=13,206)

3. TikTok commissioned survey with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) decision makers in APAC (N=6,573), conducted by Kantar Profiles in 2023. CPG = Makeup, Skincare, Haircare, Homecare, Grooming, F&B

4. TikTok commissioned survey with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) decision makers in APAC (N=6,573), conducted by Kantar Profiles in 2023. CPG = Makeup, Skincare, Haircare, Homecare, Grooming, F&B

5. TikTok commissioned survey with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) decision makers in APAC (N=6,573), conducted by Kantar Profiles in 2023.