Before getting started:
This checklist is intended to assess the correct setup in the recommended order and to help advertisers determine if the account setup is configured for Video Shopping Ads.
Video Shopping Ads (for Catalog) is now automatically available to all Web advertisers globally through open beta testing. The App use case is only available to selected advertisers for closed beta testing. Contact your TikTok Partner Manager to learn more about the solution and when you can start to test with us!
Introduction to Shopping Ads
To learn more, refer to How to Create Video Shopping Ads (for Catalog) and Considerations for Video Shopping Ads (for Catalog).
Signals
This section provides you with recommendations and requirements for Web advertisers and App advertisers.
For Web Advertisers
Determine if your commerce partner is integrated. Supported TikTok partnerships include BigCommerce, ECWID by Lightspeed, Loja Integrada, Kyte, PrestaShop, Salesforce, Shopify*, Square, Tray Tecnologia, OpenCart, Vtex, and WooCommerce, etc.
Through the commerce partner integration onboarding process, you can set up web event tracking in one click. Note: Salesforce Commerce Cloud does not support one-click pixel installation.
Events (Default): All commerce partner integration pixels track 3 core commerce event types, View Content, Add to Cart, and Complete Payment, which are needed for catalog-based ad formats.
Some partner integrations support additional events. Visit the TikTok Help Center to determine which event types your commerce partner integration supports.
Parameters (Default): All supported parameters are automatically created and shared with your events.
Advanced Matching (Recommended): Can be enabled during pixel creation, or toggled "on" from your pixel settings.
Setup Advanced Signals for web
We recommend the following to achieve optimal performance for Advanced Signals:
Track every event in your conversion journey.
Passback of all supported parameters.
Enable Manual and/or Automatic Advanced Matching.
The following is required for Basic to Intermediate Signals:
3 mandatory events (View Content, Add to Cart, Purchase)
The 'Content_ID' parameter
Steps:
Ensure you create a Pixel or Events API for web.
Set up TikTok Pixel Events and parameters for mSite.
Recommended
Events: Full funnel event tracking
Parameter(s): Passback of all required and recommended parameter types across all of the events you plan to track. TikTok's supported event list and parameters can also be found in Standard Events and Parameters.
Advanced Matching: Enable either manual and/or automatic advanced matching.
Required
Events: View Content, Add to Cart, and Purchase events
Parameter(s): At a minimum, the content_ID parameter must be passed across all events to launch catalog-based ad formats. Additional parameters should be used across events for ROAS reporting and to optimize performance.
Confirm signal postback is configured for Shopping Ads
Confirm you have created a Dev-Mode Pixel.
Go to Ads Manager and click Assets.
Go to Event, select Website Pixels, and verify a pixel exists and its type is Developer.
Ensure you are reporting Video Shopping Ads web events.
Go to Catalog Manager, click the Event Sources tab, and select the specific pixel card.
Ensure the client sends ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase events (events are logged in pixel card) to TikTok.
Ensure the event number is decreasing along the funnel. (For example, Decrease in events from Product Page View, click Add to Cart, and go to Complete Payment)
We recommend the following for Advanced Matching:
Ensure the system determines that email or phone numbers from pixel events match the TikTok user.
Use TikTok's Web Diagnostics tools to check that you are sending back valid email or phone number data from pixel events (especially for Complete Payment events).
For App Advertisers
Setup Advanced Signals for apps
Follow our Help Center guide based on your Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP), such as Branch, Singular, Adjust, and AppsFlyer, to correctly postback events.
Confirm signal postback is configured for Shopping Ads
Ensure you have posted back App events (View Content, Add to Cart, Purchase).
Go to Ads Manager, click Assets, then click Event, select App Events, and verify that app events are being posted back for Android and iOS.
Ensure you are reporting Video Shopping Ads app events.
In Catalog Manager, browse the Event Sources tab.
Ensure the client sends ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase events to TikTok.
For all of the above events, ensure that a content ID is provided.
Enable full event data transmission on your MMP.
Grant read permission on your MMP or send a screenshot to your TikTok sales representative.
Catalog
Setup a catalog
To activate ad accounts and catalogs for Shopping Ads, ensure users are granted Admin Member in the Business Center Account or Catalog Management of the Catalog through Business Center access and permissions to activate ad accounts and catalogs for Shopping Ads.
Create a catalog in the Business Center with the required product parameters and adhere to best practices.
Important Tip: If you are an app advertiser, both ios_url and android_url product attributes are required in order to promote your products through deeplink.
For existing advertisers who have already created a catalog on TikTok Ads Manager, ensure your catalog is migrated to the Business Center. Agency advertisers must reach out to your TikTok Partner Manager to be allowlisted before beginning the migration.
Register for TikTok Business Center and authorize at least two active admins to the Business Center account.
Go to Assets, select Ad Accounts, and request access to your TikTok Ads Manager Ad Account. The request will be automatically approved if you are the admin of the requested ad account.
Log into your Tiktok Ads Manager account, go to Assets, and select Catalogs.
Click Transfer Now on the banner at the top of the page and select the Business Center account you wish to transfer your catalog.
Confirm catalog upload is configured for Shopping Ads
Ensure you have created a Catalog associated with your Pixel/MMP.
Go to Ads Manager, click Assets, select Catalog, and verify a catalog exists.
Ensure you have configured a product source.
In Catalog Manager, browse the Product Sources tab.
Ensure a product source exists.
Select the source and verify that, if the type is Data Feed Schedule, the most recent schedule did not fail.
Resolve product issues and ensure you have at least 4 servable products.
Resolve catalog issues such as product issues or prohibited content issues with the Diagnostic Page.
In Catalog Manager, browse the Diagnostics tab and review catalog issues.
Optional recommendations
For Product Sets: You can select your best sellers or specific category to create a product set that can be used for campaign delivery. There will be servable products within 24 hours after creating the product set.
If you have elected to run ads across a sub-section of products (Product Set):
In Catalog Manager, browse the Products tab.
In the filter section, ensure the correct Products Set is selected.
In the filter section, a number of products by review status is available.
We recommend that you do not select all your products to create a product set.
Abide by recommendations and best practices to optimize your catalog quality.
Connect Event Source to Catalog
Ensure you have connected your event source with the catalog.
In Catalog Manager, browse the Event Sources tab.
Ensure App and Pixel events exist.
Select Connect Event Sources and check that each event source is connected.
Events-Catalog Match Rate
Confirm your Match Rate is configured for Shopping Ads
Ensure you are reporting View Content, Add to Cart, and Purchase events with SKUs that match the catalog.
Event Availability: Ensure you have event availability for your catalog.
Go to Catalog Manager, click the Event Sources tab, and select the specific pixel card/iOS/Android.
For all events, ensure at least 50% of your events have content ID.
Ensure the events follow the funnel with the following steps.
Go to Page View, click View Content, select Add To Cart, and select Complete Payment.
For example, AddToCart events should not exceed ViewContent events.
Ensure at least 1 Complete Payment event is seen.
Events Available in the last 7 days: Ensure you have events available in the last 7 days for your catalog.
Go to Catalog Manager, browse the Event Sources tab, and open the events card for Android, iOS, or Pixel.
Prospecting: greater than 50% of events with content IDs matching inventory are recommended.
Retargeting: greater than 80% of events with content IDs matching inventory are recommended.
To know more about increasing your match rate, refer to About Catalog Event Match Rates.
If your match rate is 0%, it is likely the Content_ID parameter is missing or incorrect. Content_ID parameter acts as the matching "key" between the signals and the product catalog/feed. Without content_ID, your signal events will not be able to be matched to the product catalog.
To solve this:
Verify that the content_ID parameter that has passed through signals events is in the same format used in catalog/feed.
Use diagnostic tools.
Pixel: Use the Test Events tool or Chrome extension to confirm the parameters passed.
EventsAPI: Use the Test Events tool and confirm the parameters passed.
If your match rate is below 50%, Catalog SKU coverage is incomplete or you might have intentional exclusion of products by using product sets.
Solution for incomplete SKU coverage:
Verify SKU and content_ID parameters on signals events
Use the diagnostic tool: Go to Catalog Manager, select Event sources dashboard, Apply Events with Content IDs but Not Matching Catalog Filter, and then Export list. Then, cross reference Content_IDs with the catalog.
Tips to optimize match rates:
Increase event coverage by tracking the full funnel of user events. More events create more opportunities to match your product catalog.
Enable additional match keys to increase the probability of creating a match between a user event and a TikTok ad. User privacy is important to TikTok when a user opts out of tracking; these additional match keys will not be used for attribution.
Use the Sample Events table to export a list of events.
Select the applicable option for troubleshooting:
Events with no content IDs:
Make sure you include a content ID and that the ID is formatted correctly. Check back on the user guides for Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) and Pixel integration to ensure that your content ID is set up correctly.
Events with content IDs that don't match inventory:
Events with content IDs that match inventory:
These are examples of events that match the content IDs in your catalog. Use them as examples of what is correctly set up.
Creative
Setup
You may opt to use either a Standard Video, Catalog Video, Spark Ads, or Catalog Carousel.
Create a Catalog Carousel
Go to Ads Creation, click Ad Format, and Select Catalog Carousel.
Upload or select a music of choice that will accompany your Carousel.
Upload one Standard Video incorporating creative guidelines.
Head to Ads Manager, select Assets, click Creatives, choose Videos, and upload a video.
This video should feature your brand or product and can contain any number of products. As part of our creative guidelines, the Standard video should ideally correspond to the product they select and the landing page advertisers provide.
Alternatively, use Spark Ads to leverage organic TikTok posts and their features in your advertising.
Create a Catalog Video
Build a video template in Catalog Manager
Head to Ads Manager, select Assets, click Creatives, choose Videos, and create either a Dynamic Template, TikTok Template, or Custom Template
Choose what type of videos you would like to create for the products in your catalog:
Custom Template Video: If advertisers would like to use self-designed templates, they can choose this option to develop creatives with strong branding value featuring their signature colors, logo, visuals, and audio. We have seen successful advertisers feature strong commercial messages to entice potential customers such as "Free Shipping" or "Free Gift with purchase".
Ready to use TikTok Templates: 50+ TikTok Template galleries for advertisers to generate DSA creative assets with a few clicks in 1 minute.
Dynamic Templates: Automatically create dynamic video templates in a quick, efficient way. Dynamic Templates will combine different elements in your catalog (product title, images, prices, etc) and our library of music and stickers to create an optimized video template for advertisers.
Create a video package using the video template
Head to Ads Manager, select Assets, click Creatives, choose Videos, and click on +Create.
Select the template of your choice.
Note: Each Catalog can only have a maximum of seven Dynamic video packages and a total of 20 video packages. If you wish to create another video package delete one and create another.