TikTok is piloting a managed-services program in the U.S. that hands it control over most of a seller's Shop operations for a fee, according to documentation viewed by Business Insider.
The program will handle key marketing tasks like hiring creators, running ad campaigns, testing ad creatives through its GMV Max tool, and optimizing product listings. Sellers will only be responsible for listing their products and sending free samples to influencers, while TikTok does most of the other heavy lifting.
How much does this dream service cost?
Just a mere $10,000 non-refundable flat fee investment plus a 10% to 20% commission per sale, depending on the brand's product category. Plus ad spend, I'd imagine? Business Insider didn't specifically mention who pays ad spend (the seller or TikTok), but given the commission range, I can only guess that it's charged separately.
The program, which is set to kick off in August, is open to both U.S. sellers and international sellers who market and ship to the U.S., and puts TikTok in direct competition with its own Shop agency partners — the same ones it leaned on heavily to get the U.S. business off the ground since 2023.
TikTok Shop is tracking toward more than $23B in U.S. sales this year, still small next to Amazon's projected $500B, per Emarketer.
