TikTok’s rapid rise can be attributed to its massive user base and unique engagement levels. As of 2024, TikTok has surpassed 2 billion monthly active users globally, with over 60% of users aged between 16 and 24. This young demographic is not only highly engaged but also represents the primary consumer force. 

Also, TikTok users spend an average of over 50 minutes per day on the platform providing advertisers with many opportunities to interact with potential customers and creating fertile ground for brand marketing.

TikTok’s engagement rate far exceeds that of other social platforms. TikTok users engage with ads (likes, comments, and shares) at a rate 10 times higher than Instagram. This offers dropshipping businesses a unique opportunity: to directly attract target users through short video content, boosting brand visibility and customer conversions.

For dropshipping businesses, understanding these characteristics of TikTok users is crucial. 

Young people tend to favor creative, entertaining content, and the short video format of TikTok allows brands to make a strong impression in a short amount of time. Capturing attention quickly is key. And businesses must present the value of their products efficiently to fully leverage TikTok’s potential.

• Low Startup Costs

One of the biggest advantages of dropshipping over traditional e-commerce is its low-cost startup. 

Since merchants don’t need to purchase or store inventory in advance, they can significantly reduce initial investment by shipping products directly from suppliers. 

According to Shopify data, the average startup cost for entrepreneurs entering dropshipping is less than $500. This makes it easier for creative individuals and small businesses to enter the market with low risk and quickly test products and market reactions.

• No Inventory Management

Since suppliers handle the storage, packaging, and shipping of products, merchants don’t need to manage inventory or deal with logistics. This saves a lot of time and resources, allowing businesses to focus on other key aspects like marketing, customer service, and scaling operations.

• Flexibility and Scalability Potential

Dropshipping offers greater flexibility for merchants. They don’t need to worry about stock levels and can easily add or remove products without taking on too much risk. 

Additionally, as the brand grows, businesses can expand their reach and tap into global markets, further scaling operations.

• Intense Competition

While the low entry barrier has attracted many businesses, it has also significantly increased competition. 

Many merchants choose similar products and advertising strategies, leading to market saturation with similar items. To stand out, businesses need unique marketing ideas and precise targeting to grab consumer attention and make an impact.

• Supply Chain Dependency and Control Issues

In the dropshipping model, merchants have limited control over the supply chain. If a supplier experiences stock shortages, delays in shipping, or other issues, the merchant’s reputation and customer experience can be negatively impacted. 

Additionally, inconsistent product quality from suppliers can affect customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

• Low Profit Margins

Although the dropshipping model has low startup costs, merchants typically experience lower profit margins due to relying on third-party suppliers for fulfillment. Many businesses need to lower prices or run discount promotions to stay competitive, further squeezing profit margins. 

The average profit margin for dropshipping businesses is between 10% and 30%, while traditional retailers typically enjoy profit margins above 50%.

• Rising Ad Costs

As competition on platforms like TikTok intensifies, advertising costs continue to rise. 

Merchants must constantly optimize their ad creatives and test different audience targeting to lower their customer acquisition costs (CAC). 

TikTok ads do not deliver immediate results; businesses must invest time and money to refine their creatives and ad strategies for optimal performance.

Imagine scrolling through TikTok and coming across an ad that immediately makes you stop and click to watch. Sounds pretty enticing, right? 

This is the core of every successful ad: capturing the viewer’s attention in the first three seconds.

Many viewers are in "fast-scroll" mode when they see an ad. Therefore, you need to use engaging elements to break this scrolling habit. 

It could be a stunning visual effect, a suspenseful question, or an interesting challenge. For example, some creative ads use a surprising twist to suddenly showcase the product’s unique selling points, making viewers want to keep watching.

The main focus of your ad is to make sure viewers understand what you're selling. 

A clear product presentation is crucial, especially when you have just a few seconds to quickly convey the value and purpose of the product.

To achieve this, first, ensure that the product is shown from multiple angles so viewers can see all its details. 

Next, highlight the product’s unique features and benefits—such as its functionality, design, or how it solves a specific pain point. 

Also, use high-quality videos and images, as visual appeal is essential on TikTok. Low-quality footage can easily cause viewers to lose interest.

The copy in your ad is crucial. 

You might be thinking, "How many words can I really write in a short video ad?" The key is to keep the copy concise and to the point. 

TikTok users won’t spend too much time on any single ad, so your copy needs to be brief, address a pain point, and clearly communicate what problem your product solves while highlighting its value.For example, if you're selling a beauty tool, a simple line like, "Revitalize your skin and easily create the perfect makeup look" could work well. 

Including user reviews or recommendations is also effective, especially those from real customers who share their genuine experiences. These add credibility to your product and attract more potential buyers.

"What should I do next?" This is the question every viewer should have answered after watching your ad. 

A strong call to action (CTA) helps guide viewers on what to do next. Whether it’s clicking a link to buy or placing an order right away, a clear CTA encourages viewers to make a quick decision.

Avoid vague CTAs like "Learn More." Use concise and direct language such as "Shop Now" or "Click the Link for a Discount" to create a sense of urgency and motivate viewers to take action.

What makes TikTok unique is its use of music and sound effects. 

Music is a key feature of the platform, as it not only enhances the emotional atmosphere of your ad but also increases its memorability. Choosing the right, popular background music can make your ad feel more aligned with the platform’s vibe, helping immerse viewers in the experience.

Sound effects are equally important. For example, when showcasing a product’s features, appropriate sound effects can highlight key actions—like the "snap" of opening packaging or the sound of a button being pressed to activate the product. These small details can help draw viewers' attention and make the ad more engaging.

This ad promotes a mascara that emphasizes lengthening and volumizing effects—something no beauty enthusiast would want to miss.

Creative Highlights

The key strength of this ad is its clear and intuitive product demonstration, showcasing the dramatic before-and-after difference of using the mascara—from short, sparse lashes to thick, long, voluminous ones. 

This striking contrast immediately captures the audience’s attention, sparking curiosity and amazement about the product’s effects, which creates a strong desire to purchase.

Additionally, the video cleverly includes a "Shop Now" call to action (CTA), making the conversion path more direct and increasing the ad's actual conversion rate.

Ad Performance and Results

The performance of this ad was remarkable, achieving 620 million impressions and 5.8 million likes in just one day. This impressive exposure highlights the ad’s powerful reach and ability to engage viewers.

This ad promotes the Proof Floaty, an innovatively designed buoyancy device that offers a better experience for water activity enthusiasts.

Creative Highlights

The ad’s standout feature is its captivating opening, which immediately grabs the viewer’s attention by showcasing bright colors and beautiful ocean scenery. 

Clear blue waters, a sunlit beach, and the vibrant floaty product in the background create a lively and relaxing atmosphere.

Moreover, as a unique product, the Proof Floaty itself sparks curiosity. By highlighting its various benefits for water activities, the ad effectively stimulates potential customers' interest and desire to purchase.

Ad Performance and Results

In just 11 days, the ad achieved 105 million impressions and 1.2 million likes, proving its ability to quickly capture a large audience's attention and generate broad viral reach.

This ad promotes a cat toy—an innovative catnip ball designed to capture the strong interest of cats, with a unique shape that also appeals to cat owners.

Creative Highlights

One of the standout features of this ad is its use of distinctive music and sound effects. 

The ad opens with rhythmic sound effects that quickly grab the viewer’s attention, encouraging them to stay engaged with the video. 

As the rhythm progresses, the video showcases the cat's playful and amusing reactions while interacting with the catnip ball. The cat's love for the toy is both adorable and funny, making it easy for viewers, especially pet owners, to resonate with the scene. These relatable moments drive the desire for viewers to purchase the same toy for their own cats.

Ad Performance and Results

The performance of this ad was outstanding, achieving 97 million impressions and 934K likes within just one day. It particularly resonated well with the pet owner audience, generating a positive response from this demographic.

This ad promotes Pepper Bra, a women's lingerie brand designed for women who prioritize comfort and a perfect silhouette.

Creative Highlights

The ad leverages the influencer’s social media reach to quickly capture the attention of the target audience. 

Additionally, the influencer demonstrates the stark before-and-after effect of the product, effectively and convincingly highlighting its benefits. This approach greatly enhances the ad's credibility, sparking viewers' interest in making a purchase.

Ad Performance and Results

The ad achieved 91 million impressions and 1.1 million likes.

This ad promotes a unique home decor item—the Jellyfish Night Light. The Jellyfish Night Light features a lifelike jellyfish design, combined with soft lighting effects, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere in any room.

Creative Highlights

The ad uses the Jellyfish Night Light as the focal point, immediately drawing the viewer's attention. 

The soft, flowing appearance of the jellyfish, paired with the dreamy lighting effect, creates a striking visual impact that highlights the product's uniqueness. 

In the first few seconds, the ad showcases the product beautifully, ensuring viewers are hooked and won’t easily scroll past. 

Additionally, the ad is accompanied by gentle background music, which complements the product’s calming nature and enhances the overall ambiance, providing viewers with a peaceful and soothing visual and auditory experience.

Ad Performance and Results 

The ad performed exceptionally well, achieving 73 million impressions and 622.9K likes within just two days.

This ad promotes a luxury perfume, featuring its unique fragrance and exquisite bottle design, which are highly appealing.

Creative Highlights

The standout feature of this ad is the use of large discount messaging. The ad clearly displays the promotional offer, making consumers aware that it’s a limited-time deal. 

The copy cleverly uses words like "fast" and "limited" to enhance the sense of urgency and spark the viewers’ desire to purchase. By creating this sense of urgency, the ad successfully triggers viewers' impulse buying behavior in a short time. 

The clear call-to-action (CTA) at the end, such as "Buy Now," provides straightforward instructions on how to take advantage of the promotion, directly boosting conversions.

Ad Performance and Results

The ad achieved 45 million impressions and 441.8K likes within just one day. By using the promotional message and creating a strong sense of urgency, the ad successfully drove viewers to take action and generated significant ad performance.

This ad promotes Shopify Dropshipping Store setup services, designed to help entrepreneurs quickly build and launch their own Shopify store. 

It’s especially suited for users who want to enter the dropshipping industry with low costs and high efficiency.

Creative Highlights

The cover design of the ad is highly eye-catching, particularly through the use of highlighted text emphasizing two key words: “dropshipping” and “free” . 

These words directly address the pain points of the target audience, attracting entrepreneurs who are looking to enter the dropshipping industry, especially those interested in free services. 

The ad copy is also simple and direct, clearly conveying the ad’s purpose—“Build your Shopify store.”

Additionally, the influencer featured in the ad has a significant presence in the industry, which increases the ad’s credibility and authority, making viewers more likely to trust it and take action.

Ad Performance and Results 

The ad performed strongly, achieving 20 million impressions and 239.3K likes within 17 days.

This ad promotes a strategic guide on dropshipping product selection, helping entrepreneurs and business owners choose the most suitable products to sell. 

The core value of the ad lies in its altruism—by providing practical product selection strategies and market analysis, it helps the target audience increase their sales opportunities, avoid blindly following trends, reduce risks, and improve profits. 

This educational-focused ad effectively attracts users who are confused about product selection and looking to boost their profitability.

Creative Highlights

The ad uses provocative copy to grab viewers’ attention, directly challenging common misconceptions or comparisons in the industry, sparking curiosity and encouraging viewers to continue watching.

Ad Performance and Results

Within a 4-day run, the ad achieved 14 million impressions and 82.8K likes.

This ad promotes the AutoDS Dropshipping Tool, an automation tool designed specifically for dropshipping entrepreneurs.

Creative Highlights

The ad cleverly taps into the most common question for dropshipping beginners—"How to start dropshipping"—by directly showcasing this question in both the video cover and the opening copy. 

This design quickly grabs the attention of new entrepreneurs, as most people entering the dropshipping industry are unsure about how to get started. The ad content revolves around addressing this issue, guiding viewers to continue watching and offering a solution.

Another creative highlight is the seamless integration of AutoDS during the explanation of the tools needed throughout the dropshipping process. Rather than aggressively pushing the product, the ad naturally introduces AutoDS, making viewers feel like they are receiving valuable information rather than just being sold to. 

This softens the ad’s feel and makes it easier for viewers to accept the message without feeling annoyed, like “Oh! It’s just another ad!”

Ad Performance and Results 

This ad performed exceptionally well, achieving 10 million impressions in just 9 days, showcasing its high exposure. More importantly, it garnered 120K likes, indicating the ad successfully captured the attention and resonated with a large portion of the target audience.

This ad promotes a full-service support platform for dropshipping, helping businesses streamline every step from product selection, supplier management, to order processing.

Creative Highlights

The creative highlight of this ad is its intuitive data presentation. 

By showcasing successful case studies and performance metrics, the ad enhances its credibility. Viewers are often interested in successful experiences, and seeing concrete, measurable data helps build trust in the product, thereby increasing the ad's reliability.

Ad Performance and Results

This ad achieved 388K impressions and 3.7K likes, demonstrating its solid reach and engagement.

One of the keys to a successful ad is understanding your target audience. 

It might sound simple, but the reason many ads fail is that they don't accurately target the right customers. 

You need to know who your potential customers are, what their interests are, and what they typically do in order to create ad content that resonates with them.  

For example, let’s say you’re selling an eco-friendly water bottle. If your target audience is environmentally-conscious young people, then your ad copy, visuals, and even the music you choose should all align with eco-friendly values. 

Remember, understanding your audience and tailoring your ads to meet their needs is the way to achieve maximum results.

TikTok is a platform full of innovation and change, so continuous innovation is crucial. 

Advertisers often fall into the trap of thinking, "One ad should be enough," but in reality, consistently testing new ideas and ad formats is the best way to improve ad performance.  

To keep your ads fresh, try experimenting with different visual styles, copywriting approaches, or even filming techniques. 

For example, you could test different editing styles to see how your audience reacts to fast-paced scene transitions, or experiment with various types of music to see which one better evokes emotion. 

Every time you innovate, you bring new energy to your ads, helping you stand out in a competitive market.

After running an ad campaign, the most important task is to monitor the data. 

You can’t rely solely on intuition or first impressions to gauge the ad’s performance. Instead, you need to adjust your advertising strategy based on actual data to ensure every dollar of your ad budget is well-spent.

Focus on key metrics such as watch time, likes, comments, and shares, as these can help you determine whether your ad resonates with your target audience. 

Also, don’t forget to track the conversion rate, as this is the most important indicator of an ad’s success. If you notice that the conversion rate for a particular ad creative is low, it might be time to adjust the ad content, optimize audience targeting, or refine the CTA (call to action).

Collaboration and influencer marketing can also be a key strategy to boost your ad performance. 

TikTok is home to many active influencers, whose followers are often highly loyal and engaged. If you can find influencers who align with your brand, collaborating with them to promote your product can significantly increase your ad’s exposure and credibility.

By partnering with influencers, you can leverage their influence and trust to quickly penetrate your target market and attract more potential customers. 

Of course, choosing the right influencer is crucial—you need to ensure their followers match your brand’s audience in order to improve conversion rates.