How to Find Trending Products on TikTok? (5 Reasons TikTok is the Best Place to Sell Trending Products)

July 20, 2024

To find trending products on TikTok, you must: 

  1. Use the Top Products feature on TikTok Creative Center
  2. Look for products using TikTok's search feature
  3. Explore other social media platforms
  4. Browse through other eCommerce websites
  5. Follow TikTok product influencers and endorsers

TikTok is officially the 6th biggest social media platform globally. TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users. Its user base keeps expanding. So, now is the best time to start selling on TikTok. Selling on TikTok is a good way to make money online, but it's not always guaranteed to be successful. Selling is easy. But, finding a profitable, trending product is hard for most people.

You have access to a market full of potential clients. But, you'll need to find a winning product that stands out. To make things worse, you'll need to compete with millions of sellers in and out of TikTok. In the end, eCommerce is just an industry. It's saturated, competitive, and hard to sustain.

This article will guide you on how to find trending products on TikTok. Additionally, we will list some reasons why TikTok is the best place to sell trending products. We will also give you some ways to make money after finding trending items on the platform. Lastly, we will recommend another business model that is better than starting a TikTok business.


1. Use the Top Products Feature on TikTok Creative Center

You can search for new trending products on TikTok using Top Products. You can see insights for any day, week, or month in 2023 to 2024. It's simple, straightforward, and easy to use. Just go to TikTok Creative Center. Click the Top Products button under the Inspiration tab.

According to TikTok's official blog, the Top Products feature has helped small businesses. It helps them find trending items and led to a 15% sales boost in a month. Top Products also gives many valuable insights about each trending product. The insights are based on the time frame you selected. These include:

  • Popularity
  • Popularity change
  • Likes
  • Shares
  • Impressions
  • CTR, CVR, CPA

For instance, a case study by TikTok revealed this. A small fashion retailer found a trending accessory through the Top Products feature. This led to a 30% boost in their online store traffic. Top Products is undoubtedly one of the best tools you can use if you're looking for TikTok trending products to sell.

2. Look for Products Using TikTok's Search Feature

As useless as it might sound, TikTok's search feature can be helpful in helping you find trending products. The TikTok app is filled with thousands of videos that talk about trending products. A report by Influencer Marketing Hub says many small businesses found trending products. They did this by analyzing TikTok search results and video interactions. Products with a high search volume have a better chance of being at the top. All you have to do is watch those videos and gather as much information as you can. What better way to find trending TikTok products than to use TikTok itself? It can help you look for the best products to sell on the platform.

A good way to do this is to look at the interactions of the videos that talk about trending products. For example, a beauty brand discovered a trending skincare product. They did this by noting that videos of the product had over 10,000 likes and many positive comments. This was highlighted in a case study by Social Media Examiner. Check how many likes they have, skim through the comments to get an idea of what consumers think, and many others. You can also search for products on TikTok Shop by simply using the search bar and searching for any product you can think of. TikTok's business blog says that products at the top of search results on TikTok Shop have high purchase rates and search volumes. They are prime candidates for trending items.

3. Follow TikTok Product Influencers and Endorsers

TikTok content creators and product influencers are paid to endorse or advertise all sorts of hot products. A study by Influencer Marketing Hub found that products endorsed by influencers with over 50,000 followers often see a big spike in sales. This happens within days of the endorsement. Normally, a TikTok influencer with a big following can mostly control demand for an item. This control inevitably makes the item a trend. Following these influencers can help you decide which products to sell before the demand for that hot product increases. This puts you in a good spot to sell a product before the demand falls. It also saves you a lot of time by skipping product research.

Be on the lookout for product endorsements from famous influencers and content creators. As noted by Social Media Today, tracking the products that influencers often mention can give you a competitive edge. It lets you stock up on trending items before they become mainstream. That way, you'll have a jump on other sellers that spend hours trying to come up with a profitable product.

4. Explore other social media platforms

You can use the power of social media to help you find trending products to sell on TikTok. A Hootsuite report says many small businesses have found hot products by watching users on sites like Facebook and Instagram. There are millions of products being sold on websites like Facebook and Instagram. A good way to make use of this is to determine what the best-selling products are based on user impressions and interactions.

For example, a small business owner shared on LinkedIn that they found a trending home decor item. They noticed it had over 5,000 likes and 1,000 comments on an Instagram post. It led to a successful product launch in TikTok. If a certain product has thousands of likes and comments, that could be an indicator that the product is trending and flying off the shelves.

Social media has come a very long way. These platforms were made to connect you with friends and family. They let you talk with and meet people from anywhere in the world. Today, social media is huge in eCommerce. You can explore Instagram and Facebook Marketplace for discovering and selling trending products. This was noted by Social Media Examiner.

5. Browse through other eCommerce websites

Explore other eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba to find out which products are trending. According to a case study by Jungle Scout, many new entrepreneurs have found trending products. They did this by analyzing best-seller lists and customer reviews on these platforms. You can look at products that have the most purchases and positive reviews and try to sell those same products. For instance, a small business owner shared on a Shopify forum that they found a trending kitchen gadget on Amazon. It had over 500 positive reviews. They then successfully marketed it on TikTok.

Another approach is to find products with issues or flaws. You can then capitalize on those issues by making a better version of the product. Entrepreneur Magazine says that fixing existing products' known issues can give you a competitive edge. Overall, eCommerce platforms provide lots of product data that can help you come up with what to sell. It's simply a matter of knowing what to do with the already-available information instead of gathering data and doing nothing.

5 Reasons TikTok Is the Best Place To Sell Trending Products

1. TikTok Shop Simplifies the Entire Selling Process

TikTok Shop (also known as TikTok Shopping) is TikTok's version of Facebook Marketplace. Everyone can use TikTok Shop, as long as they have a TikTok account. But, TikTok Shop and Facebook Marketplace differ in the products they list. On Facebook Marketplace, anyone can just list any product, no matter the condition. It's essentially just one huge garage sale, where people can list products that are brand new or used. TikTok Shop, on the other hand, is more suited for eCommerce. It works like Amazon, but with social media features. This makes it a powerful eCommerce platform where you can sell products easily.

To start selling on TikTok Shop for the first time, you just need to: make a TikTok account. Then, switch it to Business or Pro and improve your profile. After that, you can start listing your products. TikTok also supports Shopify and Amazon integration. You can use it to link existing stores on those platforms.

2. It's Easy To Go Viral on TikTok

TikTok's young audience and its content-driven algorithm allow sellers to easily market products. They can quickly gain traction on the platform. TikTok's algorithm feeds users content based on their interactions. It also serves them content outside of their interactions. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, TikTok's For You Page (FYP) does not focus solely on recommending content based on what you like. Rather, it keeps you in an endless loop of TikTok video content that are both within and outside of your interactions.  

On top of that, 60% of the entire TikTok user base is aged 18 to 24 and 26% are aged 25 to 44. Both age groups spend more time on their phones and buy more items online than any other age group. The same cannot be said for other social media platforms that are currently being used for eCommerce:

  • Only 18% of Facebook users are aged 18 to 24, and users aged 25 to 44 only make up 23% of the entire of user base.
  • 31% of Instagram's users are aged 18 to 24, while 30% belong to the 25 to 44 age group.

That said, TikTok is much easier to go viral on than other social media. It is the best place to sell trending products.

3. TikTok Is Full of Impulse Buyers

Ever heard someone say "TikTok made me buy it?"

It's no surprise TikTok is filled with impulse buyers. 80% of all users on TikTok are aged 16 to 34. TikTok's users are mostly teens, young adults, and adults. They are known to be impulse buyers compared to older and more mature audiences. This allows you to make more money. It also cuts the need for expensive ads and extreme marketing.

TikTok's algorithm essentially does all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to selling your products. All you have to do is find a trending product that is unique, sustainable, and profitable.

4. You Can Effectively Advertise Your Products

As mentioned multiple times already in this article, TikTok's algorithm allows you to easily go viral. This potentially reduces your advertising efforts and cuts down your marketing expenses. If you do decide to spend money on TikTok marketing, here are some reasons why it can be effective for your business:

  • Ad targeting: Facebook's and Instagram's interest-based algorithm was caused by Apple's iOS 14 update. Unlike them, TikTok lets you change your ads to fit your target audience, user interests, engagement, hashtags, and more. You fully control who can see your ads. Facebook and Instagram cannot do this.
  • TikTok for Business: TikTok for Business is a tool developed by TikTok. It aims to help advertisers and business owners make an effective marketing strategy. This feature walks you through the whole process. It's about launching a TikTok ad campaign for your business. You can also set budgets. You can identify which audiences to target. You can increase brand awareness. You can analyze user metrics and data using TikTok Analytics.
  • TikTok Ads Manager: TikTok Ads Manager is a set of tools and features. They can help you start a campaign from scratch, set your ad budget, and analyze user interactions. They also help with user engagement and ad optimization.
  • Multiple ad formats: TikTok offers 4 types of ad formats you can choose from. All of which have their own advantages. These include: 
    1. Topview ads: Ads that appear at the top of a user's For You Page (FYP).
    2. Brand takeover ads: Similar to topview ads, but unskippable.
    3. In-feed ads: These are ads that are integrated as content into a user's feed, allowing them to interact with the ad.
    4. Branded effects and hashtags: Effects and hashtags are a big deal on TikTok. Branded effects and TikTok hashtags let users interact with your brand. They can also make content with your effect or trending hashtag.

5. You're in a Good Position To Stay Up-to-Date With The Latest Product Trends

TikTok is the best place to go for keeping up with the latest product trends. What better way to keep your business up-to-date than to start your business on the platform itself? To find TikTok trends, use tools like Top Products or TikTok Analytics. You can even just use the TikTok app. While Facebook and Instagram are good places to go to if you want to keep with emerging trends, it simply is not on the same level as TikTok. 

TikTok's user base is largely teens and young adults. They are the age groups where most trend setters come from. In contrast, Facebook and Instagram have users across many age groups. This can help your business. It lets your business stay up-to-date with the latest TikTok trends. And, you don't have to spend a lot on research and development.

How to Make Money on TikTok After Finding Trending Products?

After finding trending products, you can make money on TikTok by joining the TikTok Creator Fund, which pays between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 view. It is provided you meet the requirements of 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in the past 30 days. Next, you can run an affiliate marketing campaign by upgrading to a business account and adding your affiliate link to your profile. This allows you to earn commissions on products you promote. 

Additionally, collaborate with brands through the TikTok Creator Marketplace, where you can publish sponsored posts and earn fees ranging from $5 to over $2,500 per post. However, it depends on your follower count. Lastly, you can utilize TikTok Shop to sell products directly through the app via live shopping, shoppable videos, and product showcases on your profile. These methods collectively can help you monetize your TikTok presence effectively.

Is Selling on TikTok the Best Way to Make Money Online?

Selling on TikTok is not the best way to make money online, but it is still a great way. TikTok's market is a huge gold mine just waiting to be explored, but you're not the only one looking to get a piece of the pie. There are hundreds of thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs looking to sell products on TikTok. To make matters worse, you'll have to compete with sellers outside of TikTok as well, such as dropshippers, Amazon FBA sellers, traditional retailers, and even big, established brands. 

Overall, selling on TikTok falls under eCommerce, which is an industry that's extremely competitive and saturated already. You have to find a product that's unique and profitable if you want to stand out. Unfortunately, even if you come up with a product idea that sells, it'll only be a matter of time until other sellers copy your product or even offer a better version of that product.

Conclusion: Why Local Lead Gen Is Superior To TikTok Business?

Local lead generation is superior to a TikTok business because it offers less competition, free organic traffic through SEO, and the potential for passive income. It makes it a more stable and profitable online venture. Local lead generation is the building a website, ranking that website using search engine optimization, allowing local companies and businesses to generate leads through your website, and making money every time a lead converts to a sale. It's a business that doesn't suffer from any of the issues and risks eCommerce suffers from. Here's why:

  • Local lead generation is not as saturated as eCommerce because every city is its own market. Each city has 50 to 100 niches you can tap and make a lot of money with. 
  • Unlike eCommerce that almost anyone can get into, local lead generation requires a certain level of skill to become sustainable and profitable, which means it's not as competitive as eCommerce.
  • Local lead generation uses search engine optimization to generate traffic that is free and organic. With eCommerce, you'll inevitably have to spend money on ads to generate a substantial amount of traffic.

Local lead generation also has the potential to become passive in the long run. You'll not only be literally making money in your sleep, you'll also have more time for family, friends, and interests outside of work.

I've created six figure business with various eCommerce models such as dropshipping and Amazon FBA, but local lead generation will always be my #1 recommendation. Check out local lead generation to discover how you can attain financial freedom and stability through this business model.

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