Let US Begin
Have you ever thought your phone could make you more money than the current job that pays you a meagre wage for your time? Spoiler alert: it can. My sister learned this when she accidentally sold a bunch of shirts on TikTok live while my mum was yelling in the background about dinner. This should be a hint: Mute your mic when your family calls you "Lazy". Or stay in a quiet place without noise.
But hey, welcome to TikTok Live Selling. I call it the new age shopping mall, where your bedroom can be used as a studio and your phone serves basically as your cash register. Unlike those "get rich quick" scams, this is real. People are already making a good income selling fashion products, beauty products, and even Wigs that look better than Wi-Fi signals. This is no lie or exaggeration, so let's get in as I share with you some secrets no one would ever want to tell you for free.
If You Want to Know: What Is TikTok Live Selling?
So here is what I want you to do. Think of TikTok Live Selling as your own home shopping channel, minus the expensive studio. You go live, show your products, chat with viewers, and close sales in real time. An example from my sister:
- She tries on a dress, goes live, someone asks about the size, they send her money to make the purchase, and hey, there are the sales. Instant sale right there.
- Her face didn't look pretty cute for her when she got up from bed. Her hair is messed up, her lip is dried up, so she applies lip gloss, looks pretty, and that is where someone screams in the comment section: I need this now.
Do you want to know why it works? Here is the take
The cost of starting is low. No cost for rent, no utility bills, no cranky landlord, you do not have to pay workers or rent a shop.
With good communication skills and strategies, you can reach thousands of potential customers while doing this livestream in your bedroom. After my own research on the topic, I found out that.
According to Business Insider(2024), live commerce is projected to hit $500 billion globally by 2025. Translation? If you're not in, you're missing out.
Have No Ideas of Products to Sell: Here are Products That Sell Like Hot Cakes
To crush it on TikTok, you need products that look good on camera and solve a real need. Here's the rundown:
Fashion(Especially Second-Hand "Mitumba"): They must be affordable, they must be unique, they must look beautiful. The Gikomba market, for example, finds itself in styled lively style. The audience is in an instant buzz.
Go in for beauty products: There are lip glosses, foundations, wigs, face masks, and many other beauty products out there that you can sell. Want to sell fast? Then, do tutorials live on how these products can be used. Nothing sells faster than a live demo.
You love men's wear? You can sell those too: Men love nice and beautiful clothing. Find them streetwear, caps, joggers, sweatpants, what is there that I have not mentioned? Sell those too. Add them to your collections. Like I read in a post, a Nairobi seller doubled his sales when he added men's clothes to his live sessions.
Do not forget, you can sell Accessories: These accessories can include earrings, lashes, hairbands, nose rings, etc. Accessories have this advantage: they are cheap, light in weight, and perfect for an impulse buy.
Let us go into the Real World.
This is a part where I want to share with you true-life stories of people who were able to sell on TikTok, apart from my sister. These people were my sister's friends, so you should understand this is credible.
Take a first look at the Student Seller: She was a Ghanaian who started selling Ankara two-pieces on TikTok. Three months passed, and within those three months and afterward, she was making enough to pay her rent. This even convinced her dad she wasn't wasting time on the phone. What is hard here? Nothing. You can learn a lesson from these girls' story.
Here is also the Mitumba King: The story of the Mitumba King was not a mystery. He was a small trader in Kenya who built an audience of 50k followers just by showing off stylish second-hand jackets. This was his secret, he would be on live and try these jackets on, and they looked nice. His sales skyrocketed, and for the profits, he reinvested them.
The beauty boss was also a young woman in South Africa who turned her passion for makeup passion on hers into something beneficial. Her partners and suppliers were local shops and affiliate marketers. Beauty boss today earns a lot of income from her business.
Where to do all this? The Bedroom as Studio
To have a studio for selling your product live, you do not need a fancy studio. All you need is a
- Good lighting. You can stay near a window during the day and when it's late. At night, you can use the time stand.
- Background should be clean and neat. You can add a plant or a cheap poster.
- Test your internet speed before yo u go on live.
Don't ruin your business.
You delay delivery, you ruin the business. There are apps you can make use of. There is Glovo, Bolt, Jumia, and a lot.
The Growth Hacks for TikTok
- Use sounds that are trending, your hashtags should be Beautyonabuget, Go live during peak hours.
- Engage viewers constantly. Find out the colors they prefer. Remember: People buy from people, not products.
- Repeat prices often and add text overlays.
What Questions Do People Frequently Ask?
Q: Do I need a ring light?
A: Yes. Unless you live inside the sun.
Q: What if no one joins my Live?
A: Post short TikTok videos with captions like: “Live at 7pm – come hang out!”
Q: Can I sell the same items weekly?
A: Yes, but refresh often. TikTok is allergic to boredom.
