Today, we're thrilled to announce the general release of TikTok Shop's Affiliate APIs, opening up a world of opportunities for developers, brands, and creators alike.

To kick off this launch, TikTok Shop recently hosted a roundtable in Los Angeles, bringing together experienced developers and creators. The discussions revealed key insights that highlight the immense potential for innovation in this space. The group, which included app developers with beta API access like Canal, Superfiliate, LocalAway, Euka, Social Snowball, and Pattern Creators, had the opportunity to ask questions and dig into specific topics during small group discussions before coming together as a large group.

Real insights from our roundtable

One of the topics that surfaced was the challenge of managing seller and creator communication, with several creators highlighting areas for improvement. There are simply so many opportunities, that "trying to search through my messages on TikTok [Shop] is impossible," one creator shared. Another creator admitted to changing her approach and starting with product discovery instead, saying, "I don't read my [creator] messages anymore." These candid admissions underscore an opportunity for developers to help by building solutions that streamline communications for all parties.

Product discovery emerged as another area of opportunity. Creators emphasized the importance of finding products that resonate with their specific audience demographics. One participant noted, "my audience is more niche, so I'm usually looking for products that resonate with women in their forties and fifties." This highlighted the chance for developers to find better ways to share that a seller's product aligns with a creator's audience.

The roundtable also revealed excitement about the potential for long-term partnerships between creators and brands. Creators expressed a desire for tools that could help them build and manage these relationships more effectively, seeing them as key to sustainable success on the platform.

As the discussions concluded, both developers and creators left feeling energized about the future. Brent from Social Snowball summed up the sentiment, noting, "As a developer, I'm really thankful for all the open feedback that I've heard. This is amazing." It's clear that there's a wealth of opportunity for innovative solutions that can address these challenges and take the TikTok Shop affiliate ecosystem to new heights.

The opportunity: by the numbers

The insights from our roundtable are backed by compelling data that demonstrates the power of TikTok in driving brand discovery and purchases:

• 81% more users have discovered brands because of a creators' recommendation on TikTok than on other platforms (1)
• 64% of users said they would buy a product (directly on TikTok, online elsewhere, or in-person) after watching a creator video (2)

These aren't just numbers—they're a testament to TikTok's influence on consumer behavior and the potential for developers to tap into a thriving ecosystem of sellers and creators supercharging their growth via affiliate marketing.

What you can build: API capabilities

To address the challenges and opportunities highlighted in our roundtable, we're excited to introduce our first suite of Affilaite APIs. These tools provide the foundation for innovating in the affiliate marketing landscape—and this is just the beginning! Here's a glimpse of what these APIs support:

• Seamless Collaborations:
• Create and manage both open and targeted affiliate campaigns
• Edit open collaboration settings and create target collaborations
• Powerful Search and Discovery:
• Search for creators on the marketplace based on GMV, keywords, and demographics
• Find products with open collaborations by category, commission rate, and keywords
• Performance Tracking:
• Generate affiliate product promotion links
• Search and retrieve affiliate orders for tracking conversions

Get started today

The potential for innovation in this space is immense. Creators are eager for better tools to manage brand relationships, while sellers are looking for more effective ways to harness the power of affiliate and creator collaborations. Developers today have the unique opportunity to bridge these gaps and create solutions that could redefine how commerce happens on our platform.

The future of affiliate marketing on TikTok Shop is not just about technology—it's about fostering meaningful connections between creators, brands, and consumers. By leveraging these new APIs, developers can play a crucial role in shaping this future, all while tapping into a vast marketplace with enormous growth potential.

We invite you to join us on this exciting journey. Explore our APIs, engage with our community, and let your creativity drive the next wave of marketing innovation. The possibilities are limitless, and we can't wait to see what you'll build.

What's next:

• Start your development journey on TikTok Shop Partner Center. Register as an Affiliate app developer, explore our API documentation, and get access to our testing tools.
• Join our official Developer Hub on Discord where you can get support from our dedicated team of community managers.
• Register for TikTok Shop's developer events to get access to weekly webinars, including dedications sessions on our new Affiliate APIs.
• Plus, start earning from day one. TikTok Shop developers can take advantage of zero listing fees on the TikTok Shop App Store.

Sources:

1. Source: TikTok Marketing Science Global Creators Drive Commerce Study, 2022, conducted by Material
2. Source: TikTok Marketing Science NA TikTok Made Me "BLANK" It Research June 2022