TikTok partner with Teespring to integrate creator merch directly in the app
E-commerce platform Teespring team up with short video app TikTok for creators to offer apparel without having to leave the app.
Teespring makes selling merchandise easy for creators. Simply create a design from their templates, set a price and sell t-shirts, hoodies, socks, phone cases, mugs and more. They manage production, shipping, customer service and analytics. Teespring offer 180 different products and have paid over $80m in creator profits over the past two years.
The partnership allows “creators to create their own products on Teespring, push it directly to TikTok, and then have fans be able to buy products directly through TikTok,” says Teespring CEO Chris Lamontagne to The Verge. Creators can design merch, and fans can view and buy merch all without leaving TikTok.
We’ve seen similar implementation on YouTube, placing store samples below the main YouTube player, but we’re unsure how the fullscreen-based video app TikTok will display merch.
Around 7,000 US-based creators already have access to the private beta. This move also marks one of the first monetization options TikTok has given creators. TikTok does not currently pay ad-revenue to creators in the same way YouTube does. TikTokers largely generate revenue from merch and sponsored content.
We believe, based on the current trend, that non-apparel items will be outselling apparel by this time next year. Layering in really smart commerce opportunities is key, so it could be physical merchandise or it could be something more digital. We as a collective need to think about creators in this way where they’ve got super engaged fans who love them — there’s already this connection.
Chris Lamontagne, CEO, Teespring
Full roll-out begins this month to creators that meet the criteria. Click here and enter your email address to get notified for access.