TikTok ads integration

TikTok Ads Integration#

Overview#

TikTok is a primary discovery channel for ecommerce, particularly for fashion, beauty, home, and consumer goods. Reliable attribution requires pairing the browser-based TikTok Pixel with the server-side Events API (EAPI) — similar to Meta's CAPI approach. For Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, the official TikTok integrations install both Pixel and EAPI automatically. Custom implementation only belongs in the Custom/Headless section.

When to Use This Skill#

• When launching TikTok as a new paid acquisition channel
• When TikTok Pixel is under-reporting conversions and you need Events API
• When setting up Product Shopping Ads or Video Shopping Ads
• When boosting organic creator content as Spark Ads
• When syncing your product catalog for Dynamic Showcase Ads

Core Instructions#

Step 1: Connect your platform to TikTok#

Step 2: Set up TikTok Ads#

Shopify#

1. Go to Shopify Admin → Sales Channels → + → TikTok
2. Install TikTok for Shopify and connect your TikTok Business account and Ad account
3. Under Pixel & Events, select Maximum Data Sharing — this enables server-side Events API alongside the browser Pixel
4. Shopify automatically:
   • Installs the TikTok Pixel on all pages
   • Fires ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, and CompletePayment events
   • Sends the same events via EAPI from Shopify's servers
   • Syncs your product catalog to TikTok Catalog Manager for Shopping Ads
5. Go to TikTok Ads Manager → Assets → Events and check your Pixel's event quality score — aim for 7+/10
6. Check catalog sync status in TikTok Business Center → Catalogs

WooCommerce#

1. Install TikTok for WooCommerce from the WordPress plugin directory (official TikTok plugin)
2. Go to WooCommerce → TikTok → Connect and sign in with your TikTok Business account
3. Enable Enhanced Matching (EAPI) under the data sharing settings
4. The plugin syncs your WooCommerce product catalog to TikTok Catalog Manager automatically
5. Verify events in TikTok Events Manager → Data Sources → [Your Pixel]

BigCommerce#

1. Go to BigCommerce Admin → Channel Manager → Add a Channel → TikTok
2. Connect your TikTok Business account and Ad account
3. Enable server-side event tracking during setup
4. BigCommerce syncs your product catalog to TikTok automatically
5. Check product sync status in Channel Manager → TikTok → Products

Custom / Headless#

For headless stores, install both the browser Pixel and server-side Events API:

Browser Pixel (add to <head> on every page):

ttq.load('YOUR_PIXEL_ID');
ttq.page();

// Product page
ttq.track('ViewContent', {
  content_id: product.sku,
  content_type: 'product',
  content_name: product.name,
  value: product.price,
  currency: 'USD',
});

// Purchase — pass event_id for deduplication with Events API
const purchaseEventId = `purchase-${order.id}`;
ttq.track('CompletePayment', {
  content_id: order.lineItems.map(i => i.sku).join(','),
  value: order.subtotal,
  currency: order.currencyCode,
  order_id: order.id,
}, { event_id: purchaseEventId });

Server-side Events API (send from your order webhook):

async function trackTikTokPurchase(order: Order, req: Request) {
  const eventId = `purchase-${order.id}`; // MUST match Pixel event_id for deduplication
  const { createHash } = await import('crypto');
  const sha256 = (val: string) => createHash('sha256').update(val.toLowerCase().trim()).digest('hex');

  await fetch(
    `https://business-api.tiktok.com/open_api/v1.3/pixel/track/?business_id=${process.env.TIKTOK_BUSINESS_ID}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Access-Token': process.env.TIKTOK_ACCESS_TOKEN!,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        data: [{
          pixel_code: process.env.TIKTOK_PIXEL_ID,
          event: 'CompletePayment',
          event_id: eventId,
          event_time: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
          user: {
            email: sha256(order.customerEmail),
            phone_number: sha256(order.customerPhone?.replace(/\D/g, '') ?? ''),
            ip: req.ip,
            user_agent: req.headers['user-agent'],
            ttclid: req.cookies['ttclid'], // TikTok click ID — strongest attribution signal
          },
          properties: {
            value: order.subtotal,
            currency: order.currencyCode,
            contents: order.lineItems.map(i => ({ content_id: i.sku, content_type: 'product' })),
            order_id: order.id,
          },
          page: { url: `${process.env.STORE_URL}/checkout/thank-you` },
        }],
      }),
    }
  );
}

Step 3: Build your TikTok campaign structure#

In TikTok Ads Manager, build a three-tier campaign structure:

Campaign 1: Prospecting — Video Shopping Ads

• Objective: Product Sales
• Ad Group audience: Broad (target country, age 18–45, no interest targeting)
• Bidding: Lowest Cost (let the algorithm learn for the first 2 weeks)
• Ads: Video Shopping Ads — TikTok auto-generates product videos from your catalog, or upload your own UGC-style vertical videos
• Budget: 60% of total TikTok budget

Campaign 2: Retargeting — Engaged Users

• Objective: Conversions
• Ad Group 1: Viewed product in last 7 days but did not add to cart
  • Custom Audience: Website Event → ViewContent, last 7 days
• Ad Group 2: Added to cart but did not purchase (last 3 days)
  • Custom Audience: AddToCart, last 3 days; exclude CompletePayment
• Ads: Dynamic product ads showing the specific product the viewer engaged with
• Budget: 30% of total TikTok budget

Campaign 3: Spark Ads — Boost Organic Content

• Objective: Conversions
• Use Spark Ads to boost your top-performing organic TikTok posts or authorized creator posts
• Spark Ads outperform most polished brand content because the social proof (likes, comments) carries over
• Budget: 10% of total TikTok budget

Step 4: Set up Spark Ads (boosting organic content)#

1. In TikTok Ads Manager, go to Assets → Creative → Spark Ads
2. To boost your own organic posts: search for the post URL and request authorization
3. To boost creator posts: the creator must grant Spark Ad authorization via TikTok's authorization process — they go to Creator Tools → TikTok for Business and generate an authorization code
4. Authorization codes are valid for 30 days — plan renewal into your workflow

Step 5: Measure TikTok Ads performance#

Best Practices#

• Use Maximum Data Sharing in Shopify/WooCommerce TikTok integration settings — this enables EAPI and is the most important single setting for attribution quality
• Pass ttclid in all EAPI events — capture the TikTok click ID from landing page URLs (?ttclid=xxx) and store in a cookie; it is the strongest attribution signal after iOS 14
• Use 9:16 vertical video exclusively — horizontal or square ads significantly underperform in TikTok's full-screen feed
• Refresh creatives every 3–4 weeks — TikTok audiences fatigue faster than Meta; plan a continuous creative pipeline
• Start with Lowest Cost bidding — before you have enough conversion data for Cost Cap bidding, Lowest Cost generates the purchase history the algorithm needs
• Exclude recent purchasers (30 days) from prospecting — upload a customer list as a custom audience exclusion in all prospecting ad sets

Common Pitfalls#

Related Skills#

• @meta-ads-integration
• @tiktok-shop-integration
• @google-ads-ecommerce
• @ugc-campaign-management
• @marketing-attribution-dashboard