TikTok Shop Glossary

TikTok Shop

TikTok's in-app commerce platform letting brands and creators sell directly through videos, live streams, and a storefront tab, with checkout completed inside TikTok.

TikTok Shop Affiliate

A creator who promotes a brand's TikTok Shop products in exchange for commission on attributed sales. Affiliates are managed through TAP, Targeted Collaboration, or Open Collaboration.

TAP (TikTok Affiliate Program)

Self-serve affiliate program where creators can browse a brand's storefront, request samples, and post content for commission. Lowest-friction affiliate channel.

Targeted Collaboration

TikTok Shop affiliate channel where brands directly invite specific creators to partnerships with custom commissions, sample seeding, and creative briefs.

Open Collaboration

TikTok Shop affiliate channel where brands publish open campaigns that any qualifying creator can join under standardized terms.

GMV (Gross Merchandise Value)

Total dollar value of merchandise sold through TikTok Shop in a given period, before refunds, returns, or fees.

Affiliate-Attributed GMV

Portion of GMV directly attributed to creator affiliate links and content. The most important growth lever on TikTok Shop.

Spark Ads

Paid amplification that boosts an existing organic creator post (with permission) directly on the FYP, typically achieving higher CTR than non-Spark ads.

GMV Max

TikTok Shop's automated ad bidding product designed to maximize GMV across the catalog with minimal manual ad set tuning.

Live Shopping

Live-streamed shopping events where creators or brands demo products in real-time with shoppable links pinned in-stream.

Health Score

TikTok Shop's seller-performance metric covering order completion, customer feedback, and policy compliance. Drops trigger penalties and ultimately suspensions.

Violation

A formal policy breach recorded against a TikTok Shop. Categories include IP, counterfeit, listing quality, restricted product, misleading claims, and content moderation.

Strike

An accumulated violation that contributes to seller penalty scoring. Multiple strikes lead to listing removals, payout holds, or shop suspension.

Account Suspension

Temporary or permanent loss of shop access due to severe or repeated policy violations. Recoverable in most cases through structured appeal.

Account Reinstatement

Process of restoring a suspended TikTok Shop through an evidence-backed structured appeal.

Appeal

Formal request to TikTok Shop reviewers to remove a violation or reinstate a suspended account, submitted with supporting evidence.

Risk Control

TikTok Shop's pre-suspension warning state where the shop is flagged for review and payouts may be held. Often a final warning before suspension.

IP Complaint

Intellectual property infringement notice from a brand owner, typically through TikTok Shop's IP Protection Portal.

Sample Seeding

Sending product samples to creators in exchange for content. Higher-leverage when sample budget is prioritized by predicted creator output.

Creator Tier

Segmentation of creators by follower count and conversion track record. Common bands: nano (1k–10k), micro (10k–100k), mid (100k–500k), macro (500k+).

Commission Tier

Multi-level commission structure (base, performance, hero) used to retain top affiliates while protecting margin.

Listing Quality

Composite score of a product page's images, video, copy, attributes, and compliance — drives both FYP-to-PDP CTR and PDP CVR.

FYP (For You Page)

TikTok's algorithmic discovery feed and the primary traffic source into TikTok Shop products and creator content.

PDP (Product Detail Page)

The TikTok Shop product page where users review images, video, copy, reviews, and price before purchase.

AOV (Average Order Value)

Average revenue per order — lifted with bundle architecture, tier pricing, and starter-kit offers.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Revenue generated per dollar of ad spend. A foundational paid metric tracked weekly by ad set.

Seller Standing

TikTok Shop's overall reputation score combining health score, strike history, and customer feedback. Drives algorithmic visibility.

Restricted Product

Product categories with elevated TikTok Shop policy scrutiny — supplements, beauty with active ingredients, electronics with safety certifications, etc.

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