Many merchants find themselves frustrated with TikTok Shop's elusive Experience Score system. Despite high sales volumes of low-priced items, their scores remain stagnant. This article examines the platform's scoring mechanisms and presents cost-effective strategies for improvement, including insights on shipping zone optimization.
The Price Floor: Why Cheap Products Won't Boost Your Score
TikTok's platform rules clearly state that products priced below $0.30 (¥2) don't contribute to the Experience Score. This means selling thousands of $0.15-$0.30 items will have zero impact on your rating. To effectively improve your score, merchants must shift focus to products priced at $0.45 (¥3) or higher.
The Loss-Leader Strategy: Trading Margin for Ratings
One effective approach involves strategic loss-leading. Merchants can source $0.75-$0.90 (¥5-6) products from wholesale platforms like AliExpress or Pinduoduo, then sell them on TikTok Shop at $0.45 (¥3). While this creates a $0.30-$0.45 (¥2-3) loss per transaction, completing approximately 30 such orders can rapidly elevate your Experience Score.
Single-Store Focus: Quality Over Quantity
For new merchants, concentrating on a single store proves most effective. Mastering platform mechanics through focused operation allows for gradual expansion. Only after achieving consistent daily sales in the thousands of dollars should merchants consider opening additional stores. TikTok Shop's low entry barrier emphasizes operational expertise over store quantity.
Shipping Restrictions: Balancing Volume and Risk
Shipping zone limitations traditionally helped merchants avoid pandemic-related fulfillment issues. However, newer stores with limited order volume can often manage logistics exceptions through platform reporting systems without significant score impact. High-volume stores processing hundreds of daily orders face greater risk from shipping disruptions and should implement strategic zone restrictions despite potential sales reduction.
Remote Areas: The Hidden Cost Factor
As pandemic restrictions ease, merchants must reevaluate remote area shipping policies. Without established logistics partnerships, shipping costs to distant regions may exceed product value. Implementing clear "no shipping" or "additional shipping fee" policies for remote locations prevents unexpected losses.
Success on TikTok Shop requires nuanced product pricing strategies, intelligent shipping zone management, and continuous logistics cost monitoring. Only through deep understanding of platform algorithms can merchants achieve sustainable competitive advantage.