If you already have a solid supply chain, there’s one thing you should figure out before jumping into TikTok: Is your category actually working on this platform?

Here’s the framework we use when doing category research.

1. Market Size

First, look at the overall market size. If the category is too small, it’s probably not worth your time.

But here’s the thing with TikTok right now: many categories have gaps. There aren’t many sellers in them yet.

So we don’t just look at TikTok. We also check Amazon.

If a category already has healthy volume on Amazon, that tells us the demand exists in the US market. Even if TikTok doesn’t have many sellers yet, that’s actually a signal—not a problem.

2. Competition Level on TikTok

Next, look at how many sellers are already in the category on TikTok and how much volume they’re doing.

Here’s a simple rule:

Avoid categories that are already oversaturated. Also avoid categories with zero sellers.

Why?

Oversaturated categories mean professional sellers are already deep in the game. Unless your product has a clear competitive advantage, you’ll end up doing all the hard work—finding creators, making content—while the bigger players swoop in and grab the conversions.

Zero-seller categories might sound exciting, but if there’s no one selling, it usually means demand isn’t there yet, or the product doesn’t fit the platform.

The sweet spot is categories that have moderate competition—enough to confirm there’s demand, but not so much that you’re fighting established sellers from day one.

3. Creator & Content Strategy

Once you’ve picked a category, the next step is figuring out the content angle.

  • What kind of creators are already making content in this space?

  • What hooks are working?

  • Is the product naturally visual, or does it need a creative angle to make it work on TikTok?

If you can’t see a clear path to making engaging content, the category might not be a good fit—no matter how good the product is.

Final Thoughts

TikTok is still a relatively young sales channel for many categories. The opportunity is there, but you need to approach it strategically.

We’ve found that the best approach is:

  1. Validate demand through Amazon

  2. Check competition on TikTok

  3. Look for the “medium competition” sweet spot

  4. Make sure the product lends itself to content

Hope this helps. Happy to answer questions in the comments.