TikTok Catalog Ads 2025 Guide: Set Up, Optimize, and Scale Faster
Almost 80% of TikTok users are more likely to buy after seeing a Catalog Ad. It’s no secret, then, that you're missing out on a huge revenue chunk if you're not using these ads. In this guide, you’ll learn how they work, how to set them up, what formats are available, and how to optimize them for conversions.
TikTok may have started as the app for dance trends and lip-syncs, but it's now a full-blown discovery engine and one of the top social commerce platforms.
People don’t just scroll for entertainment anymore. They’re using TikTok like a search engine to hunt for products, ideas, and inspiration.
And they’re buying whatever products get recommended.
In fact, according to 2024 data commissioned by the short-form video platform:
- 64% of users have made a purchase after seeing an ad or shoppable content on TikTok
- 3 in 4 shoppers say TikTok is their go-to for discovering new brands
- 78% are more likely to purchase after seeing a TikTok Catalog Ad
Clearly, TikTok and especially TikTok catalog ads are not something to ignore.
These ads let you reach high-intent shoppers with personalized, dynamic creatives, without building each ad manually.
They combine automation, AI, and shoppable video to deliver high-performing ads.
If you’re serious about scaling your product discovery and driving purchases on TikTok in 2025, you need Catalog Ads in your playbook.
This guide breaks down what they are, how they work, and how to set them up so they perform.
Key takeaways
- TikTok Catalog Ads automatically turn your product feed into personalized, shoppable video content that reaches users when they're most likely to buy.
- You can scale without manual creative work since TikTok's AI pulls product data from your catalog to generate dynamic ads, test what works, and optimize delivery automatically.
- Setup takes minutes through Smart+ campaigns, where you upload your product feed, select your catalog or product sets, and TikTok handles creative generation to audience targeting.
- Your catalog ads can appear in #3 places on TikTok: For You page videos, search result grids, and live shopping streams.
What are TikTok catalog ads?
TikTok catalog ads are a performance-driven ad format designed to connect your products with the right people, at the exact moment they’re most likely to buy.
Essentially, TikTok uses automation and AI to dynamically generate creatives, match them to the right audiences, and optimize for results.
You skip the part where you build individual ads for every item in your product feed entirely.
It’s a super helpful feature, especially when you have hundreds or thousands of SKUs. At the moment, TikTok allows up to 20 million products in your catalog.
At the center of it all is Smart+, TikTok’s advanced campaign type that does the heavy lifting for you.
It pulls in your catalog, auto-generates ad creatives, layers in interactive add-ons, and adjusts delivery based on what’s driving conversions.
Later in the article, we’ll show you how to set up TikTok catalog ads and the best practices to keep.
How does TikTok deliver catalog ads to users?
TikTok doesn’t just show your catalog ads randomly.
It delivers them in personalized, high-intent shopping experiences designed to meet users where they are in their buying journey.
These are the #3 main ways catalog ads are surfaced to users.
1. Video shopping ads
These are dynamic TikTok-style videos powered by your product catalog.
TikTok automatically pairs product details (like image, name, and price) with short-form video creatives.
Example of TikTok videos created from your catalog.
These ads appear on for you page, product detail pages (PDPs), and search results.
They are fully automated, require minimal manual creative work, and deliver high relevance.
2. Catalog listing ads
These are also known as product grid or search-based ads.
They display multiple catalog items in a scrollable layout and appear on TikTok’s search results and discovery surfaces (like PDPs).
3. Live shopping ads
Live shopping ads integrate your catalog into real-time livestreams, brand-led or via influencers.
They appear on the TikTok live tab, Live stream overlays, and feed placements promoting the live.
How TikTok catalog ads work
Catalog Ads on TikTok turn your product feed into personalized, shoppable experiences that blend into the TikTok feed like native content.
Below, we look at how it all comes together from the product catalog to the creative users see.
1. It starts with your product feed
The product catalog is a link or file where you store all the key information TikTok needs to build each ad. Most catalogs contain product attributes such as:
- Product names
- Prices
- Image links
- Product page URLs
- Descriptions
- And ideally, videos
To upload your product feed to TikTok Ads Manager, go to assets> catalog and choose create.
Name your catalog and then choose currency (which must be in the currency your products are listed in).
Next, you’ll need to choose your target country and select your product feed format. TikTok supports CSV, XML (RSS), XML (ATOM), ZIP, GZ. and GZ. formats.
Also, note that your catalog file size cannot exceed 50 GB.
While TikTok only requires #9 mandatory fields, it allows you to include up to #27 fields in your product feed file.
These extra fields cover optional but valuable data points like sale price, availability, product ratings, brand, and custom labels.
Use rich fields like ‘video’, ‘sale price’, and ‘product type’. These help TikTok personalize creatives and show the right product to the right person.
2. Create product sets for smarter targeting
Just like with Facebook catalog ads, you can group products into sets.
For example, you can have product sets for ‘On Sale,’ ‘Best Sellers,’ ‘Summer Shoes, or more literal ones for materials, designs, etc.
These product sets make it easier to run campaigns around specific themes, categories, or seasonal drops.
3. TikTok generates the ads for you
Once your catalog is live, TikTok does the heavy lifting. It automatically creates and serves catalog ads using the product information you provided. These can appear as:
- Carousel Ads: Swipeable cards that show multiple products
- Catalog Videos: Auto-generated video creatives using your product data
- Single Videos: Brand-made or repurposed TikToks connected to catalog items
You don’t need to build these manually. TikTok dynamically assembles them in real time based on what’s most likely to convert for each viewer.
If you don’t have product videos, TikTok gives you two options inside Catalog Manager:
- Dynamic Templates: TikTok pulls from your product feed to create short videos with transitions, stickers, music, and motion effects.
- TikTok Templates: A library of 50+ formats you can tweak with your brand elements, images, and text.
Once generated, these videos appear alongside interactive add-ons like product cards or shop buttons optimized to stop the scroll.
5. Automatic delivery and optimization
From there, TikTok uses Smart+ to test what creative formats, products, and add-ons work best and adjusts the campaign automatically.
So instead of guessing what to run, you get a system that learns and adapts to deliver a good ROAS and conversions regardless of whether you're promoting 10 products or 10,000.
Benefits of catalog ads on TikTok
Should you use TikTok Catalog Ads?
Absolutely!
They're especially useful if you want to scale efficiently, reach high-intent shoppers, and reduce the manual burden of creating endless creatives.
Here are a few benefits you stand to gain from these ads:
1. Scale effortlessly without extra creative work
Once your catalog is uploaded and synced, you don’t need to create dozens of new ads every time you update your inventory.
TikTok pulls product data directly from your feed to generate dynamic creatives at scale.
You can also tailor ads based on different goals, from broad awareness to personalized retargeting, without rebuilding campaigns from scratch.
2. Reach shoppers with higher purchase intent
Catalog ads are designed to match a user’s browsing or shopping behavior.
That means they show up when users are already in discovery or consideration mode.
This leads to better-qualified traffic, not just window shoppers.
Users are likelier to click through when the product shown is relevant to what they’ve searched, liked, or engaged with.
3. Lower creative production costs
Catalog Ads dramatically reduce the need for custom video shoots or graphics.
TikTok dynamically generates ad creatives using your product titles, prices, and images, sometimes even overlaying them onto short-form video templates.
In short, you won't be as dependent on design teams or production budgets. And yet, you'll still deliver native-feeling content that blends into the For You Page.
Has any company seen any benefit from these ads?
TikTok published a case study where Ray-Ban, the eyewear brand, saw massive returns from investing in catalog ads for TikTok.
The brand wanted to scale their eCommerce performance while keeping creative workload and acquisition costs low. They achieved:
- 50% decrease in cost per acquisition
- 47% increase in conversion rate
- 42% higher ROAS
Bottom line: If you’re selling multiple products, want to personalize ads without extra effort, and need a cost-effective way to run performance campaigns, TikTok Catalog Ads are a no-brainer.
Catalog ad formats to choose from for TikTok ads
When you set up a Catalog Ads campaign in TikTok Ads Manager, you’ll be asked to choose a creative format.
The format determines how your catalog items will visually appear in the ad itself.
There are #3 main formats:
Carousel ads, which are a scrollable ad format that pulls product images and details directly from your catalog.
This option is great for showing various products in a single ad.
It works well for always-on sales campaigns, retargeting, or new customer prospecting.
Example of a catalog ad on TikTok
Single video ads with catalog add-ons. This is a TikTok video you upload or select from your library, enhanced with product overlays pulled from your catalog.
They are ideal for branded storytelling that also drives direct product clicks.
Catalog Video Ads. This format is an auto-generated short-form video using images and product data from your catalog.
They're best for scaling quickly with high personalization.
TikTok automatically chooses the best product and video combination for each user.
How to create TikTok catalog ads (step-by-step)
To run catalog-based ads on TikTok, you’ll need to create a Smart+ campaign that pulls products from your catalog and turns them into dynamic video ads.
This is how you can set it up from scratch.
1. Start a new campaign
Log in to TikTok Ads Manager and go to the Campaign tab. From there:
- Click Create to launch a new campaign
- Set your campaign goal to Sales
- Choose Website as your conversion location
- Pick Smart+ as the campaign type, then hit Continue
2. Link your product catalog
Under the Product Source section:
- Enable the option to use a product catalog
- Select the catalog you want to advertise from
- Choose which items to promote. You can opt to:
- Use the full catalog
- Select a specific product set
- Or pick up to 20 individual products manually
3. Add your creative elements
TikTok will auto-generate a product carousel from your catalog images, but you can also layer in video content to boost engagement.
To do that, upload clips from your media library or create or edit new video content directly in Ads Manager.
If you want the ads to show up as organic-looking posts, enable Spark Ads and connect your TikTok account
4. Set the landing page and tracking
Next, define where the ad should send people. You can choose an app or a website.
If a website, enter your website URL and attach URL parameters to help track campaign performance.
5. Review and launch
Double-check your ad settings and then publish your campaign. TikTok will review your ad and product selections before it goes live.
Once approved, your ads will begin optimizing automatically based on performance data.
Best practices for TikTok catalog ads
These #2 strategies can help your catalog ads perform better.
1. Use Dynamic Formats for smarter delivery
If you want your catalog ads to adjust automatically for better performance, TikTok’s Dynamic Formats feature is a must-use.
TikTok doesn’t stick to just one creative layout when you enable dynamic formats.
It blends different formats, like video, carousel, and single product ads, and delivers the most relevant version to each user based on their activity and your campaign goals.
What you provide:
- Product catalog
- Optional videos
- Landing page destinations
- Add-ons like promo labels or countdowns
TikTok then takes that information and automatically assembles and tests creative variations. It finally shows the high-performing combinations more often.
What makes it worth turning on?
- Once set up, the system adjusts creatives on its own.
- TikTok uses real-time product signals to decide what ad version to show.
2. Make your ads interactive with add-ons
TikTok lets you add interactive layers to help users explore your products more easily.
Available add-ons currently include:
- Info card – Add a simple callout like 'Free shipping' to highlight key details.
- Product card – Show a scrollable row of products users can swipe through and click.
- Product tile – Display multiple product thumbnails below your video, each linking to its own landing page.
- Showcase tile – Feature one large product image alongside smaller tiles for more visibility.
- Interactive elements – Use formats like flip cards or gift boxes to create a playful experience.
These add-ons sit at the bottom of your video and can show up to 20 product options with thumbnails, prices, discounts, and direct links.
You can choose to use a single add-on where you pick one interactive feature (like a product card or tile) or a dynamic add-on so that TikTok automatically picks the most engaging format for each viewer.
Make sure your video layout leaves enough space for these elements at the bottom and sides, so key visuals or text aren’t blocked.
Design tips for TikTok catalog ads
TikTok Catalog Ads can appear as carousels or videos, and each format needs a slightly different design approach. Here’s how to make them work regardless of which format you choose.
For carousel ads
- Keep image quality high
Use clean, well-lit product images with minimal clutter. Avoid stocky or overly edited shots. The more ‘real,’ they look, the better. - Use consistent backgrounds
While variation is fine, consistency in background style helps the carousel feel cohesive and polished. - Highlight different angles or features
Use each slide to show off a different view, feature, or use case. Do not repeat the same image across slides. - Include short, bold text overlays
Use benefit-driven captions like ‘Under $1,000’ or ‘30% off today only' to drive conversions.
If you want more control over how your catalog images appear, from background consistency to branded overlays, we recommend Cropink. It will automatically enrich your catalog images so they not only stand out, but also convert.
For single video or catalog videos
- Use vertical (9:16) format only
TikTok is made for full-screen video. Horizontal formats don’t fit and will hurt performance. - Show the product in action
If it’s wearable, demo it. If it’s tech, show how it works. - Use trending audio
Use popular songs or TikTok sounds to blend with organic content and increase conversion performance. - Leave room for add-ons
TikTok places product cards or tiles below the video. Avoid putting important visuals or text in the bottom 20% of the screen. - Use dynamic templates smartly
TikTok offers video templates that auto-generate from your product catalog. Customize these lightly to match your brand, but let TikTok handle the heavy lifting. If you use Cropink’s product feed, you’ll have more control over the branding of your product images in your catalog video ads.
FAQs
A TikTok catalog is a product feed containing your inventory details (names, prices, images, URLs) that TikTok uses to automatically generate personalized, shoppable ads without you building each ad manually.
Video ads in vertical 9:16 format perform best, especially when they show products in action, use trending audio, and feel native to the platform rather than overly polished or sales-focused.
Go to TikTok Ads Manager → Assets → Catalog → Create. From there, upload your feed using supported formats (CSV, XML, ZIP, etc.), define your country and currency, and map required fields. TikTok supports up to 20 million products per catalog.
TikTok catalog sales refer to purchases driven through catalog ads. These automated ads pull from your product feed to show personalized and relevant products to users most likely to buy.
TikTok offers 50+ video templates that automatically generate short-form video ads using your catalog data, complete with transitions, stickers, music, and motion effects to create engaging product videos without manual video production.
Final thoughts
TikTok has over 1 billion active users with engagement rates 5x higher than other social media channels.
There's no doubt it's where eCommerce and DTC brands need to advertise in 2025 and beyond.
The infrastructure is already there through TikTok Catalog Ads. Now all that remains is connecting your product feed, setting up the campaigns, and nailing your targeting strategy.
If you need help optimizing your product catalog for better performance, contact Cropink today. We have a free plan to help you get started.
Sources
Damaris is a Digital Marketing Specialist who writes about digital marketing and performance marketing. At Cropink, she creates data-driven content to help businesses run better ad campaigns for better performance and ROI.
Leszek is the Digital Growth Manager at Feedink & Cropink, specializing in organic growth for eCommerce and SaaS companies. His background includes roles at Poland's largest accommodation portal and FT1000 companies, with his work featured in Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, and TechRepublic.
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