TikTok Product Catalogue for Shopify: How to Set It Up for TikTok’s Shopping Ads (2026)
In short: Your TikTok product catalogue is the product data behind every TikTok shopping ad, and getting it clean is what lets TikTok feature your products and match them to the right viewers. You build it from your Shopify data, either by connecting a product feed to a catalogue in TikTok Ads Manager, which works in every market where TikTok advertises, or through the TikTok sales channel. You do not need a TikTok Shop to run catalogue shopping ads. Get the catalogue right and TikTok’s shopping ads have good, eligible products to work with; get it wrong and products are missing or poorly matched before an ad runs.
If you sell physical products on Shopify, this is the same product data doing another job. The clean records behind your Google feed and your Meta catalogue feed TikTok too.
The setup, availability, and requirements in this guide are current as of July 2026. TikTok now operates in the United States under its 2026 US ownership arrangement, so US merchants can advertise as normal. This area moves quickly, so check the latest before you rely on any specific figure.
The quick checklist
- Build your TikTok catalogue from your Shopify product data, either by connecting a product feed to a catalogue in TikTok Ads Manager, or through the TikTok sales channel.
- You do not need a TikTok Shop to run TikTok shopping ads. The Ads Manager catalogue route works in every market where TikTok advertises.
- Use square images of at least 500 x 500 px in JPG or PNG; 800 x 800 px or larger is better, and the product should read clearly on a small phone screen.
- TikTok is a vertical, full-screen platform, so shopping ad video is 9:16.
- Give every product a clear title with the key information front-loaded, a real description, an accurate price, and a unique SKU.
- Fill in brand, condition, availability, and a Google product category so TikTok can classify and match your products.
- Keep price and inventory consistent between Shopify and TikTok so the catalogue stays accurate.
- If your store is in a country where TikTok Shop is available, the TikTok sales channel also opens an in-app shop as a bonus. If it is not, the Ads Manager catalogue still lets you advertise.
- Remember the catalogue is what feeds TikTok’s shopping ads (Video Shopping Ads, Product Shopping Ads, and LIVE Shopping Ads) and its automated campaigns.
How TikTok uses your product catalogue
TikTok’s shopping ads do not advertise pages, they advertise products, and those products come from your catalogue. When a Video Shopping Ad builds your product into a video, or a Product Shopping Ad shows your image and price, or TikTok’s automated campaigns pick which items to show, TikTok is drawing on the catalogue you gave it. Thin or inconsistent data gives TikTok little to feature and less to match, so your results suffer. The whole reason to get the catalogue clean first is that everything TikTok can do with your products depends on it.
TikTok is also mobile-first and vertical, so alongside clean product data, your creative lives in full-screen 9:16 video. The catalogue supplies the products; the format decides how they are shown.
How to set up your TikTok catalogue from Shopify
There are two routes, and you can use either or both.
Route 1: a catalogue in TikTok Ads Manager (works everywhere TikTok advertises). In TikTok Ads Manager, go to Assets, then Catalog, then Create, give the catalogue a name, default currency, and target location, then add your products in one of three ways: connect a scheduled product feed (the same kind of product data feed you already use for Google or Meta), upload a product file, or add items manually. You can then group products into product sets for your ads. This route does not require a TikTok Shop, so it is available in every market where TikTok advertising runs.
Route 2: the TikTok sales channel in Shopify. Install the TikTok sales channel from the Shopify App Store and connect your TikTok account, and it syncs your catalogue, inventory, and orders between Shopify and TikTok. In the countries where TikTok Shop is available, this route also opens the in-app shop. Per TikTok’s setup guide, changes you make in Shopify, including price, images, and descriptions, propagate to TikTok automatically in near real time.
For advertising, Route 1 is the one that works for every merchant. Route 2 is the easier sync if you are also opening a TikTok Shop.
A note on TikTok Shop availability
TikTok Shop, the in-app checkout, is available through the Shopify channel only for stores based in a set of countries: as documented by Shopify, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil. Two of the markets shopAds focuses on, Canada and Australia, are not on that list yet.
This does not limit your advertising. TikTok Shop and TikTok shopping ads are separate: the catalogue you build in TikTok Ads Manager powers shopping ads in every market where TikTok advertising runs, with the purchase completing on your own Shopify store. So a Canadian or Australian merchant sets up the catalogue exactly as above and advertises normally, just without the in-app shop.
Product images for TikTok
TikTok is a visual, mobile-first platform, so images and video carry the ad.
| Spec | Requirement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum image size | 500 x 500 px, square (1:1) | TikTok’s stated minimum for catalogue images. |
| Recommended image size | 800 x 800 px or larger (1200 x 1200 is a good target) | Stays sharp and legible on a phone screen. |
| Image format | JPG or PNG | The image link must end in .jpg or .png. |
| Product card ratio | Square (1:1) | The default for catalogue and product cards. |
| Shopping ad video | Vertical 9:16, at least 720 x 1280 | TikTok is full-screen vertical; shopping ad video should match. |
| Clarity | Product clearly visible on a small screen | Cluttered or tiny products get skipped. |
The clean square images you prepared for your Google feed and Meta catalogue work as your TikTok catalogue images too. The one thing TikTok adds is that its ad placements are vertical video, so as you move into shopping ads, plan for 9:16.
The product fields TikTok uses
Fill these in for every product. The table maps each Shopify field to what it becomes in your TikTok catalogue and why it matters. The required fields, availability values, and image minimum come from TikTok’s catalogue product parameters; the character limits are as documented in current TikTok feed references (WisePIM, March 2026).
| Shopify field | TikTok catalogue field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | title | Up to 255 characters, but front-load the key information in the first 50 to 60 so it reads on a small screen. |
| Description | description | Up to 10,000 characters. Write a genuine description and avoid control or invalid characters. |
| SKU (per variant) | sku_id | A unique ID for each item, up to 150 characters. Keep it stable. |
| Media (images) | image_link | JPG or PNG, at least 500 x 500 px square, 800 x 800 or larger recommended. |
| Price | price | Follows the currency of the catalogue’s target country. Keep it consistent with your store. |
| Inventory / availability | availability | in stock, available for order, preorder, out of stock, or discontinued. |
| Vendor | brand | Set the real brand name for every product. |
| Product category | google_product_category | Strongly recommended, so TikTok can classify and match your products. |
| Condition | condition | new, refurbished, or used. |
| Link | link | The product landing page URL on your store. |
What TikTok needs before your products run
To keep the catalogue clean and eligible:
- A valid, current product feed if you use Route 1: a supported file (such as CSV or XML) with the required fields above, ideally on a schedule so it stays fresh.
- Consistent price and inventory between Shopify and TikTok, so you are not advertising items you cannot sell.
- Products that comply with TikTok’s prohibited-products policies, which vary by region.
- For the sales channel route, a verifiable business address in your Shopify Locations settings and a return policy page, since a location problem is a common reason products fail to sync.
Anything that fails these shows up as a feed or listing error for you to resolve before the product can feature in ads.
Common issues this prevents
- Feed or sync errors, usually a formatting problem in the product feed or an unverifiable business address.
- Products held back for breaching TikTok’s prohibited-products policies.
- Images that are too small or unclear on a phone screen.
- Price or inventory that does not match your store, which makes ads inaccurate and can oversell.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up a TikTok product catalogue for ads?
In TikTok Ads Manager, go to Assets, then Catalog, then Create, and set a name, currency, and target location. Then add your products by connecting a scheduled product feed from your Shopify store, uploading a file, or adding them manually, and group them into product sets for your ads.
Do I need a TikTok Shop to run TikTok shopping ads?
No. A catalogue in TikTok Ads Manager powers shopping ads on its own, with the purchase completing on your Shopify store. TikTok Shop is a separate, in-app checkout that is only available in some countries.
Which countries have TikTok Shop?
Through the Shopify channel, TikTok Shop requires a store based in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, or Brazil. If your store is elsewhere, such as Canada or Australia, you cannot open a TikTok Shop yet, but you can still advertise using a TikTok catalogue.
What image size does TikTok need for catalogue products?
At least 500 x 500 px, square, in JPG or PNG, with 800 x 800 px or larger recommended so the product stays clear on a phone. TikTok shopping ad video is vertical 9:16.
Do I need a different catalogue for TikTok than for Google or Meta?
No. The same clean product data that makes a strong Google feed and Meta catalogue is what feeds TikTok. Keeping your Shopify product data tidy serves all three, and you can point the same kind of product feed at your TikTok catalogue.
Does my Shopify catalogue sync to TikTok automatically?
If you use the TikTok sales channel, yes, edits in Shopify propagate to TikTok in near real time. If you connect a product feed to a TikTok Ads Manager catalogue, it refreshes on the schedule you set.
Is TikTok still available to use in the United States?
Yes. TikTok operates in the United States under its 2026 US ownership arrangement, so US merchants and advertisers can use it as normal.
What is Smart+ or GMV Max?
They are TikTok's automated campaign options that lean on your catalogue and TikTok's systems to choose and show the right products. Whatever the campaign is called, it still runs on the clean catalogue this guide sets up.
Keeping it clean
A TikTok catalogue is not a one-off. New products, seasonal ranges, and supplier changes reintroduce gaps, and TikTok’s policies and available regions shift over time. Set the standard once, apply it to every new product as you add it, keep your feed on a schedule, and check for feed and listing errors whenever you launch something new. A catalogue that stays clean and eligible is one your ads can work with, every day.
Sources
- Create and manage catalogues (TikTok Ads Manager, 2026)
- Catalogue product parameters (TikTok Ads Manager, 2026)
- Setting up TikTok Shop (Shopify Help Center, 2026)
- TikTok Shop for Shopify setup guide (TikTok for Business, 2026)
- TikTok catalogue optimisation (WisePIM, March 2026)
- What you should know about the US TikTok deal (TechCrunch, January 2026)
shopAds runs and optimises your Google Ads for Shopify automatically, working from exactly the clean product data this guide describes, and it keeps that data working for you wherever your customers are shopping, from search to social feeds to AI shopping surfaces. It is performance-priced: you only pay a share of the revenue it brings you, and nothing at all unless it beats a 200 percent return. Get your catalogue into the shape above, and shopAds puts your product data to work for you.
See how shopAds works