In the world of TikTok Shop, every fast-growing seller has one thing in common: They all rely on Hero SKUs - the products that generate the most orders, deliver stable profits, and serve as the backbone of the entire store.
But a Hero SKU isn’t something you stumble upon by chance. It’s discovered through a systematic product testing strategy, strong creative execution, and a clear scaling roadmap.
This guide will walk you through:
What a Hero SKU is
How Hero SKUs differ from Traffic SKUs and Profit SKUs
The characteristics of a true winning product
The 3-step framework to test, validate, and scale Hero SKUs
Best practices for TikTok Shop in 2025
What is a Hero SKU on TikTok Shop?
A Hero SKU is your store’s primary revenue driver. It is the product that achieves:
High Sales Volume: It consistently generates strong order numbers and draws attention from a large number of TikTok users.
Stable Profitability: It brings sustainable and recurring income, helping maintain healthy cash flow for the store.
High Competitiveness; The product stands out in the market—whether by price, features, quality, branding, or warranty—making it difficult for competitors to beat.
Strategic Importance: A Hero SKU is central to your growth strategy. It attracts buyers, builds trust, and becomes the “face” of your store across ads, livestreams, and organic content.
Because of these characteristics, Hero SKUs are often the products pushed through:
Paid ads
Livestream sessions
Promotional campaigns
Creator collaborations
Hero SKU vs other SKU types: What’s the difference?
Understanding SKU roles helps you design a balanced and scalable store strategy:
Hero SKU:
High sales volume
Stable profit
Strong competitive advantage
Drives brand and shop growth
→ This is your main scale-up SKU.
Traffic SKU
High sales but low or negative profit
Used mainly to attract traffic and gain new customers
Helps push algorithm visibility
→ Good for volume, not for making money.
Profit SKU
Higher margin
Lower sales volume
Depends on Traffic & Hero SKUs to convert upsells/cross-sells
→ Provides the net profit to sustain business growth.
A strong TikTok Shop operation often uses all three SKU types strategically - Traffic SKUs bring customers, Hero SKUs scale revenue, and Profit SKUs maximize margins.
Why hero SKUs matter on TikTok
On a platform driven by discovery and algorithms like TikTok:
Videos push demand faster than search
Creators amplify winners effortlessly
Livestream accelerates conversion
Ads become cheaper when promoting proven SKUs
This means a single Hero SKU can:
Dominate ads
Perform strongly in livestream
Go viral through UGC
Sustain consistent order volume
Hero SKUs are how sellers go from 0 → 1 → 10 in revenue growth.
The 3-step framework to test & prepare your hero SKUs
A Hero SKU doesn’t emerge randomly. It is nurtured through an intentional testing pipeline:
Product Selection & Creative Preparation
Product Testing Phase
Scale-Up & Domination
Let’s break it down.
Product selection & creative preparation
Before testing, you need a pool of potential winners.
Pick 5+ SKUs Weekly: Select at least 5 SKUs per week using criteria like:
Strong TikTok search demand
Trend signals from TikTok Creative Center
Promising competitor performance
Viral-friendly product angles
Attractive price point for impulse purchase
Organic Signals (Within 7 Days): A product qualifies for paid testing if it gets:
1+ order from organic traffic, or
5+ organic orders from video content
Early traction = higher potential.
Creative Preparation: TikTok is content-driven → so winners are creative-driven.
Don’t forget to prepare TikTok creatives that follow best practices and drive conversions. Learn more in Mastering Shoppable Videos: The Key to TikTok Shop Success.
Prepare:
3–5 self-made or KOL videos/product
50+ influencer creatives for advanced sellers
Multi-angle concepts: problem-solving, demos, aesthetic shots, testimonials
Inventory Preparation: Start small but be ready to scale:
30–50 units/SKU for testing
300+ units for high-performing products
Set clear pricing and ROAS goals
Product testing phase
This is where you validate performance.
Run Small Budget Paid Ads
Start with $20/day per SKU
Evaluate results within 48–72 hours
Optimize based on CPA, CTR, and ROAS
A potential Hero SKU will show early positive signals.
Content Diversification
Use multiple formats:
Short videos
Livestream teasers
Optimized product cards with all essential elements
Livestream Testing
Run small live sessions:
Target 5–10+ orders per livestream
Prepare simple selling scripts
Use up to $50/CPA support if needed
Livestream is often the turning point that identifies a scalable SKU. Not sure where to start with livestreaming? Join Ecomdy to explore proven livestream strategies that drive results.
Scale-up phase
Once a SKU shows traction → it's time to scale aggressively.
Winning Signals
A SKU is ready to scale when:
It hits 10+ orders/day
Consistently meets ROAS goals
Performs well across at least 2 content formats
Inventory is prepared for volume growth
Scaling Strategies
Increase budget to $50/CPA/day
Push more creator ads
Run larger livestream sessions
Add variations or bundles
Stock aggressively to avoid losing momentum
With the right push, Hero SKUs can scale hundreds to thousands of orders per day.
Conclusion
A Hero SKU is more than just a good product; it’s the core of a scalable TikTok Shop business.
By applying a structured testing framework and understanding SKU types, you can consistently identify winners, allocate budget wisely, and scale sustainably.
Follow the 3-step Hero SKU testing strategy, optimize your creatives, and refine your livestream execution, and you’ll build a store with predictable growth and long-term performance.
