Requirements & Steps to Activate TikTok Shopping (Yellow Cart)

Policies for TikTok Shop differ from country to country, and merchants usually need to meet certain requirements and follow the official onboarding process. This article will walk you through the exact conditions for enabling the TikTok Yellow Cart based on your situation. Many beginners who are just getting into TikTok e-commerce are stopped at the very first step by the entry threshold for enabling the TikTok Yellow Cart. Among these, one of the most critical requirements is that the account must have 1,000 TikTok followers. To reach this threshold quickly, many sellers choose to buy TikTok followers so they can enable the Yellow Cart feature more efficiently. However, hitting the follower number is not the only requirement — merchants must also meet several other necessary conditions to successfully enable the TikTok Yellow Cart. In the following sections, we will break down the specific requirements for enabling the TikTok Yellow Cart to help you quickly unlock e-commerce features and seize the growth dividends of the TikTok market.

Requirements merchants must meet to enable the TikTok Yellow Cart

1. The account must have at least 1,000 followers

TikTok set the 1,000-follower threshold to ensure that merchants have a certain audience base and to prevent abuse of the shopping cart feature. If an account has no followers or very few followers, it means the influence is low and it is difficult to generate stable sales. Therefore, many sellers choose to buy TikTok followers to quickly reach the requirement and speed up enabling the Yellow Cart, paving the way for later sales.

2. The account owner must be at least 16 years old (18+ in some regions)

The age limit is designed to prevent minors from casually turning on e-commerce features. In some countries, the law requires that e-commerce operators must be adults, so TikTok requires users in certain regions to be 18 or older to enable the Yellow Cart, ensuring that merchants have the capacity to operate independently.

3. The account must be a Business Account

Personal accounts are mainly for regular users’ social interactions, while Business Accounts are designed specifically for creators and merchants. They provide more commercial features such as analytics and advertising tools. TikTok requires merchants to switch to a Business Account so they can better manage and optimize their commercial operations.

4. Link your account to TikTok Shop Seller Center

TikTok Shop Seller Center is the core platform for merchants to manage their store, orders and inventory. You must register on TikTok Shop and complete identity verification to ensure that your store is genuine and trustworthy and to prevent fraudulent sales activities.

5. The account must be in an eligible e-commerce country or region

TikTok Shop is not yet available in all countries, and the policies differ by region. For example, TikTok Shop is growing rapidly in Southeast Asian markets (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.), while its availability is more limited in Europe and North America. Therefore, merchants need to confirm whether the Yellow Cart feature is supported in their country or region.

6. The account must have a minimum content posting history

TikTok encourages merchants to sell through short videos + live streams, and requires them to publish at least a certain number of videos to prove that the account is active. If an account has little to no content, TikTok may consider it lacking operational capability and thus restrict the activation of the Yellow Cart feature.

7. Comply with TikTok community guidelines and commerce policies

TikTok enforces strict rules on e-commerce content, such as prohibiting counterfeit goods and restricted products (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, medicines). If an account has previously been limited or banned for violating community guidelines, it may not be able to enable the Yellow Cart. Therefore, merchants should strictly follow platform rules during daily operations to avoid violations that could affect their e-commerce permissions.

Step-by-step guide to enabling the TikTok Yellow Cart

Step 1: Switch to a Business Account

1. Open the TikTok app and tap the three lines (≡) in the top-right corner of your profile page.

2. Select “Settings and privacy” → “Manage account”.

3. Find “Account type”, tap “Switch to Business Account” and complete the switch.

Step 2: Register a TikTok Shop Seller Center account

1. Visit the TikTok Shop Seller Center.

2. Choose the country/region where you want to operate and click “Sign up now”.

3. Fill in your store information as required and complete identity verification (upload your business license or ID).

4. Link your TikTok account and agree to the relevant terms.

Step 3: Meet the eligibility requirements

On your TikTok account, you need to make sure that:

✅ Follower count ≥ 1,000 (if you fall short, you can choose to buy TikTok followers to accelerate reaching the target).

✅ Age ≥ 16 (18+ in some countries).

✅ At least three or more videos have been published to keep the account active.

✅ No violation records; the account complies with TikTok community guidelines and commerce policies.

Step 4: Apply to enable the TikTok Yellow Cart

1. In TikTok Shop Seller Center, go to “Permissions management”.

2. Find the “Shopping cart” feature and click “Apply to enable”.

3. Submit the required information and wait for review (usually 1–3 business days).

4. Once approved, the TikTok Yellow Cart will automatically appear on your profile.

Step 5: Add the Yellow Cart to videos and live streams

📌 Add the Yellow Cart to short videos:

1. When posting a video, tap “Add product”.

2. Select the product you want to promote and tap Confirm.

3. After the video is published, users can place an order directly via the Yellow Cart link.

📌 Add the Yellow Cart to live streams:

1. Enter the live streaming interface and tap “Add product”.

2. Select the products you want to promote and tap Confirm.

3. During the live stream, viewers can click the Yellow Cart to purchase directly.

These are all the requirements and steps you need to follow to enable the TikTok Yellow Cart. Wishing every seller huge success and booming sales on TikTok!