Policy Guide
TikTok Shop Performance Score (SPS) Explained: The 0-5 Rating That Controls Your Growth
Your SPS Is 2.3 Out of 5. Here’s What That’s Costing You.
You can’t run Flash Deals. You can’t access Affiliate Marketing. You’re invisible to the promotion engine that top sellers rely on to scale revenue. The threshold is 2.5. You’re 0.2 points away.
Stop Guessing Which Metric Is Dragging Your Score
SellerOps monitors SFCR, OTDR, and VTR in real time so you can fix problems before they tank your SPS.
Start 14-day free trialWhat is the difference between SPS and Account Health Rating on TikTok Shop?
SPS and Account Health Rating (AHR) are two separate systems that operate independently on TikTok Shop. According to TikTok’s Account Health documentation (updated March 2026), AHR is the enforcement system: a 0-1,000 point scale tracking compliance violations, with enforcement actions at 150, 100, 50, and 0 points. SPS is the rewards system: a 0-5 scale tracking customer service quality that unlocks promotions, faster payouts, and seller badges. A perfect AHR does not give you a good SPS, and a perfect SPS does not protect you from AHR enforcement. The critical distinction is that AHR can shut your shop down through suspension and deactivation, while SPS determines whether your shop can grow. As of March 2026, sellers must manage both systems simultaneously.
SPS vs. Account Health Rating: Two Separate Systems
This is where most sellers get confused. TikTok runs two scoring systems simultaneously, and they do completely different things.
A perfect AHR (green zone, 200+ points) does not give you a good SPS. A perfect SPS does not protect you from AHR enforcement.
Account Health Rating (AHR) is the enforcement system. It’s a 0-1,000 point scale that tracks compliance violations. Drop below 150 points and TikTok restricts your listings. Drop to 0 and your account is permanently deactivated.
Shop Performance Score (SPS) is the rewards system. It’s a 0-5 scale that tracks how well you serve customers across six metrics. Higher scores unlock promotions, faster payouts, and seller badges.
For the complete breakdown of how AHR enforcement works, including the milestone penalties at 150, 100, 50, and 0 points, see our Account Health Rating guide.
AHR can shut your shop down. SPS determines whether your shop can grow.
How Your SPS Is Calculated: The 6 Metrics
TikTok scores your shop across three categories using six metrics. Each metric is measured on a 0-5 subscale, then weighted by your shop’s primary product category.
What is TikTok Shop Performance Score (SPS) and how is it calculated?
TikTok Shop Performance Score (SPS) is a 0-5 rating that measures how well you serve customers across six metrics in three categories. According to TikTok’s Shop Performance Score documentation (updated March 2026), the six metrics are: Negative Review Rate and Non-Buyer Fault Return Rate (product satisfaction, 60-day window), Seller Fault Cancellation Rate and On-Time Delivery Rate (fulfillment, 30-day window), and IM Dissatisfaction Rate and After-Sales Handling Time (customer service, 60-day window). Each metric scores 0-5 individually, then TikTok applies category-specific weighting based on your shop’s primary product category. As of March 2026, you need at least 30 delivered orders within 90 days for TikTok to generate your SPS. Sellers should check their score breakdown in Seller Center under Shop Performance > Score Details to identify which metric is weakest.
Product Satisfaction (60-Day Window)
1. Negative Review Rate
Percentage of orders receiving 1-2 star initial reviews. Only the first review counts. If a customer edits a 2-star review to 4 stars later, the original negative still applies.
2. Non-Buyer Fault Return Rate
Percentage of orders where the customer initiates a return or refund for reasons that aren’t buyer’s remorse. Misleading listings, wrong items shipped, and quality complaints all count here.
Fulfillment & Logistics (30-Day Window)
3. Seller Fault Cancellation Rate (SFCR)
SFCR Compliance Threshold
Orders you cancel due to stock-outs, pricing errors, or inability to ship. As of March 2026, the compliance threshold is ≤2.5%. Every cancellation you cause hits both your SPS and your AHR.
4. On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR)
OTDR Compliance Threshold
Percentage of orders delivered by TikTok’s designated deadline. The compliance threshold is ≥80%. This replaced Late Dispatch Rate (LDR) as the SPS metric in late 2025, though LDR still affects your AHR separately.
Miss delivery deadlines and your SPS drops (losing rewards) AND your AHR drops (triggering enforcement). It’s the metric you cannot afford to ignore.
For dispatch deadline calculations, including business day rules and holiday exceptions, check the 48 Hour Deadline guide.
Customer Service (60-Day Window)
5. IM Dissatisfaction Rate
Percentage of post-chat surveys where customers rate the interaction 1-2 stars. This replaced the old 24-Hour Response Rate metric. You’re graded primarily on whether the customer felt helped, but response speed still matters: unanswered chats are more likely to receive low satisfaction ratings.
6. After-Sales Handling Time
According to TikTok’s After-Sales Handling Time guidance, a healthy handling time is 24 hours or shorter. Exceed that benchmark consistently and this metric drags your SPS down hard.
Category-Specific Weighting: Your Score Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
Here’s what most guides miss: TikTok weights these six metrics differently depending on your shop’s primary product category.
A beauty shop might see fulfillment weighted at 52% of the total score, while an electronics shop sees customer service carry heavier weight.
| Seller Type | Dominant Category | Key Lever |
|---|---|---|
| High-volume commodity (beauty, accessories) | Fulfillment (SFCR, OTDR) | Shipping speed |
| High-ticket (electronics, appliances) | Customer service (IM-DSAT, After-Sales) | Resolution quality |
| Fashion/apparel | Product satisfaction (Reviews, Returns) | Listing accuracy |
You can’t see the exact weights. TikTok doesn’t publish them per category. But you can identify which metrics are dragging your score by checking the individual metric breakdowns in Seller Center under Shop Performance > Score Details.
The Three Thresholds: What Each SPS Level Unlocks
Your SPS isn’t just a vanity metric. It gates access to TikTok’s most powerful growth tools.
What SPS score do you need for TikTok Shop Flash Deals and promotions?
You need a minimum Shop Performance Score (SPS) of 2.5 to access TikTok Shop’s most powerful growth tools. According to TikTok’s Shop Performance Score documentation (updated March 2026), an SPS of 2.5 or higher unlocks Flash Deals, TikTok-Funded Promotions, and Auctions. Shop Ads remain available to all sellers, though TikTok recommends maintaining SPS 2.5+ for best ad performance. At SPS 3.5, you unlock Affiliate Marketing, platform-wide Campaigns, and Accelerated Settlement with payouts 5 days after delivery. At SPS 4.0, you qualify for Express Settlement (1-day payouts) and Star Seller badges. As of March 2026, Affiliate Marketing is the threshold that matters most for scaling revenue, as shops between 3.0 and 3.5 cannot add new products to the affiliate program. Sellers should prioritize the 30-day fulfillment metrics (SFCR, OTDR) as the fastest path to raising their SPS.
SPS ≥ 2.5: The Growth Floor
| Feature Unlocked | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Flash Deals | Time-limited discounts surfaced in TikTok’s deals tab |
| TikTok-Funded Promotions | Platform subsidizes discounts (TikTok pays part of the markdown) |
| Shop Ads | Paid advertising (available to all, but TikTok recommends SPS 2.5+ for best results) |
| Auctions | Participate in auction-style promotions |
Below 2.5, you lose Flash Deals, TikTok-Funded Promotions, and Auctions eligibility. Shop Ads remain available to everyone, though TikTok recommends maintaining SPS of at least 2.5 to maximize ad performance. You’re competing with one hand tied behind your back.
SPS ≥ 3.5: The Revenue Accelerator
| Feature Unlocked | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Affiliate Marketing | Creators can promote your products for commission |
| Campaigns | Access to platform-wide mega sales events |
| Accelerated Settlement | Payouts 5 days after delivery (vs. standard timeline) |
Affiliate Marketing is how sellers scale revenue significantly. Shops need SPS 3.5+ to qualify. Between 3.0 and 3.5, you can’t add new products to the affiliate program. Drop below 3.0 and existing collaborations are disqualified entirely.
The settlement acceleration alone is worth chasing. Getting paid 5 days post-delivery instead of the standard timeline means significantly better cash flow, especially during high-volume periods.
SPS ≥ 4.0: The Elite Tier
| Feature Unlocked | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Express Settlement | Payouts 1 day after delivery confirmation |
| Star Seller Badge | Gold or Silver badge displayed on your shop |
Star Seller Badge Requirements
Gold Star Seller: SPS ≥4.0 + Shop Reputation Score >10,000 + Positive Product Rating ≥80% + shop logo uploaded.
Silver Star Seller: SPS ≥4.0 + Shop Reputation Score >2,000 + Positive Product Rating ≥80% + shop logo uploaded.
The badge is more than cosmetic. TikTok encourages creators to partner with shops rated 4.0+. A Star Seller badge makes you the preferred affiliate partner.
How to Improve Each SPS Metric
Negative Review Rate
Compare listing images to actual unboxing. Remove any “expectation vs. reality” gaps. Use real product photos, not manufacturer renders. 60-day evaluation window means improvements show within 2 months.
Non-Buyer Fault Return Rate
Same 60-day window. One month of clean returns moves the needle.
Seller Fault Cancellation Rate
If your inventory system and TikTok Shop have even a 15-minute lag, you’ll get phantom orders on out-of-stock items. Set buffer stock levels (show 95% of actual inventory to TikTok). 30-day window: this is the fastest metric to improve.
On-Time Delivery Rate
Dispatch SLA = 2 business days | Delivery SLA = 6 business days from order to doorstep
Ship within 24 hours of order placement, not the 2-business-day maximum. Use carriers with reliable first-scan times.
If you’re seeing late dispatch warnings, that’s a sign your OTDR is about to tank. Sellers at 4.8% LDR are already in the danger zone for both AHR enforcement and SPS score damage.
IM Dissatisfaction Rate
If a CS agent can’t approve a refund without manager approval, the handling time and dissatisfaction rate both suffer. Give frontline agents a $25 instant-resolution authority for quick fixes. 60-day window.
After-Sales Handling Time
new seller onboarding checklist Protections: The Safety Net You Didn’t Know About
Shop under 180 days old, 30 or fewer orders, and 3 or fewer impacted orders. Any metric score below 3.5 gets raised to 3.5. IM Dissatisfaction minimum raised to 2.0.
This means new sellers start with an artificial floor. But it disappears once you cross 30 orders or 180 days, whichever comes first. Plan accordingly: use the protection period to build clean operational habits before the safety net vanishes.
You need 30 delivered orders within 90 days for TikTok to generate an SPS score at all. Below that, you’ll see “N/A” in Seller Center.
What SPS Cannot Do (And What Can)
| Scenario | SPS Impact | AHR Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Low review scores | Score drops, lose promotions | TikTok may notify when NRR triggers potential enforcement |
| Late dispatch | LDR affected; OTDR impacted if orders miss deliver-by date | Points deducted via LDR, enforcement possible |
| Seller-fault cancellation | SFCR rises, score drops | Points deducted |
| Listing violation | No direct effect | Points deducted, possible restriction |
| Fake/counterfeit product | No direct effect | Severe deduction, possible deactivation |
But a low SPS can starve your shop of the tools needed to grow revenue. It’s death by a thousand cuts, not a guillotine.
For the full breakdown of what triggers AHR enforcement and how to recover, see our Account Health Rating guide.
FAQ
Can a low Shop Performance Score get my TikTok Shop suspended?
No. SPS is a rewards system, not an enforcement system. A score of 0.5 won’t trigger suspension. However, the metrics that drag your SPS down (late delivery, seller-fault cancellations) also affect your Account Health Rating, which CAN suspend your shop. Low SPS doesn’t cause suspension directly, but the same operational failures that lower your SPS are simultaneously lowering your AHR.
How often does my SPS update?
SPS updates dynamically based on rolling evaluation windows. Product satisfaction metrics use a 60-day window, fulfillment metrics use a 30-day window, and customer service metrics use a 60-day window. As of March 2026, TikTok evaluates your score against other sellers in the same product category, not the entire marketplace.
What’s the difference between Late Dispatch Rate and On-Time Delivery Rate?
Late Dispatch Rate (LDR) measures whether you ship within the 2-business-day dispatch SLA. On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR) measures whether the package arrives by the 6-business-day delivery deadline. LDR still affects your AHR compliance, but OTDR is the metric used in your SPS calculation. You can have perfect LDR and still have poor OTDR if your carrier is slow.
I just opened my shop and my SPS shows N/A. Is that a problem?
No. You need at least 30 delivered orders within 90 days for TikTok to calculate your SPS. Until then, you’re in the protection window where metric scores below 3.5 are raised to a minimum of 3.5 (if your shop is under 180 days old). Focus on building clean fulfillment habits now so your score starts strong when it activates.
Do FBT (Fulfilled by TikTok) orders count toward my SPS?
Partially. FBT logistics-related issues (delivery delays, lost packages) are excluded from your SPS calculation since TikTok controls the fulfillment. However, product satisfaction metrics (reviews, returns for product quality) still apply to FBT orders because those are seller-controlled. Successfully appealed orders are also excluded from calculations.
What SPS do you need for TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing?
You need a minimum Shop Performance Score (SPS) of 3.5 to qualify for TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing. According to TikTok’s Affiliate Marketing Policy (updated March 2026), shops with SPS between 3.0 and 3.5 enter a warning band where they cannot add new products to the affiliate program, though existing collaborations continue. Below SPS 3.0, shops are fully disqualified from the affiliate program. Affiliate Marketing is how sellers scale from moderate to high revenue on TikTok Shop, as creators promote your products for commission. The 3.5 threshold also unlocks platform-wide Campaigns and Accelerated Settlement with payouts 5 days after delivery. As of March 2026, the fastest way to raise SPS toward 3.5 is improving the 30-day fulfillment metrics: Seller Fault Cancellation Rate and On-Time Delivery Rate.
For sellers needing full metric monitoring across SFCR, VTR, and OTDR, SellerOps Defender’s Shop Vitals Dashboard is coming in Q1 2026.
Complete compliance guide: For the enforcement side of the equation (AHR, violation points, and what actually gets your shop restricted or deactivated), see our Account Health Rating guide. SPS controls your growth. AHR controls your survival. You need to manage both.
Need policy monitoring before risk spikes?
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