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From fashion to tech, and beauty to food, retailers and e-commerce companies are turning to TikTok to engage new customers and drive revenues. In the UK, almost 1.5 million businesses use the platform to promote their products and services.
But are they using it right?
TikTok isn’t just a space for Gen Z to while away hours staring at videos. It’s a platform where creative content captures the imagination, builds communities - and sells products. Campaign and Performance Marketing World brought TikTok experts together with retail brands to arm them with the right tools to crack the TikTok code.
The mission was simple: share success stories, discuss challenges, and set out tips to nail creative on TikTok.
Let’s dive in.
Where TikTok is at
Short-form video is growing by 11% year-on-year, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study at the end of 2023, making it one of the fastest-growing media in the UK. And TikTok is central to that.
“People come to TikTok to be entertained,” says Kris Boger, general manager, UK, global business solutions at TikTok. “They watch TikTok, they don’t check TikTok. And a big part of that is there’s a lot of creativity that makes the content on TikTok so watchable, which means people want to spend time on the platform.”
Kris Boger, general manager, UK, global business solutions, TikTok
A key reason for TikTok’s popularity is the power of its communities. From FoodTok to CleanTok and TechTok to BookTok, the vast array of communities ensures audiences are served the content they love. Boger says this provides clear opportunities for retailers.
“Last year we announced a partnership with Unilever, who were the headline partner for CleanTok,” for example, he says. “That was a first for us, thinking about how we can work with brands and also communities. And, of course, behind these communities are creators. Our data shows that 69% of people on TikTok researched a new product after seeing a creator’s video.”
Maisie McCabe, UK editor, Campaign
On TikTok, users are served up content based on what they’re interested in, rather than who they follow. This means users always see new content and new products, which explains why they can suddenly go viral. In 2023, air fryers had over 5 billion views, for example, driven by the wildly popular “TikTok made me buy it” hashtag. And, by wildly popular, we mean 75 billion views popular.
Daisy Kelly, CEO & founder, Glow For It
Not all discovery is native. According to a Pew Research Centre study, almost 40% of Gen Z use TikTok as their primary search engine. “We’ve got this amazing platform where you can discover, you can research, and now you can buy,” says Paul Mears, group vertical director, retail & e-commerce at TikTok.
Paul Mears, group vertical girector, retail & E-commerce, TikTok; Becky Owen, CMO, Billion Dollar Boy and Jo Eden, senior consultant for social media, Lidl
“We call it a closed loop, where you can go through the entire purchase journey all on one platform. We think that’s pretty unique and has really powerful potential for retailers this year.”
The TikTok retail opportunity
“We all know it’s a pretty gloomy economic outlook, but we believe TikTok can be the shining beacon of growth for brands,” says Mears. “It’s a huge opportunity currently under-tapped by the retail market.”
Lucy Shelley, multimedia editor and podcast host, Performance Marketing World
From attention - Data.ai found that iOS users spend around two hours a day on the platform - to brand consideration, retailers can use TikTok in a multitude of ways to drive growth.
Chero Omer, social content coordinator, Pour Moi
Brand building
Lisa Hale, head of consumer PR, brand activation & social media at Specsavers, says the chain leans on TikTok for long-term brand-building. “We’ve done research with Lumen that challenges assumptions that you can’t hold long-term attention on social,” she says. “The research shows that when you combine bottom-funnel activity with long-term brand building through high-attention content, the impact is massive - and that’s why we use TikTok. It’s got so much scope for brand building and PR, and I don’t think the industry is properly tapping into that.”
Lisa Hale, head of consumer PR, brand activation and social media, Specsavers
Developing attention
Among supermarkets, Lidl was a late TikTok adopter. But, since launching on the platform in June 2023, it is already pushing 175K followers. “We know we can hold attention on there, and we do this by ensuring all of our content is bespoke - we don’t recycle,” says Jo Eden, Lidl’s senior consultant for social media. “We have as much fun with it as possible, and we’ve seen that lead to growth.”
Spotlighting new services
Georgiana Bernhardt, brand marketing manager at Moonpig, says the brand uses TikTok to show that customers should come to Moonpig for much more than just convenience.
Georgiana Bernhardt, brand marketing manager, Moonpig
“While we are leaders in our market, we have a lot of features and products that people don’t know about,” she says. “So we use TikTok as a new way to show people the reasons to buy from us.”
Richard Lim, CEO, Retail Economics
Research by Oxford Economics, commissioned by TikTok, found that activity by SMEs on TikTok contributed £1.63bn to UK GDP in 2022.
So it should be no surprise that startup retailers use TikTok to drive growth. Daisy Kelly, CEO and founder of Glow For It, has a team of six dedicated to creating TikTok content because it is critical to her beauty brand. “Showing commitment to the platform has not only boosted revenue growth, but also brand awareness,” she says. “We’ve hit 70,000 single lash serum sales just through TikTok Shop - that’s not including bundles, and it’s rivalling our own personal web sales.”
Glow For It's Kelly
That’s 70,000 sales Glow For It wouldn’t have without TikTok. So, the question for retailers is simple: can you afford not to be on TikTok?
TikTok tips
TikTok’s Kris Boger and Paul Mears shared tips to make retail and e-commerce campaigns sing
Have a robust signals strategy
“Make sure you are ready for Google Chrome tracking changes, when third-party cookies are removed,” says Mears. “It’s really important to move to server-side measurement. We have Events API, which is a direct and reliable connection where you share hashed email addresses and phone numbers to get conversion tracking and protect against signal loss in a privacy-safe way.”
Ask TikTok for creative help
“TikTok is committed to helping all advertisers with their creative,” says Boger. Its guidance for brands includes:
Authenticity: content on TikTok should belong on TikTok.
Go lo-fi but shoot in hi-res: a good idea is more important than polished production.
Embrace what works: instructional videos and top 5 lists are simple and effective.
Join in with conversations: keep it lighthearted and positive, and don’t be afraid to banter with other brands in your space, even if they’re rivals.
Use sound: 93% of users watching TikTok have sound on.
Have a hook in the first 2 seconds: it could be an unboxing experience, or a relatable problem that needs solving.
Be authentic
“We’ve seen that by being authentic, brands take creativity in all different directions,” Boger says. “The best example is probably Lidl’s ‘Ode to bakery’ campaign, which used the popular ‘Open Verse Challenge’ TikTok trend. It was creative, it was funny, and it could only have existed on TikTok.” The campaign had over 19.5m impressions, a 39% view-through rate, and a 32.3% uplift in ad recall.
Drive impact
“We have a shopping product called Video Shopping Ads [VSA], and we’ve seen great success with that,” adds Mears. “Boots has seen a 133% increase in ROAS since they moved to VSA; likewise Boohoo saw an 80% increase.”
Who’s your favourite TikToker?
There are millions to choose from. We asked our roundtable guests to pick their favourites
Georgiana Bernhardt, brand marketing manager, Moonpig
Fave TikToker: Robert Mayhew
Why? “I’m obsessed with him! All of his content brings me back to my agency days.”
Kris Boger, general manager, UK, global business solutions, TikTok
Fave TikToker: The London Family
Why? “Feel-good content, and a reminder of the early days of TikTok.”
Jo Eden, senior consultant for social media, Lidl
Fave TikToker: We Rate Dogs
Why? “It’s nice to see stuff that’s really positive, and all of the dogs are very good boys and girls!”
Lisa Hale, head of consumer PR, brand activation & social media, Specsavers
Fave TikToker: Laura Ramoso
Why? “She’s a comedian who does really funny impressions.”
Daisy Kelly, CEO & founder, Glow For It
Fave TikToker: Maddie Grace Jepson
Why? “I trained with her at university, and she’s exactly the same in person. She makes me giggle.”
Richard Lim, chief executive, Retail Economics
Fave TikToker: Intuitive Tennis
Why? “I’m new to tennis, and he’s great for getting to grips with the basics of tennis.”
Paul Mears, group vertical director, retail & e-commerce, TikTok
Fave TikToker: Eating with Tod.
Why? “He goes to street-food vendors, and does stuff like dunking burgers into gravy. It makes you really hungry!”
Chero Omer, social content coordinator, Pour Moi
Fave TikToker: The Nutritionist
Why? “I’m really into cooking and she has really simple recipes that are easy to follow.”
Becky Owen, chief marketing officer, Billion Dollar Boy
Fave TikToker: Juno the Cat
Why? “A cat that has an obsession over a hot air vent. It warms my heart every day!”