In the global discovery e-commerce marketplace, brands are learning how to turn attention into something that lasts.
For much of the past two decades, online shopping followed a consistent logic: A consumer identified a need, entered a search query, compared options, and completed a purchase. The process was deliberate and sequential, guided by intent.
That logic has changed.
Instead of searching for products, consumers encounter them through short videos, livestreams, and recommendations embedded within the flow of daily content.
This new approach, often described as “discovery e-commerce,” brings retail closer to entertainment, compressing what were once distinct stages of browsing, evaluation, and purchase into one unified experience. TikTok Shop, the platform’s in-app shopping marketplace where users can buy products directly from videos, is one of the most visible examples of this model, integrating content, community, and transaction seamlessly.
“Discovery e-commerce is redefining how shoppers discover and shop for brands and products, online and offline. And TikTok is at the center of that shift, transforming from a moment of influence into a true lever for brand growth,” says Patrick Nommensen, head of strategic initiatives at TikTok Shop.
From experiment to infrastructure
Launched in 2023, TikTok Shop was still an untested channel that brands experimented with to generate visibility, but brands weren’t yet integrating into their long-term planning. Two and a half years later, with hundreds of thousands of American businesses now active on the marketplace, it is a core part of many companies’ commercial strategy.
In 2025, the total transaction volume on TikTok Shop grew by nearly 80% year over year, while more than 1,000 brands generating upwards of $30 million in revenue have deepened their presence on the platform, according to internal company data. Research by GlobalData and TikTok Shop showed that 83% of all shoppers say they have discovered a new product on TikTok Shop, and 70% have discovered a new brand.
“Over the past year, we achieved 219% YOY sales growth, and during last year’s Black Friday, we generated over $10 million in sales, ranked as a solid number one in the Beauty and Personal Care category on TikTok Shop,” says Lexy Shim, global TikTok Shop lead, medicube and APRILSKIN. “More importantly, it shows that when engagement, content, and commerce are aligned, TikTok Shop can drive not just incremental growth but exponential impact.”
Discovery, recommendations from other users, and checkout take place within the same environment, reducing the need to move among platforms and shortening the distance between seeing a product and buying it. For sellers, TikTok Shop is unique in that it is a full-funnel system: awareness, consideration, conversion, and feedback sitting in the same place, rather than being split across multiple channels.
Alongside solo creators—such as Mandys Peña, a personal care influencer who has had several livestreams generate more than $1 million each in sales—established businesses are also finding ways to expand on TikTok Shop. Tarte Cosmetics, one of the app’s top beauty brands, has anchored its success around creator-led campaigns and product drops. As part of a recent “New Arrivals” campaign, Tarte offered exclusive bundles with built-in buy-one-get-one-free value, which drove a 1.2 times sales increase and was supported by thousands of creator videos that extended its reach. In many cases, purchasing activity on TikTok Shop does not remain confined to the app. This momentum often carries over to retail—online and in-person—helping build awareness and positioning TikTok Shop as a starting point for broader growth rather than a standalone channel.
The underlying mechanics
Unlike conventional e-commerce, where goods are simply listed, discovery e-commerce relies on demonstration and context. An item’s function, quality, and relevance are communicated via tutorials, reviews, and everyday scenarios. Over time, this creates a feedback loop, with creators introducing something new, audiences responding in real time, and brands refining offers, messaging, and merchandising based on what resonates. Peer interactions—comments, direct messages, and user-generated content—also contribute significantly to a product’s visibility.
Brandon Hans offers a clear example of how this plays out in practice. A home-category influencer, his content focuses on practical use cases, giving viewers a sense of how a new vacuum cleaner, air fryer, or picnic table might fit into their lives. Working with companies such as Shark, KitchenAid, and Ninja, Hans has generated more than $21 million in sales. His numbers prove that products from popular brands, as well as small and emerging businesses, can perform exceedingly well on TikTok Shop.
The same principle applies to larger brands that have been chasing serious repeat business on TikTok Shop. What matters is not just a single viral moment but rather how consistently you can turn attention into transactions. Crocs, for example, uses extended LIVE shopping sessions to create a continuous retail presence, drawing millions of views and generating steady sales over time. In 2025, Crocs took this to the extreme when it decided to turn its “Croctober” marketing campaign into a 24/7 TikTok Shop LIVE for the entire month—the longest continuous LIVE on the platform to date.
That movement from virality to repeatable performance—a central theme at the 2026 TikTok Shop Summit—is grounded in TikTok Shop’s newly upgraded assortment, content, and empowerment (ACE) framework. By bringing together product strategy, content, and campaign amplification, ACE is designed to help sellers identify what is working, refine it, and build more consistent results over time. Rather than relying on unpredictable spikes in attention, the emphasis is on developing a system that can be repeated, measured, and scaled. “This year, we’ve made ACE even more comprehensive, tailoring the methodology to each discovery channel,” says Ajay Salpekar, head of beauty, food, and beverage at TikTok Shop.
The next phase of retail
As discovery becomes a more central part of how people shop, the boundary between entertainment and shopping is shrinking. What were once separate stages—finding, evaluating, and purchasing—are increasingly folded into the same experience. TikTok Shop is leading that transition, developing the creator networks, campaign tools, and partnerships that allow businesses to reach the platform’s vast audience in innovative ways. Attention still matters, but the focus is on what can be sustained over time. “Success is no longer defined only by what a brand says about itself. It is heavily shaped by what users are saying about the brand, how they use the product, how they recommend it, and how trust gets built through shared experience,” says Nommensen.