TikTok is starting to resonate with meals and beverage manufacturers as a platform by way of which to seize consumers’ consideration, promote by way of TikTok Store and even develop new merchandise.
Amanda Parker, head of meals for TikTok Store, advised Fashionable Retail on the Groceryshop convention in Las Vegas that whereas the platform initially had success with smaller entrepreneurs, main CPG gamers like Mars and Coca-Cola have joined TikTok Store as a further channel of commerce. There, meals and beverage manufacturers can introduce new flavors or new merchandise, do R&D, or provide limited-time-only flavors — issues that they might have traditionally executed by way of a grocery companion.
It’s indicative of how, because the platform matures, TikTok Store is working to onboard a better number of manufacturers and assist them develop by way of the platform. For instance, it has added extra established manufacturers to the platform like Crocs and Pacsun. Now, it’s attempting to recruit extra CPG manufacturers by convincing them that TikTok Store is a spot the place they will take a look at new flavors or attain their super-fans. And, it’s change into an more and more necessary platform for conventional grocers to make sense of what’s trending.
Parker, who a few decade in the past labored with Kroger as an govt for Murray’s Cheese, stated the corporate is mirroring conventional merchandising ways utilized by grocers. To make certain, TikTok is just not a grocery enterprise — it might probably’t promote merchandise like contemporary meat or produce, for instance. However, the corporate says it might probably assist CPG corporations decide which merchandise to promote on TikTok or which new product launches might make sense there. TikTok says it might probably additionally information meals and beverage manufacturers on the way to work with creators or whether or not they need to purchase top-of-funnel adverts.
“If you concentrate on a grocer promoting an finish cap in a seasonal scenario, it’s not that dissimilar from dropping an LTO and placing it in entrance of numerous eyeballs” on TikTok, Parker stated. “It’s simply that that is the digital sphere versus the in-person [sphere].”
Parker declined to share particular progress stats, however stated TikTok Store as a complete has grown 120% year-over-year, and the meals and beverage class has greater than doubled since early 2024. It’s one of many faster-growing classes on the platform, she stated. The variety of bigger manufacturers — these with at the very least $30 million in annual income — becoming a member of TikTok Store grew 95% year-over-year within the first half of 2025, the corporate beforehand advised Fashionable Retail.
“Essentially, as a discovery-commerce platform, we are attempting to encourage any of those manufacturers, sellers, content material creators to benefit from the mixture of content material and commerce and seize the eye of these 170 million People which can be already on TikTok,” Parker stated.
Nonetheless, there stays an enormous elephant within the room which will concern potential companions: It’s unclear who precisely will personal TikTok shifting ahead and the way they might select to function the platform. President Trump signed an govt order Sept. 25 paving the best way for a deal that may switch majority possession of the app to American buyers, in line with NBC Information, but it surely’s nonetheless unknown who precisely this consists of. An organization spokesperson declined to touch upon its possession.
A giant alternative for CPG
TikTok is designed to be self-service; for any model that joins, there are ideas and tutorials for the way to make content material or begin promoting on the platform. The corporate additionally hosts applications for sellers in progress mode with seminars or matchmaking. And for prime manufacturers, account managers will help them with issues like media plans or assortment technique, in line with Parker.
Parker stated promotions on TikTok result in elevated consciousness elsewhere that may be seen anecdotally and measured as a halo impact throughout different e-commerce websites, DTC and brick-and-mortar retail.
“In the event you’re a model that has success on TikTok Store, and you’re leaning into all the issues that make you profitable — which embody content material and sometimes advert spend, and sometimes interplay together with your group — you’re essentially going to have a considerable quantity of elevated consciousness,” Parker stated. “The affect of TikTok is basically fairly holistic throughout an omnichannel model.”
For instance, Parker stated the platform has helped EZ Bombs, a family-run model of Mexican seasoning merchandise impressed by tub bombs — they’re meant to be dropped right into a pot to taste a meal — land retail distribution in additional than 1,000 doorways nationally, reminiscent of in Walmart and Albertsons places.
It’s a “actually attention-grabbing instance of the cycle the place of us who began and leaned into the platform first are then capable of get extra broader and be extra conventional distribution,” Parker stated. Earlier this 12 months, inside one 12 months of beginning on TikTok Store, EZ Bombs hit $19 million in gross sales on TikTok Store alone, in line with TikTok.
Parker additionally sees alternatives for a lot bigger manufacturers to benefit from traits that start organically on the platform. Final 12 months, sweet big Mars launched Skittles POP’d, which originated from a TikTok pattern the place folks would freeze-dry Skittles so they might pop and change into crunchy. The product launched on TikTok Store final October forward of a bigger retail launch this 12 months.
“It’s an awesome place for [brands] to get actually early suggestions on objects they need to R&D,” Parker stated. “It’s an awesome place for them to, say, launch a brand new taste just like the Skittles POP’d, as a result of possibly there’s already a pattern they’re capturing.”
Moreover, Parker stated the recognition of Swedish sweet model Bubs on TikTok led it to launch common distribution within the U.S. throughout the previous few months. That adopted the recognition of traits like “sweet salad” round 2023 or 2024, the place folks would toss totally different candies collectively in a bowl.
A non-brand-specific pattern that turned particularly widespread this 12 months, in line with Parker, is Dubai chocolate. Whereas it’s now not at its peak, “it’s a residual taste profile that’s nonetheless very fashionable now,” she stated.
The corporate says it might probably additionally assist manufacturers navigate the emergence of livestreams in commerce. It even provides what it calls “mega livestreams,” larger productions the place within the meals class folks could possibly be getting ready one thing, making one thing, cooking one thing or sampling one thing, Parker stated. For instance, EZ Bombs final 12 months hosted a livestream for Day of The Useless with flash gross sales and giveaways.
“You’re doing all of those units and streaming and gross sales and content material manufacturing,” Parker stated, including that the corporate can help manufacturers with assets in doing so. “It’s nonetheless comparatively new as a lever, however I feel it’s yet another means that makes us actually distinctive.”
TikTok is in an attention-grabbing nook the place it could be each competing with grocers for promoting {dollars} or on promoting merchandise whereas additionally partnering with them on social media campaigns. Bobby Watts, svp of retail media, digital merchandising and advertising for Ahold Delhaize USA, advised Fashionable Retail that he sees the platform as no totally different than Meta’s Fb or Instagram.
“They command massive {dollars} within the market. Google does, as properly,” Watts stated. “These are massive corporations that command numerous promoting {dollars}, however we see them as a wanted channel. … They’ve a good way to interact with customers.”
Model executives who sat on a separate panel on retail media on the convention Monday talked about how they’ve observed TikTok disrupt their advertising, e-commerce and promoting methods.
“[TikTok] is tearing up and difficult every little thing we constructed, from a course of standpoint and thought standpoint,” stated Ajay Sharma, vp of e-commerce and omnichannel for Bayer Client Well being, including that the platform has challenged how the corporate approaches content material era, syndication and communication. “For us, it’s a key rising channel.”
Katie Neil, head of linked commerce for The Coca-Cola Firm, stated TikTok has disrupted towards conventional retail media networks of the likes of Amazon and Walmart.
“In the event you take a look at Asia — Southeast Asia, like Thailand and Indonesia — TikTok is definitely a legit path to market. It’s so influential,” Neil stated. “Discoveries change into leisure, and it’s very seamless and fluid. However as an advertiser, they’re bringing information and an enormous unlock of an viewers that on-site retail media networks simply can’t match.”
Getting forward of traits
By way of information on client traits, TikTok has a singular perspective in that the platform can take a look at what content material or hashtags are trending to find out what might change into a purchasing pattern earlier than it even takes off on TikTok Store.
“We jumped from watermelon and mango as a hashtag within the summertime to, swiftly, pumpkin was there,” Parker stated. “After I final checked, issues like gingerbread are already beginning to pattern, from a content material perspective, which tends to be that main indicator for what we’re going to see be widespread on the store facet only a couple weeks later.”
Parker stated this lag between the content material and commercialization is when manufacturers have a chance, if they will transfer shortly — whether or not they be small companies or massive CPG gamers capable of do fast R&D.
“That’s what we noticed with Dubai chocolate,” Parker stated. “We noticed the content material pattern began a lot earlier in Dubai, and it transferred platform-wide.” She added that the primary vendor of Dubai chocolate merchandise was in This fall of final 12 months, with a make-it-yourself package that was simple to shortly carry to the market.
It additionally made for excellent content material, Parker stated.
“It’s a must to do not forget that, it doesn’t matter what you do … on TikTok and TikTok Store, it must be visually interesting,” Parker stated. “So any transformation or something that performs into the visuals, whether or not it’s popping a Skittle or opening a Dubai chocolate bar with the inexperienced; that kind of ASMR or visible enchantment is basically, very fashionable.”
