US Retail on TikTok: From Amazon to Main Street Kiosks

The retail market in the United States has always been driven by culture. From the shopping malls of the 1990s to the reign of Amazon in the internet age, each decade paints a new picture for product discovery and purchasing. But in 2025, it takes on a new look—and it's driven by TikTok.
Today, TikTok is no longer just a social media site used for entertainment purposes. It is now a completely functional marketplace ecosystem. Shop marketing on TikTok has brought shopping to people who scroll. This is not just impacting online shopping giants like Amazon or Walmart. It is impacting small-town shopping.
What makes TikTok unique is the way it combines storytelling and shopping. Rather than viewing static advertisements, users see products in action — whether it is in the form of unboxing videos, ‘get ready with me’ tutorials, or mini-videos of customers interacting with the product in their day-to-day lives. This bridges the gap between authenticity and immediacy to enable viewers to buy products directly from the app.
In America, marketing through TikTok Shop is currently one of the crucial forces fueling growth for online stores and brick stores. It could be Amazon with product haul campaigns or small shops in Miami with hand-made accessories – in whatever form or structure, TikTok is breaking the mold.

The Emergence of TikTok in Online Merchandise Business

The popularity of shopping on TikTok was not an accident; it is the result of a carefully designed algorithm that promotes authenticity and a simple interface that encourages users to proceed to shopping with just one click. In 2024 alone, TikTok Shop recorded global sales of $20 billion with increasing participation of retailers in the USA.
Consumers have outgrown cold corporate advertisements. Today they crave social proof, real-world reactions, and experiences driven by emotions. This is exactly what is offered on TikTok.
For large companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target, TikTok Shop marketing is not a new trend in their online marketing strategy. For small business owners, it is a saving grace they can leverage to compete with the large companies.

How TikTok Shop Marketing Affects the Sales of US-Based Retailers

TikTok Shop marketing involves more than just influencing or advertising. In short, it is the mixing of commerce with content.

Here's how it alters the process of sales:

• Discovery through Content: Customers discover products through trends, creators, and hashtags.
• Conversion via TikTok Shop: “Shop Now” buttons facilitate easy conversion.

Compare this to traditional advertisements that interrupt. Video on TikTok is like entertainment – until it carefully moves into buying intent. That is why conversion rates on TikTok Shop can easily outconvert other social media.

TikTok Shop marketing enables retailers to:

• Personalize product showcases with influencers
• Launch seasonal campaigns related to viral trends
• Employ native advertising formats such as Spark Ads to enhance organic posts
• Measure performance directly on the TikTok Ad Manager

For Amazon merchants as well as small family-owned shops, the blending of engagement and conversion represent a paradigm shift in retail marketing.

Amazon: Turning Reviews Into Viral Sales

Amazon, the largest global online retailer, quickly understood the potential of TikTok. In 2024, it launched the “Amazon Finds” campaign wherein influencers promoted their choice products through the shopping tools of TikTok.

These creators include beauty influencers to home decor lovers. Hashtags such as #AmazonMustHaves and #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt racked up views to the tune of tens of billions. This directly led to sales going back to their Amazon stores.

By integrating TikTok Shop marketing with its influence ecosystem, Amazon developed a feedback loop of discovery, excitement, and sales conversion.
One such product is the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer. This is one of the top Amazon products that became a viral hit on TikTok in 2023. After garnering 500 million views, it recorded a 700% increase in sales.

Walmart: Community and Business Combined

• Walmart's brand image is revamped among Generation Z customers with creative strategies on TikTok. Its campaigns include #WalmartHaul and #MyWalmartStory, encouraging customers to share their experiences.
• By means of TikTok Shop marketing, Walmart leveraged the authenticity that users on the platform crave. The brand partnered with creators to showcase affordable discoveries, seasonal drops, and online exclusives.
• A viral challenge included the “$25 Outfit Challenge,” where users could assemble total ensembles with items found at Walmart. This translated to a 35% increase in in-app purchase intent.
• Walmart also collaborated with a TikTok advertising agency to develop location-based campaigns to encourage traffic to their local stores. This blending of UGC with advertisement optimization is a model to be followed in large-scale retail strategy for TikTok.

Other Retailing Giants: Target Corporation, Sephora, and Costco

Beyond Amazon and Walmart, other retailers such as Target and Sephora have tapped into advertising agency knowledge on TikTok to launch creator-led campaigns.

• Target’s #TargetRun personalizes the shopping experience.
• Sephora’s #SephoraSquad features influencers creating tutorials, reviews, and beauty hauls.
• Costco finds popularity through customer-created videos of unique product discoveries and bulk shopping humor.

From the above examples, it is evident that large retailers not only advertise on TikTok but also tell stories, build partnerships, and convert directly through TikTok Shops.

2. Benefits for Local Retailers

Low-Cost Visibility

“TikTok is democratizing retail visibility. It takes millions for Amazon or Walmart to reach their visibility goals, but small retailers can easily attain visibility with creative content.”
For example, a small apparel vendor named Main Street Apparel in Ohio created posts with modeling tips using local models. A viral video with trending audio reached 2.3 million views — the outcome? A sold-out weekend, without paying for ads.
This is what makes TikTok Shop marketing magical — equal opportunities. The algorithm promotes engagement, not ad spend.

Viral Product Discovery

Items such as the Stanley Cup Tumbler, Drunk Elephant skincare, or SKIMS shapewear attained stardom because they went viral on TikTok and recorded record-breaking sales.
If a small business identifies a trend to match their product with, it can generate enormous reach. For instance, leveraging the #CozyTok trend, a candle brand recorded a 340% revenue increase in three weeks.

Direct Sales Boost

TikTok Shop marketing enables instantaneous conversion of content to sales.
For neighborhood retailers, this means no friction between interest and buying. The “Buy Now” integrations remove third-party checkouts, keeping customers within the app.
A TikTok ad agency can further improve performance through conversion-optimized campaigns even with small budgets.

3. The Role of TikTok Agencies in Retail Success

Running a retail campaign on TikTok is not just about creating videos — it requires understanding the algorithm, ad placement, and audience segmentation.
TikTok advertising agencies assist retailers in:

• Content Ideation & Scripting
• Creator collaborations and influencer matchmaking
• Amplification of organic content using Spark Ads
• Data-Driven Audience Segmentation

Example: A home decor brand working with a TikTok ad agency targeting “interior design” interests saw a 42% higher CTR and 2x TikTok Shop conversions.

TikTok Advertising Agency: Scalable Strategies

Once a business gains organic reach, a TikTok advertising agency helps scale it through tools such as:

• Smart Performance Campaigns (SPC)
• Collection Ads
• Shopping Ads

Example: Ulta Beauty partnered with an agency to optimize its TikTok Shop campaigns during the holidays, achieving a 9.8x ROAS.
These agencies serve as the link between creativity and commerce.

Case Studies: How TikTok Changed the US Retail Landscape

Case Study 1: Created By Mitchell – Creator-Led Retail Revolution

Created By Mitchell, a UK-born beauty brand, expanded into the U.S. using TikTok Shop marketing. Through TikTok Lives and agency-managed collaborations, it achieved $15 million in TikTok sales within six months.

Case Study 2: SolaWave – TikTok-First Product Strategy

SolaWave, a skincare tech firm, went viral with its LED therapy wands. With an ad agency’s help, it achieved:

• 7x more engagement vs Instagram ads
• 400% increase in website traffic
• 32% more TikTok Shop sales

Conclusion

From Amazon's influencer ecosystem to small-town kiosks, TikTok has rewritten the retail experience. Discovery is no longer a step — it’s the shopping journey itself.
With TikTok Shop marketing, retailers can reach millions, turn entertainment into commerce, and grow with the guidance of a professional TikTok advertising agency.
In today’s world, the storefront isn’t just on Main Street — it’s on the For You Page, where creativity meets commerce and every scroll can be a sale.