TikTok Live Shopping Transforms Small Businesses in UK

UK businesses see a surge in sales through TikTok live shopping, with some reporting record sales and significant growth in consumer engagement.

Daisy Kelly’s entrepreneurial journey began from a personal challenge—years of pulling out her eyelashes led her to create a serum aimed at helping them grow back. During the pandemic, as beauty salons faced closures, she founded Glow For It from her mother’s kitchen in 2020, initially while still a student. Now, her venture boasts an impressive £6 million in annual sales.

A staggering 40% of those sales originate from TikTok Shop UK, with live shopping events playing a pivotal role. “I think live shopping gives people that connection and interaction that we’re all craving… We actually generated over £100,000 revenue in one 12-hour TikTok live,” Kelly, 27, shared, reflecting on the profound impact it has had on her business trajectory.

Operating from a studio for at least six hours daily, Kelly’s team engages with shoppers through product showcases and interactive Q&A sessions. “It’s like having 500 people in your shop,” she added, emphasizing the communal feel that live streaming delivers.

The trend is rapidly becoming integrated into consumer behavior. New research by retail agency Savvy Marketing indicated that 30% of surveyed shoppers have purchased items from live shopping events. Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO of Savvy, remarked, “The big retailers have got to grab hold of this. It’s grown from nothing to a huge thing really quickly. If you haven’t got a strategy for live selling, you’re going to miss out.” TikTok Shop noted that its sales in the UK grew over 30% year-on-year in June, with live shopping identified as the fastest-growing sales format.

TikTok is facilitating a wide array of livestreams, with more than 6,000 happening daily. Even at an event held in Covent Garden, small businesses showcased products live to customers across the UK. Halal butcher Manny Malik, tuning into the livestream from Wolverhampton, expressed satisfaction with the platform’s performance: “Last week we did a TikTok live for three hours and we sold £8,000 worth of meat,” which he noted typically would require three to four days in his shop.

In light of TikTok’s influence, Malik is set to open a second store in Stoke, citing the platform’s role in boosting his business expansion. TikTok Shop operates on a commission basis, taking up to 9p from every £1 sold. For comparison, eBay marketplace sellers generally pay between 6.9p and 14.9p depending on the product category.

Jewellery entrepreneur Buket Sevik also noted a dramatic shift after incorporating live selling into her strategy. Since founding her brand Adorina in February, Sevik has witnessed her order volume surge from 50 a month to 500 weekly since she began live streaming on the TikTok UK shop in May. Experiencing such rapid growth, she’s now seeking help to manage the demand. Sevik appreciates the flexibility of livestreaming: “I can go live whenever I want… which means it works absolutely perfectly for me as a mum. I can put my daughter to sleep and I can just hit go live and do some sales.”

While the benefits of live shopping are significant, caution is urged by Money Wellness, a free debt advice service. External relations manager Rebecca Lamb warned that these dynamic events can foster overspending, likening them to addictive behaviors: “Every time you snap up a bargain before it sells out, your brain gets a dopamine hit—the same rush you get from gambling.” She emphasized that the ease of one-tap payments can lead to overspending before the buyer is fully aware of what has happened.