The most successful food and beverage brands today aren't choosing between digital and physical retail, they're mastering seamless omnichannel growth. The linear path from product development to retail is over, as today’s disruptors rewrite the playbook with social commerce driving discovery and sales.

With over 150 million Americans and 7.5 million US businesses on the platform, TikTok connects people with products and brands they might not have discovered otherwise. Three in four users say it’s their go-to destination for brand and product discovery ^₁, making it a clear choice for food and beverage brands looking to build awareness and drive sales.

The new DTC-to-retail pipeline

Innovative CPG brands no longer see DTC and retail as separate channels, they're using TikTok to bridge digital excitement and physical shelf space. For Grace Manwaring, co-founder and CMO of Kava Haven, "a viral creator's video drove immediate online sales and shortly after, a noticeable lift in retail pull-through."

Ben Amaya, Marketing Director of EZ Bombs noted that “several viral moments drew the attention of retail buyers,” with platform data helping clarify supply and demand and “speeding up the process of entering retail.”

TikTok as commerce entertainment

TikTok has upended traditional marketing, blending entertainment and shopping to put discovery front and center and redefine how products reach consumers. Manwaring notes, “TikTok has completely disrupted the traditional ‘TV + shopper marketing’ playbook” because creators co-create the narrative, which “resonates far deeper than a 30-second TV spot.” Amaya echoes the impact from his own experience, calling it a “stronger play…versus traditional marketing,” with “broader reach and more frequent touchpoints” than a “short-lived, expensive [TV] segment.”

Brands can amplify high-performing organic content through Spark Ads and in-feed ads, using premium placements like TopView, TopFeed and Pulse to reach wider audiences. “Formats like Spark Ads, creator-led reviews and ‘make a drink with me’ style videos outperform legacy channels because they feel native, not intrusive,” says Manwaring. These placements help brands join cultural moments, connect authentically and expand reach, turning casual discovery into meaningful engagement.

From there, TikTok’s performance tools help brands scale what works. GMV Max optimizes placements to reach the right audiences and drive TikTok Shop GMV, while affiliate-driven creator content provides a consistent flow of content and expanded reach. As Manwaring adds, “GMV Max combined with affiliate-driven creator content have been especially effective in creating demand and translating it into in-store sales.”

Measuring what matters: The Halo Effect

After scaling content with tools like GMV Max and affiliate programs, the next step is proving impact. TikTok drives up to 1.9x greater median incremental sales for U.S. CPG advertisers than the industry norm^₂. This halo effect, where online buzz fuels measurable lift across e-commerce and in-store channels, is central to TikTok’s value for brands.

Brands integrating TikTok into their omnichannel strategy see this multiplier firsthand. Ben Amaya of EZ Bombs notes, “discovery and awareness are the biggest drivers of our omnichannel strategy, giving TikTok our priority.”

Separately, Grace Manwaring from Kava Haven adds, “TikTok buzz has led to higher branded search volume on Google, stronger Amazon conversion rates and even interest from wholesale accounts… GMV Max and affiliate campaigns in particular have been the biggest contributors to that lift.”

To quantify this impact, TikTok’s measurement solutions, including post-purchase surveys and conversion lift studies, give brands hard, causal data that ties campaigns to real-world results. As Daniel Lee, TikTok’s Vertical Director for Food & Beverage Brands, explains: “With tools like GMV Max driving performance and Conversion Lift Studies and post-purchase surveys tracking results, brands can see how their content drives awareness, consideration and purchases. It really shows how engagement on TikTok translates into real-world retail impact."

Competitive advantage for early movers

TikTok’s native ad products, creator partnerships and live selling give brands a competitive edge, with a rapid feedback loop that speeds creative testing, learning and scaling to drive results online and in-store. Manwaring advises leaning into authenticity and investing in creators, starting small, learning fast and treating TikTok as a community rather than just an ad platform.

Brands that master this ecosystem build awareness, prove demand and show up to retail ready. Amaya adds that frequent posting drives continuous consideration and education. In today’s market, that’s how you grow.

Download the Social-to-Shelf Toolkit to see how leading food and beverage brands are bridging social and shelf with TikTok. Inside: how-to guidance, creative best practices and a case study proving what works.

Footnotes

1. _{TikTok Marketing Science US, Commerce Landscape Study 2024}
2. _{TikTok Marketing Science, NCSolutions Meta-Analysis, 2021–Q1 2024}