How TikTok Shop is changing innovation for food and beverage brands | Food Dive

Listen to the article 6 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback . TikTok's in-app shopping system could be the next big frontier for food companies, with large brands including PepsiCo, Mars and Hershey beginning to more heavily engage with the social media app. TikTok Shop’s food category sales have more than doubled year over year, according to the company, posing a lucrative emerging growth channel for food manufacturers. Companies are using the platform not only to sell products, but also to inform their innovation strategies and quickly respond to the next big internet trend like Dubai chocolate or freeze-dried candies. The growth reflects a broader acceleration in what TikTok calls "discovery commerce." In 2025, the platform saw more than 103 billion searches from U.S. users who used the app with the intent to purchase something, a company spokesperson said in an email. Total transaction volume was up nearly 80% year over year and enterprise brand sales climbed 97%, the spokesperson added. Food Dive spoke with Amanda Parker, TikTok Shop's head of food, about how CPG brands are engaging with the app and how TikTok trends are reshaping innovation cycles. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. FOOD DIVE: What role does TikTok Shop play in the CPG food and beverage industry? AMANDA PARKER: TikTok Shop is a discovery platform driven by content — a combination of content and commerce. We're taking what was once just inspiration and allowing for a direct opportunity to purchase, all within one system. That translates to a much shorter path to purchase for consumers discovering a totally new brand or a new product from one they already know and love. We work with everybody from viral, content-first brands to emerging CPGs to established brands that have been around for 100 years. For emerging brands, we're a direct path to trial that lowers the barrier to entry — they might not even need a retailer partnership to see success. Legacy brands are finding new audiences and renewed interest in products they've had for years. Across that whole set, launching innovation or exclusives is a strong opportunity. What kinds of products tend to be successful? We're a visual medium, so products that work well tend to be visually compelling — everything from packaging to usage occasions. If there's something interesting in the texture of a protein bar that can be pulled apart on camera, that's going to be compelling. I like to joke that we don't have smell-o-vision or taste-o-vision quite yet, but visuals are what drive intrigue. Cultural relevance matters, too. Things like candy salad and Dubai chocolate do well because people can capture them quickly on a platform. Anything with a unique form factor or an extreme flavor — super spicy, super sour — that elicits a reaction on camera. Products with benefits that can be easily articulated in a video also perform well, such as functional foods and beverages, which a creator can align with someone's health and wellness journey. At the end of the day, products that stop your scroll are what work for us. How are platform trends changing the speed of product innovation? One of the more interesting things I've seen in the last year and a half is how trends on the platform translate into commercialization cycles. Take popped candies — we saw a content-based trend happen organically, then early adopters and the more viral TikTok-native brands popped up to commercialize it very quickly. Then, Skittles themselves innovated that product on an accelerated timeline and brought it back as an exclusive launch on TikTok Shop, where it all started. That cycle — from content trend to quick commercialization to longer-term product development — is fundamentally changing how food and beverage brands think about the speed of innovation, the source of innovation and line extension opportunities. We're hearing from retailers that they're watching these trends and looking for brands to hop on them quickly. The impacts ricochet more broadly across the industry. What advice do you have for brands looking to get the most out of TikTok Shop? Going into year three, we know that visually appealing, content-forward product selection is particularly compelling. Prioritize items that are easy to demonstrate and appealing to creators. Brands need to move quickly. We're in a constantly changing environment, and if a product taps into a trend or goes viral, we want them prepared. We can't predict virality, but we can be prepared for it. I'd also say have patience — it takes time to gain traction. Think about us as an opportunity for quick feedback — the loop is faster here than in many other places. Come for a launch, for trial, for direct access to your community. And be prepared to capture the halo effect in other channels. The impact of investing in TikTok Shop will cascade across a brand's omnichannel business. Does creator-led content outperform traditional, polished advertising on the platform? Across the board, we see that authentic, direct-relationship content from individual creators works best. Our users know and trust creator recommendations as part of the discovery cycle. Authentic, high-quality content — but not necessarily at the same production levels as a traditional ad — works well because it creates that trust, that living room-type recommendation experience. How should brands think about what to offer on TikTok Shop? Assortment is the number one consideration. We see the most success with a hero product supported by variety packs and bundles that play into discoverability. A variety pack lets a consumer try four different flavors and see which one they like. We also encourage brands to think about tentpole moments — seasonal products and limited-time offerings. The combination of always-on products supported by those seasonal spikes is what makes assortment work. What are the biggest mistakes you see brands making? Expecting this channel to operate like other channels is a pitfall. It's not just social media, it's not just DTC — it's a unique combination of both. Many sellers already have experience with TikTok as an advertiser or content platform, so we counsel them on ramping up Shop specifically. The pitfall is thinking about Shop and the broader TikTok platform as disconnected — they should be connected. Strategies for TikTok Shop will impact media spend, and vice versa. It's a closed-loop system, and an investment here will cascade throughout the rest of the business.