Mabo’s Marketing Scoop: The TikTok Effect On Shaping Discovery Commerce

Social Shopping is booming and TikTok is right at the centre of it. Alongside heading to Google or Amazon with a product in mind, shoppers are also discovering things they didn’t know they wanted, all through social content! This is called discovery commerce, where shopping is happening through inspiration, not intention.

According to a report by Retail Economics in partnership with TikTok, the UK's social commerce market is projected to more than double, reaching £16 billion by 2028. Impressively, 44% of UK TikTok users have made purchases directly through the app, highlighting its effectiveness in driving impulse buys through engaging content

From content to cart

Tiktok was the fastest-growing online retailer of 2024 according to NielsenIQ, and it’s not slowing down. In the UK, TikTok Shop saw a 131% annual increase in shoppers and 180% revenue growth at the end of last year. That momentum is fuelled by over 6,000 Shop LIVE sessions happening daily.

This isn’t accidental. They have  doubled down on supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with tools that help them thrive. Its newly launched UK SME Council champions real businesses that are using features like LIVE Shopping and user-generated content (UGC) to turn browsers into buyers often through creator-led content that feels far more authentic than traditional ads.

What discovery commerce actually means

At its heart, discovery commerce is about meeting people where they are, not waiting for them to find you. It relies on three key ingredients:

• Personalised recommendations based on behaviour and interests
• Content that tells a story, not just sells a product
• Seamless shopping features that turn curiosity into conversion

And crucially, it taps into impulse buying in a way that feels organic. It’s not about gimmicks or tricks, it’s about putting the right product in front of the right person at the right time. It makes online shopping feel serendipitous again.

Real brands, real results

One standout story is 'Made by Mitchell', a UK-based beauty brand that embraced TikTok Shop from the start. After going viral with their cult product “Blursh,” they kept the momentum going with:

• Flash sales after hitting 500k followers
• Shoppable LIVEs from TikTok’s Manchester studio
• Creator collaborations and campaign tie-ins (like a viral "Barbie Bundle" during the Barbie movie launch)
• Smart use of offline events, integrated seamlessly with online selling

The result? £1.5 million, in a single week. It’s a masterclass in how discovery commerce rewards creativity and agility, not just big budgets.

It’s not just big brands seeing results either. The Chocolate Smiths, an indie chocolate company in Newcastle, had been going for over a decade but were struggling to stay open. After they started posting their products on TikTok, demand surged, and now, they’re regularly selling out.

Why it matters for ecommerce brands

For ecommerce brands, especially smaller ones, this is a big opportunity. Discovery commerce levels the playing field. You don’t need a massive ad budget or top-tier SEO rankings to get noticed. If you can create interesting content, partner with the right creators, or let your customers do the talking, you can build trust and find new audiences.

It’s not just about polished product pages or endless retargeting ads. It’s about blending strategy, content, community, and commerce in a way that feels real, and social media’s  shopping ecosystem makes that possible. From storytelling tools to instant checkout, the whole journey can happen in one place.

To wrap it all up

People aren’t just searching for products any more. They’re discovering them, and they’re doing it on social media platforms. The brands that win in this space won’t be the loudest. They’ll be the ones that create content that connects, experiments with formats, and embraces the spontaneity of scroll-first shopping.