Original Coverage & Source Attribution: 365retail.co.uk
Almost a quarter (24%) of UK shoppers planning to buy on TikTok Shop over Black Friday and Cyber Monday intend to purchase food and groceries, according to TikTok Shop UK’s first LIVE Shopping Report. The same proportion plan to buy collectables, suggesting everyday essentials are now sitting alongside the big-ticket tech and beauty purchases traditionally associated with the sales weekend.
The report examines the commercial role of live, presenter-led selling across product categories, from reaching new customers to helping shoppers understand products before they buy. In grocery, LIVE sessions featuring food, drink and everyday products are attracting 46% more views than last year, while sales through those sessions have risen by 53%.
Fresh meat is the strongest growth area. LIVE meat sales on TikTok Shop are up 122% year-on-year, and more than half (54%) of all meat sales on the platform now take place during a live session. Malik Butchers, a family-run halal butcher in Wolverhampton, took £8,000 in a single three-hour LIVE in May, a figure that would usually take three to four days in its high street shop. The business now generates around £25,000 a month through TikTok Shop.
Brands are also testing the format in food. A recent shoppable LIVE cooking series from Schwartz delivered 16 times more sales than expected.
Among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) using LIVE Shopping, 61% say one session generates more revenue than other channels do in a typical week, and almost a quarter (24%) say it exceeds a full month’s revenue from those channels. Over nine in ten (92%) say the format has helped them reach customers they would not otherwise have reached, and 75% say LIVE customers are more likely to buy from them again. For those whose sales have increased, the growth has led to larger stock orders (49%), international expansion (29%) and listings with larger retailers (25%), and 77% intend to increase their use of the format over the next 12 months.
The report also points to an effect on physical retail: 32% of LIVE viewers have gone on to buy a product in store after seeing it in a LIVE Shopping session, and 43% of those bought a beauty product. MAC has turned its in-store make-up artists into TikTok Shop affiliates, while LIVE bundle sales in beauty are up 108%, with Wonderskin now running at least 80 hours of LIVE Shopping a month.
In fashion, items bought in a LIVE session are returned at less than half the rate of those bought through static product listings on the platform. Crocs ran more than 93 hours of LIVE during its Croctober campaign, including a 30-hour marathon, lifting LIVE sales by 247% against a standard day. Some 90% of pre-loved luxury sales on TikTok Shop happen on LIVE, with sales up 60% year-on-year, and repeat buyers account for 64% of collectables sales.
Electronics LIVE views are up 286% year-on-year, with creators driving 70% of electronics sales on the platform, the highest share of any category. SharkNinja, which demonstrates its products in LIVE sessions, saw LIVE sales rise 202% quarter-on-quarter in Q3. QVC UK, which opened new social commerce studios earlier this year, now broadcasts LIVE on TikTok Shop six hours a day, seven days a week, from its in-house studio.
Consumer appetite is growing. Some 51% of UK adults are considering buying through LIVE Shopping in the next 12 months, rising to 79% of Gen Z. TikTok Shop UK now hosts more than 6,000 LIVE Shopping sessions every day, and LIVE is the platform’s fastest-growing shoppable format for businesses, with LIVE sales up 55% over the last year.
“TikTok Shop has pioneered a new way to bring valuable expert advice online through LIVE Shopping, bringing the in-store experience straight to peoples’ pockets. Consumers and businesses alike are discovering the value of real-time retail, further cementing it as the future of online shopping.
“The positive impact extends beyond the LIVE session itself. We’re seeing small businesses now able to expand nationally, internationally, and even gain space on high-street shelves with large retailers. That’s why more businesses are leaning into the format than ever, from hosting more sessions each week to building their own dedicated LIVE studios. One thing is clear when it comes to the growth of this new way to shop – those ahead of the curve will reap the rewards.”
Jan Wilk, Head of TikTok Shop UK, TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop expects the Black Friday period to be its biggest LIVE Shopping moment to date, with 53% of Gen Z planning to shop on the platform over the sales weekend. Black Friday LIVE Shopping sessions and discounts from brands and small businesses run on TikTok Shop UK from 13 to 30 November. Last year the platform teamed up with QVC UK for a 10-hour Black Friday Eve broadcast.
The consumer findings are based on an online survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by OnePoll between 1 and 5 October 2026, and the SMB findings on a survey of 735 UK decision-makers at SMBs using LIVE Shopping, conducted between 6 October and 6 November 2026. Both were commissioned by Ready10 on behalf of TikTok Shop. Platform data relates to August 2025 to August 2026 unless otherwise stated.
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Terry Clark is the Publisher and Content Director of 365 Retail, with more than a decade of experience covering retail design, technology innovations, store openings and the wider retail industry. He also works closely with leading retailers, suppliers, agencies, events and industry awards across the UK.
