TikTok Shop has reached a major milestone in the UK, announcing that more than 300,000 small businesses are now selling through the platform as social commerce continues to reshape the retail landscape.
The company revealed that the number of new sellers joining TikTok Shop has grown 200% year over year, highlighting the platform’s increasing appeal among independent retailers looking to connect with customers through video-first shopping experiences.
Live commerce remains the biggest driver behind that growth. According to TikTok Shop, sales generated through TikTok Shop Live sessions have increased 55%, while more than 6,000 live shopping broadcasts now take place across the UK every day.
The platform says independent businesses are increasingly embracing live shopping to expand beyond their local customer base. Through livestreams, sellers can demonstrate products, answer customer questions in real time, and build stronger relationships with shoppers, creating a more interactive retail experience than traditional online storefronts.
TikTok Shop also highlighted what it describes as the “TikTok Shop Halo Effect,” where businesses that achieve success on the platform experience growth beyond the app itself. According to the company, many sellers have gone on to attract new customers across other sales channels, launch new product categories, and even open physical retail locations after building momentum through TikTok Shop.
Live shopping, in particular, continues to gain popularity among younger consumers. TikTok cited Savvy’s May 2026 Shopper Panel, which found that 57% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers enjoy watching live shopping events, reinforcing the growing role of creator-led commerce in modern retail.
One business benefiting from this trend is L’Era Jewellery, a London-based family-run brand specialising in sterling silver, gold vermeil, and lab-grown diamond jewellery.
What began as a side hustle has grown rapidly, with the company reporting six-figure annual sales through TikTok Shop Live alone by 2025. Its strategy centres around hosting four live shopping sessions each week, allowing the founders to interact directly with customers and showcase their products in real time.
Co-founder Angèle Sofia said the format has transformed the company’s growth.
“It has allowed us to speak directly with our community, answering customer questions in real time and sharing the more informative content that can often be missed in a simple product listing. It has completely changed the pace at which we’ve been able to grow.”
As live commerce continues to evolve, TikTok Shop’s latest figures suggest the platform is becoming an increasingly important sales channel for UK entrepreneurs, offering small businesses new opportunities to reach audiences, build communities, and grow both online and offline.
