Shoppers are no longer relying on brands to figure out what products to buy, how to wear their hair, and what makeup styles are popular — they are doing their research on TikTok. As a result, instead of creating trends, brands are now chasing them. Shoppers on the once-niche social media app designed to share dance trends drive much of the conversation about what to buy.

In research carried out by Blend Commerce, global demand for products that have gone viral on TikTok have increased by a whopping 212% on average in the last 12 months. With over 800 million active users worldwide and over 2 billion downloads on the App Store and Google Play, it’s no surprise that the popular app has quickly become the AI-informed approach that brands use to elicit their next big creation.

When the TikTok leggings, which cost £4.31 per pair, went viral overnight in November 2020, 630 million views were racked up within hours. This TikTok frenzy brought an overnight 398.34% increase in demand with brands like PrettyLittleThing quickly responding to release their own line of “butt crack” leggings. As a result, tight-lifting leggings became the most popular search item in the UK in April 2021, with retailers dubbing it the “TikTok Effect.”

But PrettyLittleThing isn’t the only company making TikTok work for them as we have seen a trend of many companies like Zappos, Huawei and Dell pushing their employees to post videos while at work.

TikTok was popular long before COVID-19, with the app announcing a record of more than 655 million installs in 2018. But, the pandemic and popularity of hashtags such as #tiktokmademebuyit shared across other social media platforms and in reviews on online stores like Amazon increased app downloads.

Amazon is known for driving sales on popularised products, with their most recent strategy being the publication of their new product collection “Internet Famous: The Latest To Go Viral.” on their website in April. The collection includes items that have recently received millions of views on TikTok. On the hot list are Amazon bestsellers The Pink Stuff Cleaning Paste and Face Roller, which have over 11 million and 16 million views on TikTok, respectively.

The products have also seen an increase in demand online; The Pink Stuff dominates the global search landscape with a staggering 165,000 searches per month, a 233.33% increase in demand after the product went viral on TikTok. Likewise, the Face Roller has become an internet sensation, with 264,000 searches per month, a 123.64% increase after TikTok fame. One can conclude that curating a collection of viral TikTok products is an acknowledgement by Amazon of TikTok’s impact in driving retail sales. Brands are starting to realise that TikTok has a lot of influence as a purchasing channel.

With this in mind, it’s clear that, to succeed in e-commerce as a brand, you need three things: in-demand products to sell, marketing skills, and a strong desire to succeed. You already have a winning mindset because you are constantly learning, researching, and preparing for success. However, finding popular products to sell can be a challenge.

For inspiration, here is a list of products that continue to pique people’s interest worldwide. Based on their popularity (growing number of searches globally, number of views on TikTok), we predict they will be in demand even in 2022.

Blend Commerce

Blend Commerce assists Shopify merchants in getting the most out of their websites. The company’s collaboration with app and theme providers, ongoing training, and deep understanding of Shopify technology enables it to assist Shopify merchants in achieving more.