The company, which had its TikTok Shop grand opening earlier this month, arrived at those benchmarks after analyzing the platform’s trends and consumer engagement with successful wellness brands. YouTheory found that customers in their TikTok search process typically look for a desired outcome, not for an ingredient. The company said understanding desired outcomes is what has differentiated its approach to TikTok Shop, at least behind the scenes.
“[Consumers] want healthier-looking skin, support for everyday stress, or more energy,” said Stacey Salmon, vice president of marketing at YouTheory. “Ingredients absolutely matter, but what we’ve learned is that consumers want confidence that a product works before they dive deeper into the formulation. That insight fundamentally shaped how we built our content strategy and merchandising approach.”
As customers seek that desired result, YouTheory helps them understand the benefit of a product first, then provides the education and science that builds confidence in the product, Salmon added.
“We’ve found that when consumers understand both the ‘why’ and the ‘proof,’ they’re much more likely to engage with the brand,” she said.
YouTheory noticed customer interaction is also dictating R&D. Salmon said that previously companies would develop products and then figure out how to market them.
“Increasingly, we’re thinking about the content, creator experience and consumer engagement at the same time we’re thinking about the product itself,” she noted. “That’s leading to different formats, different launch strategies and ultimately different ways of bringing innovation to market.”
‘A living business’
When YouTheory began building its TikTok Shop just over a year ago, the conversation surrounded not whether it should be on the platform but how the company should show up there. The YouTheory team did not want to replicate its retail or ecommerce strategy on TikTok.
“We treated TikTok Shop as a living business rather than a one-time launch,” Salmon said. “Some of our early assumptions were validated, while others evolved as we learned more about how consumers engaged with our content and products. One thing we’ve learned is that success on TikTok Shop isn’t about finding a formula and repeating it. It’s about staying curious, testing continuously and allowing consumer behavior—not assumptions—to shape your strategy over time.”
One of the biggest shifts YouTheory witnessed with social commerce is that it has compressed the traditional purchase journey. Consumers can discover a brand, learn about a product, hear authentic experiences from creators, and make a purchase, all within the same experience.
Ratchel Pinlac, vice president of social commerce at YouTheory, said the company is focused on introducing the brand to new customers, increasing engagement through creator-led content and establishing a shopping experience that removes friction from discovery to purchase.
“When consumers can discover a product, learn why it works, hear authentic experiences from creators, and purchase—all within the same ecosystem—that creates a much stronger path to conversion,” she explained. “The opportunity in social commerce isn’t just to generate a sale today. It’s to build a repeatable growth engine that continuously acquires new consumers, strengthens brand affinity and evolves alongside consumer behavior. That’s how we’re approaching TikTok Shop.”
YouTheory’s tactics are collaborative as individuals responsible for its commerce strategy, business priorities and customer experience partner closely with its marketing team to ensure each campaign reflects the company’s brand. YouTheory also works with its dedicated TikTok account manager to identify growth opportunities, test new platform capabilities and stay ahead of emerging trends. This process includes partnering with an agency that supports the shop operations, affiliate strategy, creator management, campaign execution and ongoing optimization.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that social commerce doesn’t sit within a single function,” Pinlac said. “It requires close alignment between brand, commerce, creators, operations, analytics, and platform partners. The brands that are succeeding are the ones that can bring those disciplines together to create a seamless consumer experience while remaining agile enough to evolve alongside both the platform and consumer expectations.”
From brick-and-mortar to social
One of the biggest differences between YouTheory and some other supplement brands is how it transitioned into the TikTok Shop experience. Many successful TikTok Shop brands were built social-first or direct-to-consumer and later expanded into retail. YouTheory went the opposite route.
“We’re taking a brand with a strong retail foundation and adapting it for social commerce,” Salmon said. “That has been both exciting and humbling. We’ve learned that what makes a product successful in brick-and-mortar doesn’t automatically translate to success on TikTok Shop. Consumers discover products differently, engage with content differently, and expect brands to show up differently.”
One example is how YouTheory approached its storefront. The company initially led with many of its strongest retail performers, but consumer behavior on TikTok Shop quickly showed the company that products like its Liquid Collagen and Liquid Ashwagandha resonated well because they are easy for creators to incorporate into “authentic, everyday wellness content,” Salmon added.
YouTheory leads with its strongest TikTok performers alongside retail best-sellers because social commerce has its own merchandising strategy, the company said.
That strategy guides its creator partnerships.
“We work with creators across wellness, beauty, fitness, and lifestyle who genuinely connect with their communities and can authentically demonstrate how our products fit into everyday life,” Salmon said. “As a brand, it’s our responsibility to establish credibility through science-backed formulations and education. Creators bring the social proof that helps consumers see those products in action. We’ve found that today’s consumers expect both—and that’s where trust is built.”
