TikTok isn’t just a content channel. It’s a sales floor. Most founders use TikTok as a top-of-funnel awareness play. Post content, build followers, hope they convert later.
Live shopping collapses that funnel into a single session. You answer questions, run flash sales, and convert viewers while they watch. Done right, your content stops building brand and starts printing cash.
Jason Termechi spent nearly 1.5 years at TikTok Shop scaling CPG brands to over $14M in Live GMV. Before that, he ran live shopping at Amazon and built creator programs at BIGO. One account went from zero to $914K in four months. Now he consults brands on how to turn live streams into sales machines.
What is live shopping? What makes it different?
Live is a real-time shopping experience that connects brands and products directly with customers. It’s the entire funnel in one session, where customers can engage in real-time and get their questions answered. consideration, conversion.
For followers, it’s become gamified and there’s plenty of benefits to joining the Live, such as discounts, giveaways, exclusive products, etc. For brands, it allows you to deepen your relationship with your followers and allows others to discover you.
What kind of food and beverage brands will do well with live shopping? And who shouldn’t bother yet?
Brands that already have traction on TikTok Shop. You need a sales history, clear hero products, and reliable inventory to restock bestsellers and actively release new items. You also need a strong shop score that will help provide traffic.
If you’re not at that stage yet, focus on first strengthening your TikTok presence with a more robust strategy, including more brand content and tapping into affiliates.
What platforms matter and how should a founder choose?
I’m a bit biased. I would say TikTok, but it comes with a caveat. If they have everything I mentioned earlier [see previous answer], then I would focus on TikTok. Build your following and then get ready for Lives.
Beyond that, it depends on where your traffic actually lives. If your online store is heavily trafficked and receives more views than your TikTok, then exploring a live show on your website isn’t too far-fetched.
I’m not entirely sure how food and beverage brands would work on say WhatNot, eBay, etc., but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
If you were to rank what drives sales on live (product, price, host personality, etc., what matters most?
It technically all matters, but if I had to rank some of these at the highest it would be the host’s personality and product. You can’t have one without the other. Then there’s discounting and offering product giveaways.
For brands starting out, having a high-end production isn’t as important as developing a strong foundation and following the best practices. However, having a strong operator who is data-driven is essential so they can make split-second decisions to improve the live performance.
When should founders be the face of live shopping, and when is it better to work with creators?
Most of the accounts I managed were founder-led, and many of them had strong personalities and ability to connect with the viewers. They brought a level of authenticity and enthusiasm that speaks to the brand like no one else can.
Certain founders perform incredibly well on Live. I think they need to be able to balance the three E’s: education, engagement, and entertainment. It can’t be one or the other. and sticking to a script is essential. Creators work best as one-off partnerships to bring a level of excitement and differentiate normal Lives.
Can you share what a good live offer looks like for food and beverage brands?
When going live, you have to think about your why. Food and beverage be so standardized versus other categories like fashion and beauty. There’s less room for uncertainty as it comes down to personal preference and how something tastes.
What is the reason someone should be watching? Create a sense of urgency to drive sales. Offer live exclusive flash sales, products, bundles, etc. that give users a reason to join the live.
How should founders think about live commerce vs. traditional DTC?
It’s way more unpredictable. The learning curve is steep, and a lot is out of your control, like algorithm changes, platform updates, audience behavior on any given day. It can be tricky, especially in the beginning.
However, there’s so much untapped potential because people want a more dynamic way to shop. I’d say it takes about three months to see strong results. Use it as part of the marketing mix to amplify current strategy. It can be a viable channel to clear old inventory or celebrate new releases.
If you were launching a food brand today, how would you use live shopping in the first 90 days?
First, I would make sure my TikTok Shop is in order before even considering Live. The first 30 days would be a testing period of trying out different formats, scripts, hosts, etc.
By the second month, you should have a good understanding of what’s working and what’s not, so it comes down to optimizing and continuing to experiment.
At the 90-day mark, I would expect to really ramp up and have a grasp of Live and be very consistent. I would leverage Live to drive more followers and reach new customers. There are many tools available to do this, as well as driving up your AOV.