Mastering TikTok Shop in 2025: Your Social Commerce Playbook

Social commerce isn’t just a buzzword, you know? It’s the front door for brands in 2025. With TikTok Shop, the lines between content and checkout blur, turning every video into a shop window. But getting started? It’s a steep climb. From learning curve hurdles to algorithm unpredictability and content saturation, many brands feel stuck between creating content and converting it.

Here’s the good news: social commerce on TikTok is already a powerhouse. TikTok Shop reported a remarkable $33.2 billion in global GMV in 2024—nearly tripling year-over-year growth. This boom isn’t confined to one market; it stretches from Southeast Asia to North America. So whether your brand is big or just starting out, TikTok Shop is a channel you can’t afford to ignore.

Here’s your playbook to cut through the noise and build social commerce success on TikTok:

1. Find Your Niche, Not Just View Counts

TikTok’s algorithm rewards resonance over reach. Instead of chasing broad virality, aim for niche communities like #BeautyTok, #PetParents, or #FashionTok where buyers genuinely engage.

As Sprout Social explains, TikTok’s strength lies in its personalized discovery feed, which makes it easier for brands to connect with micro-niche audiences. Brands featured in this 2025 guide from Stack Influence recommend targeting hyper-specific storefronts: think themed video series, creator-led tutorials, and affiliate-style content with clear product tags. And in our TikTok Shop Guide 2024, we break down how niche storytelling combined with social proof can drive better conversions than paid media alone.

2. Make Every Post Shop-Worthy

TikTok Shop isn’t a separate storefront because it’s integrated into the FYP, meaning every scroll can become a sale. But that doesn’t happen with just passive product shots. Storytelling is the real conversion tool.

The formula:

• Hook early: “Here’s why this changed my skin overnight...”

• Show it in use: lifestyle, demo, or reaction

• Tap to shop: use TikTok’s native product tagging or affiliate links
  

Live selling also made a comeback. Per FordeBaker, real-time livestreaming adds urgency, FOMO, and product education at scale. In our Gen Z growth blog, we shared how brands leaning into live formats saw better retention and higher cart values.

3. Test, Adapt, and Tap into Culture

The TikTok Shop landscape indeed moves fast. Algorithms shift. Audience tastes change. That’s why high-performing brands aren’t just posting, they’re testing.

Here’s some tips:

• Run A/B tests between short-form, long-form, and live demos

• Track key metrics: view-through, product clicks, add-to-cart

• Repurpose winning formats with different creators
  

Beyond formats, cultural fit also matters. TikTok is now the front door to Gen Z beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands. Align with their values: sustainability, humor, inclusivity, and create content that feels like a part of the feed, not an interruption. In our Gen Z marketing insights, we found that relevance to local humor and trends consistently outperforms overproduced ads.

Key Takeaway

So what’s the catch? TikTok Shop in 2025 isn’t about going viral: it’s about being intentional. The most effective brands are:

1. Going niche: by targeting specific communities and partnering with creators who genuinely connect with those audiences
   

2. Creating shop-worthy stories: that embed product discovery naturally into TikTok-native content formats
   

3. Testing and evolving: content while staying culturally relevant and engaging on-platform trends
   

Do those well, and TikTok Shop stops being overwhelming. It starts becoming a growth engine.

Want to make marketing campaigns that actually convert? Download Near’s Social Media Trends Guide here.

How to Build Community Engagement through User-generated Content in 2025

In 2025, there are only two ways that a brand is interacting with user-generated content (UGC): either they are leveraging it to build their brand presence or completely missing out on its benefits.

And every marketer knows that missing out on what is relevant is a step towards failing with your marketing strategy. No one wants that. We all want to create marketing campaigns that meet our KPIs, if not completely exceed them! Now, how can we do that on social media this year? Community engagement through UGC.

Here’s how to properly make use of UGC to build and engage an online community:

1. Bring in a sense of belonging.

A community is a space in which people know they belong. That means your brand should encourage interaction and connection for a real, vibrant community to thrive on social media, which you can accomplish through UGC.

Why UGC? Although influencer marketing has its unique place in your marketing strategies, trust is not built with an army of flashy KOL content alone.

It can be as simple as resharing an Instagram story a happy customer tagged you in, or keeping a highlight on your page dedicated to customers talking about their experiences. Acknowledge posts through likes, comments, and community spotlights on your pages so they know their trust in your brand matters.

If you need a reference, many beauty brands today do this! One example is about-face by Halsey. The brand’s Instagram Stories are riddled with makeup looks and tutorials by avid users. In addition to that, they also have carousel posts of “muses” using their latest products:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJVKzZRxhS-/

2. Initiate avenues for interaction.

You can’t just wait for customers to make content about your brand before you take advantage of UGC. Start now by initiating a campaign that invites people to make content about your brand and share it.

For example, one of the ways Spotify Philippines promoted 2024 Wrapped was through its Branded Mission, a TikTok challenge that let users make a year-end recap video through a CapCut template the brand provided.

This gave Spotify users a chance to show off the highlights of their 2024, along with their 2024 Wrapped results, without having to do much editing. Personalization can encourage more interaction!

https://www.tiktok.com/@ckdeleon_/video/7444920087485746450

https://www.tiktok.com/@frnzchuaa/video/7444844382852844807

https://www.tiktok.com/@maybedrei/video/7445160150555462919

3. Tell your brand story through people.

It gets hard to constantly come up with creative content that reflects your brand story. With UGC, you don’t have to rely on your content plan alone to engage consumers.

Each user offers a different voice and perspective about your product, so let these differences make your content more dynamic and approachable.

https://www.tiktok.com/@dyson_ph/video/7495735012726230327

Dyson is known as a high-tech brand of hair and floor care products, but this UGC post communicates its unmatched tech by making it fun and relatable: a challenge that compares the speed of wet-to-dry straightening to a quick makeup routine.

Real-life uses, testimonials, and reviews are just some ways your brand can incorporate UGC in its storytelling. Let customers enrich your brand story through their words and experiences, and you can build an engaged community on mutual trust and appreciation.

Let UGC breathe life into your marketing strategy

UGC lets your marketing campaigns be more grounded, as they make your brand more accessible to its customers. Remember to foster a sense of belonging between customers, create opportunities for customers to interact with your brand, and to give them room on your social pages to tell your story on your behalf.

Want to make marketing campaigns that make a difference? Download our social media trends guide here.

Webinar Recap: 5 Strategies to Maximize Your Brand’s Social Commerce Potential

Isn’t it crazy to think about how social media has evolved over the past five years? What was once a tool for connection and entertainment has become a hub for product discovery, customer engagement, and online shopping, largely due to the digital shift caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Companies have accelerated five years’ worth of digital adoption in just a few months, reshaping the way consumers shop, interact, and engage online,” according to a McKinsey Global Survey. As social media became a sales tool, e-commerce trends like budol buys, live selling, and e-wallet purchasing boomed.

Social commerce is the future, but how should that inform digital marketing strategies?

Near Creative held our second webinar of 2025, entitled “Winning Strategies: Social Media Engagements to Conversions” featuring Mikee de Vega, online brand manager of the professional products division of L’Oreal Philippines.

ICYMI, here’s a recap of the latest insights from the webinar:

5 techniques to boost your brand’s social commerce efforts

1. Showcase your social proof.

Social proof is a must to reach customers on social media.

Issy is a brand that does this well on their socials. From comments, to Instagram Stories, to tagged photos, curious consumers will find no shortage of authentic reviews and testimonials on their feed.

“The more validation potential buyers see, the more likely they are to purchase from your brand,” shares Viktor Kapunan, senior brand manager at Near Creative. “You have to leverage social proof to build credibility and stand out from competitors and to turn engagement into actual sales.”

Our guest speaker Mikee de Vega had this to add, “Engagements are somehow a proxy indicator of social proof because if you have a solid community of followers on TikTok or Instagram that sing the praises of your products in all your posts, then that likely has a positive correlation with your conversion as well.”

2. Maximize shopping features on social media.

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have built-in shopping features that make the path from discovery to purchase more straightforward. Tools such as product tagging, shoppable posts, and in-app checkouts can bring better conversions and stronger customer retention.

[image of Boozy for Facebook, Sunnies Studios for Instagram, and BASH Manila for TikTok]

3. Create brand storytelling that inspires, influences, and converts.

Sometimes, the best way to tell your story is to let customers tell it for you. Good user-generated content (UGC) creates a community, and a visible community encourages trust from consumers.

When real customers share their real experiences on social media, they can do the selling on the brand’s behalf. For instance, tagged UGC posts on the pages of Near clients Cebu Pacific, Adidas, and Tip-Top Chicken offer fellow customers insight into why they love these brands.

“The brands that stay ahead have a robust understanding of their brand story and are able to translate that into content that is relevant to consumers,” says Mikee.

4. Turn social engagements into repeat customers and brand advocates.

Once you’ve engaged your audience, here’s how Viktor says you can keep them paying attention. “The key is building lasting relationships by constantly engaging with them, making them feel part of a community, and by seeing them as humans who truly advocate for your brand.”

A great example of this is AquaFlask, who engages their audience through live sessions that allow them to interact while showcasing their products. Sunnies Studios is another example, as the brand has a broadcast channel to more casually reach their audience.

While these social media features are great, of course, rewards, loyalty programs, and other content that signals exclusivity still work to keep customers interested.

5. Make it effortlessly easy to shop.

As we previously mentioned, simpler discovery makes for easier conversions. On Dyson’s social media pages, they showcase their products and the platforms they are present in, making the (online) window shopping process more seamless.

You also have to make it easy for people to add items to cart. Offer clear instructions and next steps, and the conversions will follow.

Make content that’s right for each platform.

To succeed in social commerce, brands must have social proof, use platform-specific shopping features, tell a solid story that turns customers into advocates, and make shopping easy.

“Make sure your message is tailored to why [your audience is] on that platform,” shares Mikee.

Want to turn consumers into loyal customers? Get unique insights when you download our digital guide here!

How Can Brands Approach Socially Conscious Marketing for Today’s Consumers?

One thing constant in life and digital marketing is that everything is always evolving. But something that has been brewing for a while is the rise of social responsibility on social media.

Audiences are more socially conscious than ever before, and this bleeds into the brands they support. People want brands that care: about the environment and sustainability, about ethical practices, and, really, about other people. If brands want to build trust, loyalty, and lasting relationships with consumers, they need to adapt their marketing strategies to reflect their values and the causes they support.

Social media strategies for socially responsible brands

A 2023 survey revealed that 57% of Filipinos scrutinize how products and services are marketed, valuing authenticity and transparency. The same survey also found that 44% said that they were willing to buy from brands that align with their values and advocate for social justice, with 51% saying that a brand’s integrity and identity play a bigger factor than the product itself in getting them to choose a brand.

So how can brands then turn these consumer sentiments into marketing practices?

1. Tell people what you’re all about.

Consumers won’t know what matters to your brand unless you tell them. This doesn’t just mean revamping your marketing slogans (although if it helps you make a statement, then by all means, get that revamp)! It means signal boosting campaigns and events that highlight causes that your brand supports.

L’Oreal Paris launched its “Lessons of Worth” campaign to celebrate and empower women and recognize their self-worth. This campaign seamlessly calls back to their tagline “Because I’m worth it,” while effectively expanding its message of self-worth from oneself to every kind of woman everywhere. This statement was made even more concrete through testimonials featuring brand ambassadors like Viola Davis, Elle Fanning, and Simone Ashley. 

2. But be true to who you say you are.

Clever marketing campaigns can only take your brand so far. Whatever your brand claims to stand for, make sure you follow through. Be transparent about your sustainability practices and social initiatives. If your efforts are still a work in progress, let your audience know anyway. Consumers feel more confident in a brand that is honest about their imperfect journey than a brand that leaves them in the dark to guess what it cares about.

One brand that did this well is Patagonia for its “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign that urged consumers to rethink overconsumption. Since it is a brand that promotes sustainability, Patagonia substantiated its message with repair programs, recycling initiatives, and a commitment to donating 1% of sales to environmental causes. This even led to a 30% revenue increase, which is simple proof that genuine social responsibility brings about consumer trust and loyalty.

3. Let your audience in.

To state the obvious, your audience is vital to your brand’s success. Aside from the fact that these are the people who invest time and money into using your product, these are also the people who care about the very same causes your brand is advocating for.

So what can you do as a brand? Partner with them. Invite them to sign petitions, make donations, and join challenges alongside your brand to build a sense of community and empowerment that invites real action.

If you’ve been to a UNIQLO recently, you may have noticed RE.UNIQLO bins inside the stores. Here people can leave their secondhand UNIQLO items, which are then sorted into clothes fit for donations and clothes for recycling into new materials for new clothes.

The pursuit of sustainability in marketing

The task of becoming a socially responsible brand that walks its talk may seem daunting, but it helps to start with these three steps: tell people what you are, stay true to your statements, and involve your audience in your sustainability efforts. Easy as one, two, three, right?

Want to engage audiences authentically and turn them into customers? Join our upcoming webinar through this link!

We don’t interact with brands like we used to. Back then, marketing and advertising were heavily reliant on the huge following of celebrities to put more eyes on a brand. Today, however, we are seeing a greater focus on community and authenticity through intentional content creation.

Follower counts and impressions no longer paint an accurate picture of a campaign’s success. Now, engagement helps us understand if consumers gave more than a passing glance at a product. This noticeable shift from aspirational content into community-driven influence is why, as mentioned in our previous blog, micro-influencers are growing in prominence on social media.

Near Creative held our recent webinar entitled, “Level Up Your Brand Strategy: The Power of Community-Driven Influence” this February, with content creator (also midnight snacker and professional yapper) Alonzo “Cru” Cruel as our special guest. Here are our 4 key points to help you harness the power of community-driven influence:

4 Ways for Brands to Create Engaged Online Communities

1. Know your brand's value.

Every brand has a unique flavor. If your brand feels like it doesn’t have one, then it’s time to go back to basics and discover who your brand is.

On this, Cru suggests, “You need to understand your product and who exactly will benefit from your product.” These are great starting points in developing your brand identity because a clear and solid brand identity is the foundation for the community you will be building. After all, if you don’t have an identity, how will you discover who your audience is?

2. Foster authentic and relatable content.

Today, consumers are partial to brands that feel real—that is, brands with distinct personalities. So when you build your brand identity, the next step is to further flesh it out through content that tells people who your brand is in a way that only it can.

This also means daring to think outside the box with content that is original, but still rooted in a cultural reality that your audience will understand at its core. Think RC Cola’s viral 2020 ad. It was bizarre, but the humor was so Filipino that it clicked!

https://youtu.be/hXWj5BK7evM?feature=shared (embed)

3. Empower user-generated content.

Viktor Kapunan, senior brand manager at Near, says, “Your audience is your best advocate.”

In this era of personalization and community, audiences are just as interested in seeing content made by other “normal” people—that is, user-generated content (UGC). Brands can take cues from the likes of Cebu Pacific and how they share real travel moments through the hashtag #JuanForFun. This approach makes travel feel accessible to viewers because they are able to see themselves in the content and therefore find a personal connection with it.

4. Leverage storytelling to create emotional connections.

“People nowadays don’t just buy products; they buy into stories,” shares Viktor. Sure, people still take a look at popular brands endorsed by the hottest celebrities, but that’s hardly ever enough anymore to get people to truly care about what you’re selling. The people want a good story that reels them in and makes them feel something.

Jollibee is a great example of this. The brand has plenty of “Kwentong Jollibee” videos that showcase their expertise in storytelling. Jollibee’s videos blend strong narratives with Filipino culture and values that are emotionally affecting and inspiring for audiences.

https://youtu.be/2Gcx-QT9k0s?feature=shared (embed)

Bonus: partner with content creators who match your brand’s vibe.

Sometimes, although brands understand that they need to build a unique identity and reinforce it through UGC and great storytelling, they still make the mistake of just choosing the most well-known influencers to promote their brand without first considering who the influencer’s audience is and their style of content.

Cru has this to say, “You have to know [that a] creator is going to be someone who effectively communicates to the people you want to communicate with.” He adds, “Know exactly who these creators are entertaining. If your product aligns with those people, then go for [that content creator].”

Master the marketing trends of 2025. Watch a replay of our webinar here and download our trends guide here!

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