Just two months after the launch of TikTok Shop in Brazil, some brands have already assimilated the tool, structured social commerce strategies, and created affiliate programs to leverage the sales power of content creators. Local sellers have already earned over R$1 million with a single product, and many creators have started generating more revenue from sales commissions than from content partnerships.
I've been working with creative strategy for TikTok Shop in the United States for about two years and have seen brands like Goli Nutrition become sales phenomena by expanding their acquisition channels via discovery commerce, a model where users can buy while watching videos from their feed or live streams.
Since 2021, TikTok Shop has operated in the United Kingdom, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. In 2023, it arrived in the United States and, in 2025, it launched in Mexico, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and, since May, also in Brazil. Although the North American market is more heated in terms of purchasing power and consumer behavior, Brazilians have a relationship of trust with creators that positions the tool as one of the main promises to redesign e-commerce in the country.
For the content creator, more business.
TikTok Shop empowers affiliate creators, whose primary income comes from commissions on sales of third-party products, and also boosts those who already have other revenue streams. Previously dependent on one-off partnerships, creators can now control the entire process, using the platform's infrastructure to manage sales, commissions, and direct conversion links with various brands, making it easier to track revenue and develop a strategic business plan.
The relationship between creators and brands needs to be a win-win situation: the brand avoids distributing products to affiliates without sales potential, and affiliates don't invest time in unattractive items or those with low commissions. In parallel, YouTube channels and profiles like Shigueo Nakahara's (@shigueo_nakahara) teach creators and sellers how to use the platform, sharing stories of earnings ranging from R$100 to R$30,000 in commissions in less than a month, even with audiences of only a few thousand followers.
For brands, a solution and a challenge.
Shoppable videos allow users to complete the entire purchase journey directly through the video link, eliminating external pages and attribution issues. Integration with e-commerce platforms improves results interpretation and makes partnering with creators more effective. TikTok's algorithm reduces the gap between a viral video and sales generation, as all reach is linked to a purchase link.
In addition to videos, it's possible to sell through live streams, produced by the brand or the creator, and through accessible storefronts in the toolbar above the video. Stores also have ad formats like GMV Max, which promotes products in the feed, and Live GMV Max, which boosts live broadcasts.
Although TikTok Shop eliminates noise in the social media shopping experience and provides predictability to partnership numbers, brands need to accept that they have lost total control of the narrative. Success depends on providing creators with information that helps them produce effective content, manage affiliate programs, and select products aligned with the context of the purchase decision: emotional, impulsive, and generally with a lower average price.
What still needs to arrive in Brazil
In the United States, the platform funded discounts in partnership with brands, offered nearly symbolic shipping costs, and assigned sales representatives by category to encourage usage. Brands even sold products with discounts subsidized by TikTok Shop. Even after two years, the American operation still receives monthly updates, and many of the promised tools are expected to arrive in Brazil.
In the Brazilian market, there is already a clear division between the Seller Center (product management, deliveries, and logistics) and the Affiliate Center (search and management of creators). Available categories include beauty and health, fashion, home and decoration, electronics, and sports, and the Live Shopping feature was released a few weeks after the launch.
One highly anticipated feature, still without a release date, is "refundable samples": brands send products to beginner creators and, after they reach certain sales or published content goals, they can request a refund and permanently join the affiliate program.
Thus, TikTok Shop shortens the distance between entertainment and shopping, but it requires brands to adapt to the loss of narrative control and creators to act as entrepreneurs. Those who quickly understand this dynamic tend to reap the best results.
* Danilo Nunes is a professor at ESPM, a researcher in Creator Economy, and CVO and partner responsible for Thruster Creative Strategy , an agency specializing in performance-focused creative work, with national and international reach.
