How TikTok is shaking up FMCG

In a world where traditional advertising budgets are being re-thought and consumer attention spans are shorter than ever, TikTok has become one of the most powerful forces in FMCG.

What started life as a short-form entertainment app has quickly evolved into a commercial ecosystem where trends, communities and “discovery commerce” directly influence what shoppers buy, particularly in categories like food and drink.

For FMCG brands, TikTok’s model is unique. It’s not simply another advertising channel, it’s a culture engine where user-generated content, creator influence and interactive formats drive attention, trial and ultimately, sales.

Brands that embrace TikTok’s organic style and engage with its storytelling are seeing new forms of engagement for their products.

In the food and drink sector, the landscape is already shifting. Data shows that beverage-related content with wellness themes exploded in popularity on TikTok over the last year, indicating how consumers are now discovering and discussing drinks through social content rather than shelf signage or TV ads.

Commercial features like TikTok Shop, which seamlessly integrate discovery and purchasing, are reshaping how new products are launched, giving brands real-time feedback on demand and compressing the timeline from concept to consumer.

Traditionally, soft drinks brands relied on mass media and in-store visibility. Brands including Pepsi and Coca-Cola have experimented with TikTok campaigns, using targeted formats like “Pulse” placements and creator-generated ads to reinforce rebranding efforts and connect with younger demographics.

But TikTok’s impact extends beyond global multinationals. Viral trends, meme-driven engagement, and influencer communities can elevate brands into category conversations overnight and often at a fraction of the cost of traditional campaigns.

This new dynamic is particularly relevant for brands operating in the growing wellness space, where low-calorie, functional and lifestyle-aligned drinks are surfacing as cultural trends, partly fuelled by social media discovery.

We recently hosted our second ever product launch on TikTok Live and within two hours had become the number 1 FMCG brand on TikTok Shop. For a team that is still learning TikTok live as we go, this was a huge moment.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of TikTok as a sales and awareness channel, but the scale, engagement and immediacy of live shopping is exciting.

As well as promoting our new drinks ranges through traditional media channels, sampling, POS and other social channels such as LinkedIn and Instagram, we now regularly run TikTok live events with giveaways linked to our launches.

We have a collaboration with Disney and one of the natural places to announce the launch of our Disney Lilo & Stitch branded Radnor Fruits range was on TikTok. The team are currently working on plans for the launch of the latest Disney character and how we showcase this on TikTok too.

The channel is a great way for us to tease upcoming product launches and new flavours, to announce events and giveaways and to showcase lifestyle posts that resonate with our audience of young parents and school-age families.

The platform is also a brilliant way for us to interact directly with our customers – key targets for a children’s soft drinks range.

For wholesalers and retailers, TikTok’s influence is tangible: it’s driving awareness, shaping purchase intent, and compressing the path from interest to purchase. We see TikTok as part of our broader communications mix for brand building and community engagement.

As we innovate in product formats, flavours and digital engagement, the soft drinks category, which is worth billions in the UK, is poised to benefit from social discovery, community-led buzz and new commerce pathways.

Retail buyers increasingly recognise that affinity with social culture can translate into sales uplift, especially among Gen Z and millennial cohorts whose shopping behaviour is shaped by TikTok trends and recommendations.

TikTok has transitioned from a trend machine into a strategic commercial platform for FMCG brands, especially in the soft drinks market. Its ability to fuse cultural relevance, creator influence and consumer commerce means brands, from global giants to British independents like Radnor Hills, have an opportunity to rethink how they engage audiences and accelerate growth.

For Radnor Hills, this presents an opportunity to blend heritage, sustainability and digital creativity to stay relevant in a landscape where consumer attention and purchase decisions increasingly begin with a short video.