TikTok Shop’s finally hitting its sweet spot
Sales are up 200% and small food sellers are cashing in, welcome to snack-to-cart commerce.
Hi friends,
I know Halloween’s over, but the candy aisle’s more relevant than ever. TikTok Shop’s food category is exploding, from freeze-dried Skittles to Swedish candy brand Mums, snack makers are raking in real cash.
Meanwhile, Delta is turning airplanes into creator channels, HelloFresh jumped on the government shutdown story faster than any newsroom, and Whatnot’s $11.5B valuation proves live shopping’s nowhere near its peak.
Let’s get into it.
(November 4th)
💰 Whatnot lands $225M at $11.5B valuation, live shopping just got louder
Live shopping unicorn Whatnot has raised a $225M Series F, more than doubling its valuation to $11.5B since January. The round, led by CapitalG (Alphabet’s growth fund), cements Whatnot’s dominance in collectibles, sneakers, and fan-driven commerce.
The platform now claims 20M users and 500K active sellers, with plans to expand into gaming and luxury resale next.
📎 Read more on Crunchbase
✈️ Delta turns in-flight screens into creator channels
Delta Air Lines is bringing creators to 30,000 feet. The airline just partnered with a lineup of travel and lifestyle influencers to produce original short-form content for its in-flight entertainment system, think travel hacks, destination stories, and cultural guides made by the people you already follow.
In-flight content has always been stale, but creators bring relevance and reach. Plus, it turns downtime in the air into a new touchpoint for brand storytelling.
📎 Read more on NetInfluencer
📈 It pays off to be niche. Micro creators make 3x more than generalists
A new report from Collabstr reveals that creators with tightly defined niches, from vintage fashion to plant care, earn nearly 3x more per post than generalist influencers. Brands are paying for fit and credibility over follower count.
Micro and nano creators with 10k–50k followers are leading the charge, often generating higher engagement and conversions than macro names.
The takeaway: in 2025, specificity scales. Being “the girl who reviews 2000s handbags” beats being “the girl who likes fashion.”
🎤 Seller Spotlight
HelloFresh & Chef Tini cook up a campaign in real time
HelloFresh and TikTok chef Tini Younger collaborating
As the U.S. government shutdown continues, with SNAP payments suspended, HelloFresh and TikTok chef Tini Younger didn’t wait for a comms meeting, they launched an anti-hunger campaign within days.
The move was simple but sharp: use Tini’s platform to raise awareness and donations for food banks, while HelloFresh distributed free meal kits to affected families. It wasn’t a glossy brand stunt, it was a timely, human response to a national issue that directly affects how (and if) people eat.
In a moment when most brands stayed silent or drafted “we’re monitoring the situation” statements, HelloFresh turned speed into strategy. Acting fast meant owning the narrative and aligning their mission, access to fresh, affordable food, with cultural urgency.
The brands that win aren’t just reactive; they’re responsive and showing up when it matters most.
📎 Read more on Campaign Live
🧠 Brand Move of the Week
From freeze-dried Skittles to salmon: food brands find their footing on TikTok Shop
Food is finding it’s footing on TTS
What started with viral freeze-dried candy has become a full-blown boom for food and beverage brands on TikTok Shop. According to Retail Brew, food sales are up more than 200% year over year, making it one of the platform’s fastest-growing categories.
Small sellers are leading the charge. Independent snack makers are pulling in $50K–$100K a month, while one Alaskan seafood brand sold $60K of salmon in under two months via livestreams. Swedish candy brand Mums has also emerged as a breakout hit, using ASMR-style crunch videos to rack up millions of views and sell out drops.
Food and beverage now make up about 10% of TikTok Shop’s U.S. GMV, up from less than 2% last year. The secret? Texture, reaction, and novelty. “Crunch” clips and ingredient close-ups deliver the same dopamine hit as unboxings — only now, flavor is the hook.
Mid-sized brands are beating household names by moving faster and feeling more real. Lo-fi drops, quick collabs, and native creator content are defining a new kind of sensory commerce.
Smell-o-vision, your move.
Ok, New Yorkers, don’t forget to vote today. See you next week. In the meantime, Sell! Sell! Sell! 🫡