TikTok is a home for brands to thrive.
The platform, which is home to 170 million active users in the United States alone, is becoming a trusted destination. According to TikTok’s 2025 What’s Next report, 81% of users were exposed to new topics and trends that they were not aware were initially of interest to them. It’s for these reasons that the term “demure” took off in 2024. It was popularized by TikTok creator Jools Lebron through a series of witty videos and was named Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year.
“It’s changed the way we shop. It’s changed the way we travel. It’s changed the way we search. It’s even changed the way we speak,” said Head of North America Business Marketing TikTok Rema Vasan during CES 2025.
The Power Of Tuning Into The Comment Section
Through TikTok, brands have the ability to strengthen their connection with consumers. In fact, users are primed to see their favorite brands on TikTok, with 68% affirming the importance of brands engaging in their comments to understand their target audience.
Success for brands aiming to translate likability into customer acquisition will be found among those who pay attention to their comment sections to guide innovation. This sentiment was echoed by Jamie Gersch, Chief Marketing Officer of the sustainable fashion brand Rothy’s. They collaborated with TikToker Natward, who had been vocal about her obsession with one of their Mary Jane flats. Her authentic content around the product helped it rise from the brand’s 8th best-selling shoe to its top spot.
As the Mary shoe began taking off Gersch signaled to its product team that they should leverage its momentum, which was evident through the brand’s comment section. This led to five new styles, a process made smoother by the company’s ownership of its own factory.
“Because we own our factory, we’re able to take the insights that we are seeing on the platform and within the comment section and able to then say ‘How do we lean into this and how do we develop more product that are extensions of what the customers loving and what we’re hearing and continue to fuel the momentum,'” Gersch explained.
Rothy’s also credits TikTok for making its clog shoe go viral, selling out seven times. It also faired well among men who were sharing their interest in purchasing a clog in the comment section and requested for their sizes to be made available. Its men’s Clogs launched on Black Friday and it has been a resounding success, says Gersch.
“The Mary Jane and the Clog have been responsible for 50% of all of our conversions on the platform. And those are the two products that are attracting the younger customer into the brand. So our fastest growing segment is through those products, 20 to 34 year olds, and those are the products that are converting on the platform. So you start to see that these products and these insights are leading to customers and more customer acquisition, because then we’re able to fuel the flywheel and get customer insights and drive customer acquisition through what we’re hearing within the comment to cart idea. So, it really becomes this way that we can better predict in a world where we don’t have as much control as marketers as we used to and really helps us get closer to the community whether that’s on the product or the customer side,” Gersch said.
