TikTok trends move fast. A sound, product, or format can go viral and disappear within days, and if you don't move faster, you lose. The key is spotting signals early and posting within 24–48 hours to catch the wave before it fades.
Charm data shows that TikTok Shop crossed $70 billion in global GMV since launching in Southeast Asia in Q4 2022. In the U.S., TikTok Shop achieved $1.1B in GMV in July 2025 alone. This scale means that being late to a revenue-generating trend or missing out on it completely can mean losing out on millions in potential revenue. For brands and retailers, knowing what’s converting and why is crucial in driving sales from the platform.
Key Takeaways
- The use of sales data will allow you to see what’s actually selling, not just what is generating views.
- A few key creators can drive most of the sales, so it’s important to track who really moves products.
- Post quickly and add your own angle, copying alone won’t keep content converting.
- Smart hashtags and simple follow-ups like sequels or reposting on other platforms can help a trend last longer and bring better results.
Spotting Demand Signals Before the Peak
High view counts don’t always translate into purchases. Sales data reveals what consumers are actually buying. From March 2025 to August 2025, the top five U.S. TikTok Shop products generated more than $62 million in revenue, showing how the right mix of product appeal and creator amplification leads to outsized results.
Take these products as examples:
- Peel Shot Glow Rice Ampoule Duo (Dr. Melaxin Official) — $17.3M in sales from 440K items sold, proving the strong demand for high-performance skincare.
- Yerba Magic Instant Tea Powder (Yerba Magic) — $13.4M in revenue on 454K units sold, highlighting the rise of functional beverages.
- Affordable Glass Glow Skincare Set (medicube US Store) — $13.2M in sales from 147K purchases, showing that premium skincare kits continue to gain traction.
Tarte Colored Clay CC Undereye Corrector (Tarte Cosmetics) — $9.2M in revenue on 317K units sold, with creator @kaleysolitro driving $1M alone. - Nello Supercalm Calming Drink Mix (Nello) — $9.1M in sales from 263K units, demonstrating how calming wellness products resonate with today’s consumers.
The lesson is clear: sales-backed data, not viral hype, reveals which products have staying power. These six months of results show that consistent revenue growth is driven by value, relevance, and the right creator partnerships, providing the clearest signals of what will scale next.
Tracking the right creators
Creators play a big role in turning TikTok moments into real sales. The right partnership can transform a single product into a standout success, one good example is one of the top five products in the last six months, Tarte’s Colored Clay CC Undereye Corrector.
One creator promoting the product, @kaleysolitro, generated over $1.07M in video revenue with 3.95M views and $82.5K in ad spend. In total, the product earned $9.16M in revenue from March 2025 to August 2025, showing how a single creator can account for a meaningful share of overall sales.
Interestingly, other creators such as @sammycakes2020 and @taybeckerbeauty achieved massive view counts, 29.8M and 38.5M respectively, but their video revenues came in lower, at $696K and $588K. Despite fewer views, @kaleysolitro’s campaign converted more efficiently, delivering higher revenue per view.
This contrast shows that not all views are created equal. Creators who align closely with their audience’s interests, and present products in an authentic, problem-solving way, are often more effective at driving sales than those who simply generate mass visibility. For brands, the insight is clear: prioritize creators with proven conversion power, not just viral reach.
Acting quickly, but adding differentiation
Publishing within 24–48 hours of detection matters. But replication without differentiation rarely converts. The viral product case studies show that top sellers didn’t just follow formats, they adapted them:
- Transformation visuals (before/after hair, skin, or home solutions) work because they grab attention fast and show results clearly.
- Problem-solving demos (massager for tension relief, gummies for sleep/stress) highlight benefits that answer common needs.
- Personal creator POVs (showing results in relatable contexts) add authenticity and build trust.
Together, these formats help audiences connect quickly with the product story. Batch-producing 3–5 variations in one session (different hooks, angles, CTAs) gives a content buffer, ensures variety, and keeps posting aligned with momentum.
Hashtags that map to buyers
Hashtag strategy shapes discoverability. For example, broad tags (#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt) provide reach, but buyer-aligned tags (e.g., #hairbrushforvolume, #stressreliefgummies) ensure intent and attract audiences ready to purchase.
Charm data reports show that categories rise and fall in tandem with trending hashtags on tiktok. For example, in beauty, fruit-inspired products, like guava and pear, recently surged across both hashtags and sales. This demonstrates how specific tags not only shape discovery but also signal changing consumer preferences, linking aesthetics, product design, and buyer intent in real-time.
Captialize on revenue-generating trends
Some trends go in and out of style fast and the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time and money creating content on a trend that’s on its way out.
It’s important to consider that not every trend may be right for you. You should consider the following when deciding if you want to create content (or even develop products around) real trends:
Does the trend align with my product category?
The trend #highprotein has generated $4.7M and 332M views from January through August 2025, but if you’re selling beauty products, this obviously may not be the trend for you. If you have a protein-packed snack, you should definitely be highlighting its high-protein.
Is the trend sustaining growth (in views and revenue) or is it a trend that’s fizzling out?
Some trends, like #fallfashio,n are seasonal and you don’t want to get to them too late in the game when the trend is dying out. By analyzing which trends are growing and sustaining growth or by getting on a seasonal trend early, you can ensure you’re using your resources to back the right trend that is not only gaining views but also generating revenue.
The hashtag #koreanskincare, for example, has had steady growth ($40 million from January through August 2025) and shows no signs of slowing down. Brands should highlight their #koreanskincare products and retailers should consider stocking their shelves with these top-selling products.
Am I willing to take a risk on an emerging trend?
Some trends are just starting to gain momentum in terms of views and revenue. Brands have to assess the risk of putting dollars for content creation, product development, or advertising behind these emerging trends. For some brands, it may pay off to be the first in their space. Other times, brands risk investing in a trend that comes and goes quickly.
It’s up to each brand to assess how much they want to risk, but with Charm data it is possible to track a trend over time and still be an early adoptor that drives revenue with quality content, strong influencers, and ad dollars. Brands don’t need to be the first to a trend to profit from them.
We saw many brands hopping on the ASMR trend. This trend generated $77K in January 2024 and most recently generated $237K in August 2025. Products including press-on nails, perfumes, and eyelashes took advantage of and drove revenue from this trend. While some brands have generated revenue from this trend from the beginning, others have still gained success advertising their products through ASMR later on.
Why this matters for retailers and brands
The opportunity on TikTok is large, but it’s also noisy. 45% of TikTok sellers report being unable to track which videos generate sales, and 88% lack SKU-level analytics. Without that clarity, brands often end up chasing views without knowing which formats or creators actually drive revenue.
For brands with data-backed insights into performance, they can see which trends are driving revenue, how they are performing compared to their competitors, and the videos and creators driving success.
For retailers, acting on verified demand signals means smarter merchandising decisions, adding products to their assortment that people are actually buying and maximizing sales at their retail organization. For retailers promoting products on TikTok, it also reduces wasted ad spend and helps ensure that campaigns are aligned with what consumers are actively buying, not just watching.
How Charm Helps Decode Real TikTok Shop Trends
TikTok rewards speed, creativity, and data-backed decisions. The evidence is clear: sales-backed signals, creator impact, sound validation, and buyer-aligned hashtags determine which products scale and which fade.
With trend data from Charm, you can…
- Spot emerging trends early
- Distinguish noise from real revenue opportunities
- See which brands & products are actually winning
When you follow the data, you can launch content at the right moment, on the right trends, with confidence that it will convert to revenue.
Charm surfaces these signals daily, showing which brands & products, creators, and hashtags tie directly to TikTok Shop revenue. Book a demo with Charm to see the data that connects trends to conversions.
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