Earlier this week, social media platform TikTok launched its SME Council. Beauty businesses are set to play a key role in the group’s government engagement
TikTok and TikTok Shop are now vital for beauty businesses of all sizes who are seeking growth, but the power of the platforms to break barriers for small and medium businesses is second to none.
That’s why the platforms have launched a new SME Council, designed to put the voices of small businesses first. This is in the knowledge that, according to NielsenIQ, TikTok Shop was the fastest growing online retailer in 2024*, with a 131% annual increase in the number of shoppers and 180% year-on-year rise in revenue at the end of last year.
Hair and beauty brands take up a number of the spots on the newly-formed working group which is designed to feed insights into government from small business and technology perspectives.
From an affordable wig brand located in the heart of Birmingham (@hairanatomyuk) to a Manchester-based sleep company (@levitex) that offers practical tips on sleep posture, and an artisan candle and wax melt seller (@bearburners), founded in Sunderland, wellbeing and personal care take centre stage.
On the launch of the TikTok SME Council, Ali Law, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at TikTok UK, said: “TikTok gives small businesses the opportunity to be discovered by new communities, the creative tools to engage authentically and, ultimately, the chance to put their products in the hands of an ever-growing number of UK consumers.
‘That’s why SMEs across the country come to TikTok every day to share their passions, reach new customers and grow their businesses. By launching our new SME Council, we’re taking our support of these businesses beyond the TikTok app, giving them a platform to call for policies that will unlock the next phase of their growth.’
According to a statement issued by TikTok earlier this week, the SME Council will launch a manifesto which will ‘make a set of practical, proactive policy requests to government with the aim of turbocharging SME growth, developing skills and encouraging entrepreneurship’.
The British Beauty Council is pleased to be working with TikTok Shop on a programme of content and events designed to upskill its partners and patrons on how best to utilise the platform.
Knowing that the beauty industry holds unique footing in the SME landscape – according to the Value of Beauty 2023 25% more SMEs were registered in 2022 in comparison to 2015, five times faster than the number of small businesses formed in the manufacturing industry in the same period – we will be harnessing this partnership to help cultivate growth.
You can find out more about a recent British Beauty Council X TikTok Shop event here.
