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Brands Have Hired In-House Teams for TikTok Shop

Retailers are moving social commerce management in-house as sales growth outpaces agency-led strategies.

Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Retail

Isometric editorial illustration of interconnected steel cubes and modular blocks, representing corporate structural growth in social commerce strategy.
Consumer brands like Bloom Nutrition and Gap are building dedicated internal teams to manage social commerce storefronts as platform sales mature. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Consumer brands are increasingly building dedicated in-house teams to manage TikTok Shop storefronts. This strategic shift follows a period where brands initially relied on outside agencies to navigate the platform.

Why it matters

The transition reflects a growing confidence in the long-term viability of TikTok Shop as a core sales channel. Brands are now investing in internal headcount to capture higher growth as market demand on the platform matures.

U.S. TikTok Shop sales grew 120 percent from 2024 to 2025. Bloom Nutrition, which ranked No. 568 on the 2025 Inc. list of fastest-growing companies, added 5 jobs dedicated to the platform.

The players

Bloom Nutrition

An Austin-based supplements brand and fast-growing consumer products company.

Gap

A global clothing and accessories retailer with a large-scale physical and digital presence.

Estée Lauder

A multinational manufacturer and marketer of prestige skin care, makeup, and fragrance products.

Victoria's Secret

A major retailer of lingerie and beauty products with extensive omnichannel distribution.

The details

Companies are moving away from external agencies to keep social commerce strategy under direct control. Bloom Nutrition, which reported less than $200 million in 2024 revenue and projects up to $400 million for 2025, is one of several retailers establishing specialized internal teams. Similar hiring shifts are underway at firms including Gap, Estée Lauder, Victoria's Secret, Mario Badescu, and Bubble Skincare.

Timeline

  1. 2024: Bloom Nutrition launched its TikTok Shop storefront.

  2. 2024-2025: U.S. TikTok Shop sales increased by 120 percent.

  3. July 2025: Bloom CEO described the TikTok Shop channel as thriving.

  4. 2025: Bloom Nutrition ranked No. 568 on Inc. fastest-growing list.

Market Landscape

This development follows the broader industry trend of shifting from agency-led to in-house management of social commerce channels as brands seek greater control over customer touchpoints. It marks a departure from the early experimental phase where brands prioritized low-risk outsourcing.

Retailers should evaluate whether their current volume of social sales justifies the cost of dedicated internal headcount versus agency retainers. Monitor whether this shift to in-house management leads to higher conversion rates compared to external agency performance.

The takeaway

The move to in-house TikTok Shop teams suggests a maturity in the channel that requires specialized internal expertise to scale effectively. Operators should audit their current agency contracts to determine if platform-specific management has reached the threshold where internal hires offer a better return.

Further reading

For more on evolving consumer sales strategies, see our Retail section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Inc..

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Do you believe companies are better off managing their own social media sales in-house?