Should your business harness TikTok Shop?
The Thanksgiving onslaught is in the rearview mirror, and it’s time to look ahead to the last few weeks before Christmas that every retailer hopes will meet or exceed their year-end expectations. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of what matters this week, plus a Q&A with Los Angeles niche retailer Ariana Lambert Smeraldo of Lily Lodge, who shares three places where everyone should work and why.
What’s in Store
• Why Amazon sellers and retailers love TikTok Shop
• $11.3M per minute: What online shoppers spent on Black Friday
• 6 things to consider with returns resale platforms
• Is smaller better? When it comes to square footage, maybe
• Google’s Gemini AI has a bad teacher: Yes, TikTok again
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The final tally is not yet in, but Cyber Monday U.S. sales were estimated at $13.5 billion, a slight bump from Adobe, Inc.’s original projection of $13.2 billion. The reason for the huge numbers? Consumers held out for the biggest bargains and financed their purchases with deferred payment methods on the last day of Cyber Week, also known as the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. (If you’re wondering who coined that term, listen to an interview with her here). According to Adobe, the total amount spent during all five days is expected to be $41.1 billion, up 8.2% from last year.
Why this matters: Despite much hand-wringing about inflation and economic pressures putting a damper on holiday spending, U.S. consumers made a strong showing, which bodes well for retailers during their most profitable time of the year. Lower interest rates and slowing inflation may have been at the root. (Bloomberg)
Young innovators rethink retail with fresh strategies and tools
The 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & E-Commerce list spotlights a new wave of entrepreneurial talent transforming how businesses operate. These leaders are harnessing the power of social media to build loyal online communities, turning platforms like Instagram and TikTok into engines for growth and brand recognition. At the same time, they’re addressing operational challenges with innovative solutions, like AI-powered tools that optimize supply chains, integrate e-commerce platforms, and streamline logistics.
Sustainability also takes center stage, as many honorees focus on circular business models such as resale programs to reduce waste and meet growing consumer demand for eco-conscious options. Their strategies reflect a deeper understanding of modern customers and their evolving expectations, offering valuable lessons for businesses seeking to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market.
Why this matters: Retailers who leverage strategies like social media, sustainability and AI-driven logistics can stay competitive and adapt to evolving consumer demands. These approaches provide a clear path for growth, operational efficiency, and long-term relevance in today’s dynamic retail environment. (Forbes)
5 Questions for Lily Lodge owner Ariana Lambert Smeraldo
When she was in her late twenties in the early aughts, Ariana Lambert Smeraldo left her job doing P.R. and VIP dressing at Bottega Veneta to become an entrepreneur. This year, her Los Angeles floral boutique Lily Lodge celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new Melrose Avenue location twice the size of her original shop, and Smeraldo is looking ahead to the next chapter, possibly one that includes a dinner series and an East Coast outpost.
What prompted you to look for a new location? When I first opened on Robertson Boulevard, Philip Lim was across the street, next to Steven Alan, Christian Louboutin and Kinara Spa. The street was full of life and creativity, then it shifted. The new space had to be on a vibrant street with potential for foot traffic, on a corner for better visibility, have parking and twice the retail space. I put the search on hold during covid, then got lucky, finding a place that didn’t even have a 'for lease' sign yet.
How does the new store design differ from the old one?
Our floral designers work in front of the store windows instead of in the back, so people can watch them. A giant flower cooler in the middle of the store breaks up the space, and our vintage and one-of-a-kind vases are displayed along one entire side wall. We now have an open space in the back where you get to see how everything is made, and my office has a big window that looks out into the store. We also have a long table running down one side of the store, and my fantasy is to have dinners where I can set a gorgeous table and chefs bring food.
How do you use technology? How do new customers find you? My customers aren't on TikTok, and I keep Instagram minimal. We sell boxes of roses on our website, but flower arrangements and one-of-a-kind and vintage vases are the kinds of things people like to see in person, especially if they are spending $500 on an arrangement. New customers come mostly from word of mouth because every time someone sends flowers there is a recipient.
What are the biggest challenges for niche retailers? If you choose a niche business like flowers, know your audience and how to get to every bit of that audience and stand out. We have a partnership with [members club] San Vicente Bungalows that gives us great visibility, but you could partner with a restaurant as an extension of your brand, or sell related gift items.
What’s your best piece of work advice?
I’ve had jobs since I was 15 and I tell my two teenagers to make sure they’ve had three jobs: retail, restaurant and office. Those taught me how to sell, what retail markup is, the value of branding, how to organize an office and customer service. Even though we design flowers in a very natural way that is less contrived, this is a service industry, so I will make whatever anybody wants. That’s important, being able to shift and evolve and not get stuck in our ways.
Above: Ariana Lambert Smeraldo at her store. (Courtesy Lily Lodge)
Online shoppers spent $11.3M per minute on Black Friday
Majority of consumers use TikTok for gift inspo
4 in 10 luxury shoppers seeking deals despite steady income
Small stores mean big business as big-box retailers size down
Google blames incorrect Gemini AI “Overviews” on TikTok
How to get your holiday returns game plan in place
As the trend in resale grows more popular across multiple categories and price tiers, retailers should start thinking of it as a way to deal with the influx of returned, sellable inventory that they are all likely to get come January. Marcus Shen, CEO of B-Stock, a business-to-business resale platform connecting sellers and buyers of returned and excess inventory, shares six things you should look for when considering a resale platform as a channel for your returned merchandise: confidence and consistency in pricing; fast, efficient inventory movement at scale; a varied buyer base; brand and channel control; historical data and performance tracking. According to Shen, about 18% of holiday sales will be returned following the holidays.
“We can all agree returns are a cost of doing business, especially following the most wonderful time of the year. By applying fresh thinking to the resale process, returns can become a strategic asset rather than a dreaded post-holiday afterthought.” - Marcus Shen, B-Stock
Why this matters: Even though AI is helping retailers manage inventory more accurately and efficiently, returned and surplus merchandise is a drain on business, especially post-holidays. Expanding your channels to include multiple resale channels is not only smart, it’s a strategy that can optimize your business year-round.
Read Marcus’ column in Chain Store Age.
Scroll, Shop: TikTok Shop Lures Amazon sellers, retailers
Despite a looming ban in the U.S., retailers want a piece of the action on TikTok’s fast-growing marketplace. More than 170 million Americans on the social media platform are shopping as they scroll, making TikTok Shop a goldmine for e-commerce. According to ecommerceDB, TikTok Shop will sell $50 billion in items this year, more than twice as much as last year. And it’s a different way of shopping – more of an impulse buy than a premeditated search – differentiating it from Google and even most retailers’ e-commerce sites. Even though holiday gifts are premediated purchases, consumers are using TikTok to find ideas, and all the better if they can purchase as soon as inspiration strikes.
Why this matters: TikTok Shop is being touted as the new destination for product discovery from big and small brands. From advertising posts to livestreams, brands are finding ways to make sales without their audience having to click away from the app. It’s clear that TikTok is already surpassing expectations where Instagram and YouTube have stumbled with shoppable content. (NBC News)
What we’re reading:
An ode to the small shop, “Shopping: Stories, Advice and Observations” by Seattle bookseller Peter Miller, whose eponymous design bookshop has been beloved for four decades. As Miller puts it, “You learn to be a retailer – not by going to college but by going to work.”
What we’re streaming:
Very few women are known simply by their initials, but DVF has been doing it for five decades. The new Hulu doc “Diane von Furstenberg, Woman in Charge” is a fascinating portrait of a woman whose enduring style and power make her an icon of American fashion and retail.
What we’re listening to:
In a recent episode of Apple News In Conversation, Shumita Basu explores why we buy things we don’t need...and how you can be more mindful about it.
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The SKUpe is curated and written by Marcy Medina and edited by Bianca Prieto
