At Etail Boston’s Track D, the spotlight turned to the fastest-growing frontier of social commerce - TikTok Shop. In a fireside chat moderated by Alex Langshur, CEO Americas at Incubeta, Jay Hunter (Chief Revenue Officer) and Catalina L (Director of Retention & Social Commerce) from MaryRuth’s unpacked how the brand has moved beyond experimenting on TikTok to building a fully-fledged revenue channel.
What came through clearly: TikTok Shop isn’t just another sales platform. For MaryRuth’s, it’s a place where discovery and purchase happen in the same moment with community and authenticity doing the heavy lifting.
Getting the basics right - product listings that convert
Success starts with the fundamentals. Hunter and Catalina stressed the importance of product listings that work hard on their own:
Clear, keyword-rich titles that make products instantly findable.
Detailed, benefit-led descriptions written for mobile-first shoppers.
High-quality visuals - not just static images, but motion shots that make the product “feel real” in the feed.
Catalina noted that shoppers on TikTok Shop are often buying on impulse. That means you have seconds to build trust and remove any doubts, the listing is as much a closer as it is a catalogue.
Authenticity over ad-speak
The MaryRuth’s team has doubled down on content that feels native to TikTok. Forget polished TV-commercial-style ads - their top-performing videos are trend-driven, lo-fi, and creator-led.
Catalina summed it up: “You can’t come in and shout at the audience with a sales pitch. You need to show up like someone they’d follow, then give them a reason to click ‘buy’.”
Trends move quickly on TikTok, so the team maintains an agile content process. They’re ready to jump on emerging memes, hashtags, and sounds but always with a direct tie back to the product’s benefits.
The power of creator partnerships
Both Hunter and Catalina were clear: influencer partnerships aren’t optional - they’re a growth engine. MaryRuth’s has built a network of TikTok creators who already have trust with their audiences.
The playbook here is not to over-script. Creators know their audience best, so MaryRuth’s gives them the freedom to tell the product story in their own voice. The result: content that feels like a recommendation from a friend, not a sales transaction.
TikTok’s built-in sales tools
The conversation turned tactical as the team detailed how TikTok’s own commerce features have driven conversions:
Live Shopping: hosting product-focused livestreams where viewers can purchase without leaving the app.
Shoppable Ads: short-form videos that click straight through to checkout.
These tools are especially effective when paired with influencer content, creating a “see it, trust it, buy it” loop - all inside the TikTok environment.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was the speed at which MaryRuth’s has learned to operate. In TikTok commerce, yesterday’s winning format can be stale tomorrow. The brand’s edge comes from treating TikTok Shop like its own micro-business: a dedicated team, constant testing, and a willingness to pivot weekly if needed.
Jay Hunter closed with a reminder that applies far beyond TikTok: “The brands that win are the ones that can close the gap between discovery and purchase without breaking the experience.”
This was more than a how-to on TikTok Shop - it was a case study in moving where your customers are going, then building processes to match the platform’s speed. For retailers, the question is no longer whether TikTok belongs in your sales strategy, but how quickly you can operationalize it.
🤝 Got 15 Minutes in Boston?
The ClickZ team will be on-site all four days, collecting insights and POVs from marketers shaping the future of retail and ecommerce.
💬 Want to have a quick exchange of ideas?
ClickZ is hosting an exclusive drinks gathering on Day 3 of eTail Boston and you’re invited!
We’re bringing together some of the sharpest minds in retail and marketing for an evening of cocktails and insider conversations, all just steps away from the event venue.
⏱ Wednesday, 13 August | 5 PM (Day 3)
📍 5 minutes from the venue (details shared upon RSVP confirmation)
Spots are limited, grab yours now.
📲 Like what you’re seeing?
Make sure you don’t miss us.
To keep these insights in your main inbox, follow these quick steps:
Gmail:
Mobile: Tap the 3 dots top right → ‘Move to’ → ‘Primary’
Desktop: Drag this email to your ‘Primary’ tab
Apple Mail:
Tap our email at the top → ‘Add to VIPs’Other apps:
Add [email protected] to your address book
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
Independently Created. Not affiliated with eTail Boston.
Unofficially eTail is a ClickZ Media publication in the Events division