Why TikTok-famous Beachwaver is going back to brick-and-mortar retail

Beachwaver’s rapid growth is fueled in part by TikTok’s online marketplace TikTok Shop, which debuted in the U.S. a year ago and of which Beachwaver was an early adopter. Beachwaver has amassed a huge following on social media, racking up more than 1.3 million followers on TikTok alone thanks to the “TikTok made me buy it” phenomenon. The brand has sold more than 1.1 million units in just one year on TikTok Shop, making it among the top-performing merchants on the platform. Estimates from Marketplace Pulse indicate the brand rakes in around $2.8 million in sales per month on TikTok Shop. 

At the same time, the platform that has turbocharged much of Beachwaver’s success is facing a ban in the U.S. if TikTok doesn’t divest from its China-based owner ByteDance. The looming ban has spurred other TikTok-viral brands to pull back on the platform, from investing in other social media channels to launching in physical stores.

For Beachwaver, brick-and-mortar retail is an opportunity to grow its fan base rather than a contingency plan. It’s also a second chance of sorts. Beachwaver sold its products in physical stores in the past, but it exited wholesale when sales growth slowed. Now, the brand is ready to test out wholesale again after TikTok helped drive the brand’s growth.

“We’ve been consistently building our community, whether it’s on QVC or through Ulta or through our own site, and we’ve done live streams and outreach and events and partnerships all through those years,” said Sarah Potempa, the company’s CEO. “Being in a place like Target is perfect to make it easier for people to be a part of the brand.”

Perfect timing

Unlike other brands that have launched in stores after going viral, this isn’t Beachwaver’s first foray into brick-and-mortar retail. Beachwaver got its start selling on QVC with 10-minute demos that showed off its patented rotating curling iron. Shortly after, the brand expanded into retail through chains like Ulta, Nordstrom and Target. At the time, Beachwaver hadn’t yet broadened its offerings to include hair care products. As such, due to the long-lasting nature of its rotating curling iron, the brand didn’t see many repeat customers, and so sales lagged.

That’s why, in 2016, Beachwaver exited brick-and-mortar stores to focus on its DTC business. Now, after eight years of building its fan base and adding more to its product assortment, the brand is ready to re-enter major stores. 

“We think now is the perfect time, now that we’ve got this wonderful, incredible community who knows about the brand, and livestream has been a huge component of that,” Potempa-Wall, the brand’s chief operating officer, said. “I hope that our biggest problem is that we can’t keep products in stock.”

Beachwaver isn’t focused only on growth in the U.S. Last year, Beachwaver had a pop-up in London, and the brand is currently in talks with multiple retail partners to add its products to international storefronts. Beachwaver brand aspires to launch in physical stores internationally as early as later this year. 

Going viral

Beachwaver posts videos and other content across various social media channels, including its own website, but it’s on TikTok in particular where the brand has really shined. Beachwaver’s live posts on TikTok, which can run as long as six hours, have been known to draw in hundreds of thousands of views. Beachwaver posts a range of types of videos, often demonstrating how to use the company’s rotating curling iron, as well as the brand’s other products, to create specific looks. It’s precisely the interactive and educational nature of the videos that has won Beachwaver a massive follower base on the platform, according to Potempa.

But Beachwaver’s TikTok success story is the exception, not the rule. TikTok has plans to grow TikTok Shop in the U.S. to $17.5 billion this year, its first full year since it launched last in September of 2023, per Bloomberg. But data from Marketplace Pulse suggests it’s trending significantly below that, with year-to-date gross merchandise volume estimated at $4.5 billion.

“A few brands have reached millions in monthly sales, but most brands have no idea how to approach it, and it has only worked for health, wellness and beauty brands,” according to Juozas Kaziukėnas, founder of Marketplace Pulse.

Brick-and-mortar retail is crucial for any TikTok-viral brand looking for growth. “TikTok is really great for driving discovery and awareness and interest in brands,” said eMarketer retail analyst Sky Canaves, “but consumers still want to shop in stores, and most retail sales will still take place in stores.”

Although TikTok has helped power the Beachwaver’s success, the brand says it isn’t dependent on the platform for growth. Indeed, Beachwaver’s brick-and-mortar retail push was already in the works well before President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that could force the app to shut down. Potempa said the ban has been “a consideration,” but added that other platforms have been valuable in terms of driving sales and customer growth. 

“When we are on livestream on TikTok, we have a lot of people come and say, ‘Oh, I remember you from QVC’ or ‘I’m here from Ulta’ or ‘I’m here from social media,’” CEO Potempa said. “In the event that something were to happen to that specific platform, we have multiple other platforms where we speak to our community, and I believe that our community would shift around because they already have shifted around to follow the brand for years.”