Social media isn’t just a brand awareness tool anymore; it’s an engine for revenue. At Camp Miva 2025, ecommerce veteran Brian Kelsey showed how platforms like TikTok are helping sellers grow 40% year-over-year by meeting customers where they spend the most time: on their phones.
For B2B ecommerce brands navigating rising ad costs and saturated marketplaces, social selling offers a new path to discovery, conversion, and scale. This blog breaks down Brian’s proven framework for using TikTok to grow beyond traditional channels and drive real business results without relying on luck or viral magic.
Why B2B Industrial Ecommerce Needs to Embrace Social Commerce
At Camp Miva 2025, Brian Kelsey delivered a wake-up call: your ecommerce storefront isn’t just your website anymore—it’s wherever your customers scroll.
For B2B and industrial ecommerce brands, that means embracing short-form video, creator partnerships, and native checkout experiences on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Meta. These channels aren’t just for Gen Z anymore; they’re where modern buyers discover, evaluate, and buy products.
“Social selling isn’t a fad,” Brian said. “It’s the dawn of a new era in ecommerce.”
📺 Watch the full presentation: Subscribe to Miva on YouTube >>
4 Ways to Scale Your Ecommerce Brand with Social Selling
TikTok Is Now a Shopping Channel
In 2024, TikTok generated $9 billion in GMV in the U.S. alone. That’s not noise—it’s a clear signal that TikTok has moved from a social app to a full-fledged shopping engine.
According to Brian, “TikTok is top of funnel. It’s eyeballs everywhere.” And those eyeballs spill over into other channels—retail, Amazon, DTC websites, even B2B catalogs.
That’s a massive opportunity for brands running on the best ecommerce platforms. Whether you’re selling through an automotive ecommerce website or managing a high-SKU B2B ecommerce solution, TikTok can ignite discovery and drive traffic to all your other channels.
Content-First Commerce Is Winning
Forget static product pages. Today’s ecommerce growth is driven by stories—real people showing real use of products. It’s emotional, authentic, and social.
Brian breaks it down this way: “When I show my wife a cool TikTok product at night, she’s like, ‘We should get that.’ She doesn’t click buy—she goes to Amazon. That’s the spillover effect.”
To win at social commerce, brands need to treat TikTok as their awareness engine and feed it with creator-led storytelling. Content-first commerce isn’t optional—it’s winning.
Creator Partnerships Drive Real Results
“Micro-influencers. Livestream events. Affiliate partnerships. These aren’t trends—they’re multipliers,” Brian said. Creator-led campaigns are generating 4x higher conversion rates and elevating trust, especially in product-heavy categories like auto ecommerce and industrial supplies.
Whether you’re using platforms like JoinBrands or recruiting directly via tools like Yuka, creators are the new sales team. And social selling offers direct attribution: you see the views, the click-throughs, the conversions. It’s measurable and powerful.
Integrated, Scalable Social Strategy with Miva
With Miva, ecommerce brands can manage product feeds, affiliate integrations, native checkout experiences, and social content creation from one centralized system.
Whether you’re scaling an auto parts ecommerce platform or a DTC skincare brand, Miva enables seamless platform migration, multi-channel selling, and performance visibility—crucial for executing social commerce at scale.
📍 Learn more about Miva’s commerce tools: Visit Miva.com >>
Social Proof: Real Brands Are Winning with Social Commerce
In his Camp Miva session, Brian shared the story of a supplement brand that jumped from $25M to $100M in revenue—largely fueled by TikTok. When retailers asked why they were chosen for partnerships, the answer was simple: “Your social presence is everywhere.”
It’s not just about direct sales. TikTok creates brand gravity. It drives retail interest, improves search performance, and builds brand credibility.
And because platforms like TikTok Shop and Meta Shops show social proof metrics like “3,000 sold in the last 30 days,” success multiplies. Shoppers don’t want to be the first—they want to follow the crowd. Social selling gives you that crowd.
Social Commerce Isn’t Optional—It’s the Next Frontier for B2B
Distributors, manufacturers, and B2B ecommerce brands are often hesitant to embrace platforms like TikTok. But Brian made it clear:
“Your buyers are on social—whether you like it or not.”
Industrial ecommerce brands, automotive sellers, and wholesale ecommerce platforms are all seeing ROI from short-form content and creator engagement. And with Miva’s flexibility—including B2B ecommerce software solutions and integrated headless commerce—getting started is easier than ever.
FAQ
What is social selling in ecommerce?
It’s the use of influencer, creator, and short-form content to drive product discovery and purchases directly within social platforms like TikTok and Meta.
How is this different from running paid ads?
Social selling is organic and trust-driven. It’s about real people using products—not staged ad campaigns. Ads support it, but content drives it.
Is social selling only effective for B2C brands?
Not anymore. B2B buyers consume content the same way—they want social proof, ease of discovery, and emotionally engaging education.
Can Miva help connect my store to TikTok Shop or Meta Shops?
Yes. Miva offers API integrations, product feed syndication, and scalable ecommerce platform migration for modern social commerce.
How do I start with content-first commerce?
Research your competitors using tools like Fast Moss or Kaodata. Identify winning content and influencers. Build a creator brief. Start small and scale what works.
Final Thoughts: It’s Time to Get Off the Sidelines
Brian’s message was clear: The brands that embrace social selling now will win the next wave of ecommerce.
Whether you’re running an automotive ecommerce business or evaluating wholesale ecommerce platforms, TikTok offers something no other channel does: ubiquitous eyeballs and democratized reach.
“Social selling is the only thing that lets a $17M brand like mine go head-to-head with Fortune 500 companies,” Brian said. “That’s amazing.”
If you want your ecommerce platform to perform at its peak across content, catalog, and conversion—start where your customers already are. Start on TikTok.
Ready to build your social commerce strategy?
Explore our Guide for an Ecommerce Migration or discover our B2B Ecommerce Solutions.
Miva