TikTok Showcases Platform's Growing Impact on U.S. Small Businesses

TikTok has released fresh insights into the platform's impact on U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), sharing the findings during a Small Business Month showcase event. The company met with a range of SMB owners in New York to highlight the app's expanding opportunities, with a particular focus on how New York-based businesses have achieved success on the platform.

According to research conducted by GlobalData, TikTok reported that two-thirds of U.S. TikTok Shop users have discovered a new brand on the platform. The data also indicates that small businesses with annual revenues under $15 million benefit the most from TikTok discovery.

In a statement, TikTok said: “From early experimentation to breakout momentum, TikTok gives small businesses the opportunity to scale by reaching millions of people across the U.S. In fact, searches for ‘small business’ increased 479% during Q1 2026. And 89% of SMBs say their sales increased after promoting their businesses on TikTok.”

The research also revealed several key statistics:

• Seventy-two percent of brands newly discovered by TikTok Shop users in the past year are small businesses.
• Eight out of 10 TikTok Shop users said they discovered more small brands since they started using the platform.
• Fifty-seven percent of users bought something from the new brand they discovered within days of discovery, while 90% made a purchase within a month.

TikTok noted that TikTok Shop merchants represent a new generation of business owners who use creativity, authenticity, and community-driven storytelling to grow their brands. The company emphasized the importance of genuine engagement, stating: “When brands show up to advertise and genuinely engage, they become part of the cultural conversation that drives purchase decisions: in fact, 73% of users said they feel a deeper connection to brands they engage with on TikTok, and 81% said the platform helps them discover new topics and trends they didn't know they liked.”

TikTok added that this discovery creates a compounding effect: “45% of users continue searching on TikTok after finding something new, extending the window of engagement well beyond a single interaction.”

These findings, according to TikTok, underscore the platform's rising value for U.S. small businesses. Combined with its evolving artificial intelligence-powered advertising tools, TikTok appears to be providing more opportunities for individuals to turn passion projects into viable careers.