How to choose a TikTok Shop agency in the UK
1. Are you a registered TikTok Shop Partner?
Partners work directly with TikTok's ecommerce team, which helps when you need a category approved, a policy clarified or a problem escalated. Ask to see the partner listing rather than a logo on a slide.
Pear's answer: yes. Pear is a registered TikTok Shop Partner, recognised by TikTok as a top five TikTok Shop Partner for FMCG.
2. What will you measure, and how often will we see it?
A good report leads with sales, meaning GMV, orders, conversion and return on ad spend. If a proposal leads with views and engagement, ask how those turn into revenue.
Pear's answer: we agree sales targets for day 30, 60 and 90 at kick-off, send a weekly update on your key numbers and hold a monthly business review.
3. Who will work on our account each day?
Ask for roles and names, and how many other brands each person looks after. The person who sold you the work is often not the person who does it.
Pear's answer: a shop strategist who leads your account and an affiliate manager who runs your creators, with a LIVE manager added when LIVE starts.
4. How do you find creators, and how many actually post?
A large creator network means little on its own. Ask how many creators posted videos for recent clients, how creators are vetted and what happens when a creator takes a sample and does not post.
Pear's answer: we start with creators already selling similar products, including those selling for competitors, then our own creator database and Lumo, our creator matching software. We approve sample requests daily against criteria you agree and follow up until each video is posted.
5. What happens if commission alone does not attract creators?
For a new shop it often will not. A good agency has a plan for stepping up incentives and a rule for when to do it, rather than promising that commission will be enough.
Pear's answer: we start with samples and commission, then add bonuses, competitions or paid videos if response is below target.
6. When would you start spending on ads, and how will you judge them?
Spending on GMV Max before you have content that sells usually wastes budget. Ask how the agency works out a break-even return for your products and whether it measures the sales ads add, not only what the platform reports.
Pear's answer: ads start once enough creator content shows what sells, which for most brands is not the first month. We work out your break-even return from your unit costs, agree a target in writing, run campaigns in your own Ads Manager and test incrementality with regular holdouts.
7. How do you keep creators and listings within our claims?
This matters most in supplements, beauty and food, where a single unsupported claim can cost a listing or a shop's standing.
Pear's answer: every listing and brief uses only claims you have approved in writing, and we review creator content before we put any budget behind it.
8. What will you need from us?
Good agencies are clear about the client's side, including access, stock, samples, approvals and decisions. Delays on your side slow results, so it helps to know the list up front.
Pear's answer: access to your TikTok Shop and related accounts, product and stock information, approval of claims and prices, and quick sign-off on decisions.
9. How long until we see results?
Be wary of anyone who promises a sales figure. Ask what the first 30, 60 and 90 days look like and what has to be true for growth to start.
Pear's answer: the first month is mostly foundations and creator recruitment, and growth usually builds from month two or three as creator content builds up.
10. Can we see results from brands like ours?
Ask for case studies with figures and a time period, and check them against the agency's own published pages.
Pear's answer: our case studies are published at peargrowth.com/case-studies. For example, Vita Bright went from a cold start to £43,160 in revenue in 60 days, with 2,558 orders and 2,309 new customers (read the case study).
Agency or in-house?
An agency suits brands that need shop management, creators, LIVE and ads running at once and do not yet have people who can own each of them every day. An in-house team makes sense once TikTok Shop is a large, steady channel and you can hire for each role. Many brands start with an agency and bring some of the work in-house later.
When Pear is not the right fit
We tell brands early when we are not the right choice. That is usually when the shop has an open serious violation, when products sit in a restricted category with no route to approval, when margins on the hero products do not leave a profit after platform fees, commission and ad costs, or when a brand needs a guaranteed sales figure before starting.
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