As TikTok Shop continues to reshape how consumers discover and purchase products, toy brands are finding new opportunities to connect with audiences through short-form video, creator partnerships and live shopping. Steve Rad, CEO of Abacus Brands, has become a go-to resource for brands looking to navigate the platform, bringing his firsthand experience, product knowledge and natural on-camera personality to make live shopping fun and engaging for consumers. He has hosted livestreams featuring HoloToyz Barbie Magic Style Studio and other Abacus products, Regrettable Games and other Radical Games partners, and outside brands like Sticki Rolls and Pudgy Penguins, including one stream that ran for 12 hours. Participating brands have also joined in through product placement, giveaways and cameos. Along the way, Rad has shown how the right mix of product storytelling, entertainment and audience engagement can turn viewers into shoppers.

Now, Rad and the Abacus Brands team are taking that experience a step further. At this year's Chicago Toy & Game Fair (ChiTAG), Steve will host a TikTok Shop LIVE event, inviting toy brands to participate at no cost and showcase their products through live demonstrations to consumers beyond the show floor. We caught up with Steve to discuss where TikTok Shop is headed, what toy brands need to know and why social commerce deserves a place in the industry's retail strategy.

Where do you see the most growth on the TikTok Shop platform?

I think the biggest opportunity is in product discovery, particularly for products that benefit from being demonstrated. TikTok Shop gives brands the ability to put a product directly in front of consumers, show them how it works and give them a reason to purchase without ever leaving the platform. That's a pretty significant shift in how people shop.

For the toy industry, this is especially interesting because toys are naturally visual and interactive. You can show gameplay, demonstrate a feature, capture a reaction or give people a sense of what makes a product different. A good video can communicate something that would be difficult to get across with a product image or traditional advertisement. The brands that understand how to turn that discovery into a purchase have a real opportunity.

What about marketing on the platform?

You have to approach TikTok differently than traditional digital marketing. You can't just take an existing commercial, put it on TikTok and expect it to perform. The content needs to feel native to the platform. It needs to entertain, demonstrate or give someone a reason to stop scrolling. 

I also think brands need to get comfortable with a less controlled approach to marketing. Creators have their own personalities and audiences, and sometimes the best-performing content isn't the most polished. It's the content that feels authentic and gets people talking. Brands need to give creators a clear understanding of the product and its selling points, but also allow them the freedom to communicate in their own way. The creator then becomes a part of the brand. And the interesting part is that we are seeing consumers return time and time again to see the creator just as much as the products, which is a clear indication of brand building in real time. 

What trends are you seeing?

We're seeing the creator and affiliate ecosystem become a much bigger part of the conversation. Brands are no longer relying exclusively on their own social accounts to generate awareness and sales. They're building networks of creators who can introduce products to audiences the brand may not otherwise reach.

We're also seeing the importance of short-form video as a discovery tool, with livestream shopping providing another opportunity to demonstrate products and interact directly with consumers. Bundles, exclusive offerings and products that have a strong visual or demonstration component can also work particularly well.

One thing that stands out to me is how quickly a product can gain traction when the right creator connects with the right audience. With HoloToyz Barbie Magic Style Studio, for example, we had more than 800 affiliates join during the first week. That kind of response shows how quickly the creator ecosystem can expand a product's reach.

Are you seeing a cross-channel sales lift as a result of TikTok Shop activity?

Absolutely, although it's important to understand that not every purchase influenced by TikTok happens on TikTok Shop. Someone might discover a product through a creator's video, watch a few more demonstrations, and ultimately purchase it on Amazon or at Target. The platform can create demand with a halo effect that carries over into other retail channels.

This is one of the reasons I think brands need to look at TikTok Shop as part of their overall commerce strategy rather than evaluating it only by the sales generated directly on the platform. You should be looking at the bigger picture, including product searches, engagement, traffic to other retail partners and overall sell-through. Attribution can be tricky, but the influence is real.

How difficult is it to keep viewers engaged during a TikTok Shop livestream?

It's the hardest part of livestreaming, and it's harder than people might think. You can't approach a livestream like a traditional product presentation where you introduce the product, explain the features and move on. People are constantly entering and leaving the stream, so you have to be prepared to repeat key information while keeping the experience interesting for the people who are already watching.

The host is incredibly important. They need to understand the product, demonstrate it naturally, respond to questions and keep the energy moving. With toys and games, you have an advantage because you can actually show the product in action. You can play the game, demonstrate how something works or bring another person into the experience. The livestream should feel like entertainment first and a sales opportunity second. If viewers are having fun, they're much more likely to stick around. For us, that means building a variety show rather than just a shopping channel. We layer in a specific cadence of auctions, giveaways, flash sales, contests, games and product demos, and we train our hosts to manage that flow.

That's also why we're bringing this experience to ChiTAG. We'll be hosting a TikTok Shop LIVE from the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, giving participating brands the opportunity to showcase their products through live demonstrations to an audience well beyond the show floor.

Is it too late to jump into TikTok Shop for this holiday season?

No, but I would be realistic about what you can accomplish. There is still an opportunity to get products in front of consumers this holiday season, particularly if you have a strong product, inventory available and the ability to move quickly.

I wouldn't recommend trying to launch an entire catalog at this point. Identify a few products with the strongest visual appeal and clearest selling proposition. Get the shop set up, make sure the product listings and fulfillment are ready, and start working with creators who can produce content quickly.

For brands that aren't quite ready to build their own TikTok Shop program, there are also opportunities to participate in established shopping events. At ChiTAG, for example, we're inviting toy brands to participate in our TikTok Shop LIVE at no cost. It's a way to get products in front of consumers during a key holiday shopping window, demonstrate what makes them special and experience live social commerce without having to build the entire operation themselves.

What can small brands do today to get set up and maximize their exposure on the platform?

Start by keeping it simple. Choose one or two products that are easy to demonstrate and have a compelling reason for someone to buy them. Make sure your product listings are complete, your pricing is competitive, your inventory is available and your fulfillment process is ready. The operational side is just as important as the marketing.

Then start building relationships with creators. You don't need to work with hundreds of influencers right away. Find creators whose audiences make sense for your product and give them a reason to want to talk about it. Consider offering a competitive affiliate commission and make it easy for them to access product information, samples and content ideas.

Most importantly, test and learn. Look at which videos generate engagement, which creators drive conversions and what questions consumers are asking. You don't need a massive budget to get started, but you do need to be consistent and willing to adjust your approach.

What advice do you have for the toy industry when it comes to TikTok Shop?

Don't dismiss it as another social media trend or assume it's only relevant to beauty, fashion or lifestyle products. Toys and games have some natural advantages on this platform. They're visual, they're fun to demonstrate, and they create opportunities for genuine reactions and interaction.

At the same time, brands need to recognize that having a great product isn't enough. You need a strategy for how that product gets discovered, who is going to tell its story and what will make someone want to purchase it. The toy industry has spent years developing products for retail shelves, but now we also need to think about how those products translate to a screen. What is the hook? What makes someone stop scrolling? Can you demonstrate the play pattern in 15 or 30 seconds?

My advice is to experiment now, learn the platform and find ways to participate even if you're not ready to invest in a full program. That's part of the thinking behind our ChiTAG initiative. We're opening up our TikTok Shop LIVE to other toy brands, giving them a chance to participate, showcase their products and see firsthand how live shopping works. The more the industry experiments with this channel, the better positioned we'll all be as social commerce continues to evolve.

What TikTok Shop services does Steve Rad/Abacus Brands provide to other toy brands?

We've spent a lot of time learning what works on TikTok Shop through our own brands and products, and we've seen firsthand how important it is to connect the product, the content and the commerce strategy. We want to bring that experience to other toy companies that recognize the opportunity but may not have the internal resources or expertise to build a program themselves. We know this isn't easy for brands to do on their own. We've invested in a studio in Los Angeles with eight staff hosts who rotate across brands, and more than $400,000 in equipment, including fiber infrastructure so we can livestream without interruption. We run multiple channels at once, including Spanish-language feeds, and with TikTok's headquarters nearby in Culver City, their team comes over to consult with us on our live feeds.

Our approach is to look at the entire process, from identifying the right products and developing the positioning to building a creator and affiliate strategy, developing content, supporting livestream opportunities and helping brands understand how to turn engagement into sales. It's not simply about getting a product listed on TikTok Shop. It's about creating a program that gives the product a reason to be discovered and purchased.

We're also looking for ways to make the platform more accessible to brands. We're giving other toy companies the opportunity to participate on our own channels, while hosting live product demonstrations and featuring participating brands across our shopping channels. It's a chance to experience the platform, reach new consumers and learn what live shopping can do for their products.

We understand the toy business, product development, retail and what makes a product commercially viable. That experience, combined with what we're learning firsthand in social commerce, gives us a unique perspective. We see an opportunity to help other brands navigate the platform and build a business there rather than simply chasing a viral moment. Beyond ChiTAG, brands that want a permanent, long-term TikTok Shop program can hire our team directly, and some brands are already booking slots for 2027.

Where can toy brands interested in participating in the Abacus Brands TikTok Shop LIVE at ChiTAG learn more?

Brands can learn more and apply on our website. If you aren't exhibiting at ChiTAG this year, you can still fill out the application to be considered for future TikTok Shop LIVE streams with Abacus Brands. Brands looking for a long-term TikTok Shop partner can use the same form to reach the Abacus team directly:

https://www.abacusbrands.com/pages/chitag-2026-tiktok-shop-live-application