Shoppers stocking up on festive poultry this Christmas will soon be able to do so by scrolling TikTok, as the social media and e-commerce platform prepares to sell fresh and frozen turkeys for the first time.
From 1 October, TikTok Shop will be expanding its fresh food offer by taking pre-orders for Christmas turkeys via The Fat Butcher – a Newcastle-based online butcher and premium meat delivery service now selling nationwide through the platform.
The brand has become one of the top sellers in TikTok Shop’s fresh foods category since it first went live, just three weeks ago.
The festive launch will kick off with a 24-hour livestream giving TikTok Shop users exclusive early access to the turkeys ahead of a wider rollout via The Fat Butcher app and in-store later in the year.
Turkeys will be delivered in iced, temperature-controlled packaging, with frozen delivery options also allowing customers to prepare ahead. Hampers of other seasonal meats including beef, pigs in blankets and gammon will also be available.
TikTok gets fresh
Announced as part of TikTok Shop’s Black Friday promotions, the move reflects the platform’s broader push into food retail. TikTok’s own data highlights the potential: around 50% of users who engage with grocery-related content take action, while festive food and drink sales rose by 55% in the weeks leading to Christmas last year.
“The future is fresh,” said TikTok head of fmcg Matt Beane. “Food is big business on TikTok Shop, and it explodes in the run-up to Christmas.
”We’re giving families across the UK a new way to do the festive food shop and most importantly, supporting local British butchers, discovering products in a whole new way – and having it all delivered fresh, with just a few taps.”
Darren Fenton, founder of The Fat Butcher, said the move would allow shoppers to avoid ”huge queues at the butchers and meat selling out ahead of time”.
TikTok Shop has been steadily gaining ground in the food and drink space as it becomes an increasingly mainstream channel for consumers.
In February this year, Lidl became the first supermarket to sell through TikTok Shop, with a range of high-protein products for gym users, which sold out in minutes.
However, the platform has also faced scrutiny. In June, Allergy UK urged consumers with allergies to “abstain from buying any food or drink from TikTok sellers” after the BBC revealed food was being sold on the platform without the legally required allergen warnings. At the time, TikTok said it was “committed to providing a safe and trustworthy shopping experience” and continued to review its food seller policies.
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