How We Turned TikTok Into a Growth Channel

Diversifying Beyond Google

‍

Decorating Centre Online had already seen significant YoY growth through its Google Ads activity. Heading into 2026, we wanted to explore additional channels that could support and sustain this trajectory. This led us to identify TikTok Ads and TikTok Shop as opportunities to diversify acquisition and reach new customers.

‍

TikTok was a completely new acquisition channel for DCO, giving us the opportunity to test a new platform and introduce the brand and its products to a different audience. It also allowed us to explore how a traditionally search-led decorating brand could translate into a more visual, discovery-led environment.

‍

Rather than addressing a specific performance challenge, the opportunity here was to diversify DCO's acquisition mix and identify additional sources of incremental growth beyond its established Google activity.

Building a TikTok-Native Strategy

‍

We developed a TikTok Ads strategy alongside TikTok Shop, covering campaign strategy, account setup, product feed and catalogue setup and optimisation, audience targeting, and ongoing campaign optimisation.

‍

• Developed a TikTok strategy across Sales and Traffic campaigns, informed by existing product and channel performance.
• Built creative around strong TikTok-native hooks, with a mix of product, educational, trend-led and problem/solution content.
• Tailored campaigns and creative around seasonality and current decorating trends, including summer projects, colour trends and exterior painting.
• Used TikTok trends and creative insights to identify relevant content angles and opportunities.
• Continuously tested and optimised campaigns, creative and product focus based on performance learnings.

‍

The biggest change was introducing DCO to a completely new acquisition environment and adapting its existing product proposition for a TikTok-first audience. Rather than taking a traditional paid social approach, we focused heavily on the creative itself: developing strong hooks, trend-led concepts, educational content and product demonstrations designed to capture attention quickly and feel native to the platform. This was supported by TikTok Shop, giving customers a more direct route from discovering a product to purchasing it.

‍

We combined DCO's existing performance data with TikTok-specific insights. Product and brand performance across other channels helped us identify where there was already proven demand, while TikTok trends, creative tools and seasonal insights informed the content and messaging. This allowed us to build creative around what people were actively interested in, from summer decorating projects and exterior painting to colour trends and practical decorating advice, while still keeping the focus on products with a strong commercial opportunity.

‍

The strategy was designed to support DCO's continued YoY growth moving into 2026 by introducing a new acquisition channel, reaching new audiences, and creating an additional source of revenue.

Turning a New Channel Into Real Revenue

‍

Only direct performance data can prove whether a new channel is working. Here's what we saw:

‍

• ROAS grew 59%, with performance scaling well beyond the increase in budget
• Purchase value rose 60% while ad spend remained flat
• CPA dropped 24%

‍

The first month was primarily focused on learning and establishing a baseline. By the second month, we had gathered enough data to start making more informed optimisations, with months three and four showing a clear improvement in performance and stronger returns.

‍

The biggest takeaway was how quickly TikTok developed from a new channel with limited historical data into a meaningful source of incremental revenue. Performance strengthened considerably once the initial learning period had passed and we were able to optimise towards the products, audiences and creative approaches that were driving results.

‍

In just four months, we took DCO from having no established TikTok advertising strategy to building a high-performing new acquisition channel, generating strong returns and creating a new opportunity for continued growth.

What This Taught Us About Entering New Channels

‍

A new channel doesn't need to replicate the approach that works elsewhere. DCO already had strong-performing products and audiences identified through Google, but TikTok required us to translate those insights into a more visual, discovery-led strategy. Combining existing first-party performance data with platform-specific insights allowed us to enter the channel with a clear direction, while still giving the algorithm room to identify new opportunities.

‍

This is what sets our approach apart: we look beyond the channels already delivering results to identify new opportunities for growth. Rather than simply launching campaigns, we built the strategy, the TikTok Shop infrastructure and the paid activity together, using existing client data to inform decisions while adapting the approach to the new platform.

‍

The success of this initial test has demonstrated that TikTok can play a meaningful role within DCO's wider acquisition strategy. It provides a foundation for further investment in TikTok Ads and TikTok Shop, alongside continued testing of creative, products and audiences.