From TikTok to TJ Maxx: How Skimpies Rewrote the DTC Playbook

Most mid-sized Shopify brands follow a well-worn roadmap: launch DTC, scale through paid ads, then aim for Sephora or Target. Skimpies didn’t get the memo. The TikTok-native brand just made its first national retail appearance—not at a luxury boutique, but at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, signaling a bold new approach to DTC growth (Modern Retail).

This isn’t just an offbeat expansion move. It’s a calculated shift—and a signal to DTC founders that the rules are changing.

TikTok Shop Was the Launchpad

Skimpies, which sells organic peel-and-stick panty liners for leggings, found its breakout moment not in a CPM dashboard, but on TikTok. One viral video by founder Bette Bentley hit nearly 6 million views. Thousands of orders followed—before the brand even integrated TikTok Shop (Modern Retail).

Once integrated, Bentley’s daily livestreams drove 10x month-over-month sales growth by March, entirely without paid ads.

This aligns with broader platform trends. In 2025, TikTok Shop U.S. sales rose 120% year-over-year, with 83% of users discovering products and 76% buying directly through livestreams (TikTok Newsroom).

Still, Skimpies’ early wins highlight what happens when authentic content meets real-time selling.

Bentley didn’t rely on Facebook ads or a subscription model. Instead, she built the “Skimpies Sisters” community through consistent livestreams and founder-led storytelling. But even with momentum, relying solely on livestreams created friction—so she pivoted again.

Off-Price Retail: From Taboo to Tactic

For years, DTC brands quietly dumped inventory into off-price retailers—never marketing it, never owning it. Bentley flipped that playbook.

Skimpies launched a limited drop at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, openly promoting it like a TikTok event. The result? Fans went hunting, sharing haul videos, and treating in-store finds like treasure (Modern Retail).

Consumer behavior supports the move. Gen Z and millennial shoppers drove 6% sales growth at TJX in 2023, thanks in part to TikTok-driven foot traffic (PYMNTS).

“The stigma around off-price has faded,” says Katie Thomas of the Kearney Consumer Institute (Modern Retail).

Skimpies treated retail like content—creating scarcity, FOMO, and brand visibility in a space most founders avoid.

Omnichannel Isn’t a Channel Strategy. It’s a Mindset.

Bentley didn’t pivot from DTC to retail—she blended them. TikTok created discovery. TJ Maxx extended access. Each channel complemented the other.

This is what omnichannel 2.0 looks like: not just being “where your customers are,” but designing channel moves around behavior.

Founders can borrow the move. Livestreams create hype. Off-price drops reduce friction. SMS recovery tools like LiveRecover close the loop for window shoppers who abandon carts mid-funnel.

It’s not about selling everywhere—it’s about owning every moment in the buyer’s journey.

What Skimpies Teaches Every DTC Brand

Skimpies isn’t a fluke—it’s a fast case study in DTC adaptation.

Here’s what founders should extract:

• Don’t overindex on paid: TikTok organic reach can outperform ad-heavy growth plans (Nik Sharma)

Are you ready to tap into the explosive growth of TikTok Shopping? | Nik Sharma

Are you ready to tap into the explosive growth of TikTok Shopping? Let's dive into this game-changing platform and uncover insights from one of the brightest minds in social commerce, Huong Lien, head of marketing at CreatoRev Agency. Since its launch, CreatoRev has collaborated with over 1,000 creators, helping them earn more than $7M in commissions by driving $48M in GMV for brands on TikTok Shop (TTS). With TikTok boasting 1.9 billion global users and a projected $17.5 billion in GMV for 2024, this is a goldmine you can't ignore. Here's what you need to know to get started and succeed on TikTok Shop in 2024: TikTok Shop Basics There are three main ways to sell on TikTok Shop: 1. Live Shopping: Pin products during a live stream. 2. Shoppable Videos: Include product links in in-feed videos. 3. Product Showcases: Set up a shop within the TikTok app. From April 1, 2024, TikTok's referral fee will be 8%, reflecting its growing value. As a creator, you only need 1K followers to join the TTS Affiliate Program. Brands need to register, provide business details, and comply with TikTok's guidelines, which can take 1-3 months. Top Performing Categories Beauty, fashion, and cosmetics are leading the charge. High AOV and luxury items are less common but watch for changes as the platform evolves. Winning Content Strategies 1. Respond to Comments: Use viewer comments as prompts for new videos. This interaction can boost engagement and sales. 2. Dramatic Transformation: Showcase before-and-after scenarios with a strong hook in the first few seconds. 3. Livestream Shopping: Take advantage of the live-streaming trend. Note the 48-hour attribution window for conversions. Tips for Creators 1. Separate Selling Accounts: Create a dedicated account for affiliate content. 2. Strategic Affiliations: Choose smaller, relevant products to promote instead of just top-selling items. Tips for Brands 1. Expand Revenue Channels: TikTok Shop can add a new revenue stream without cannibalizing existing sales channels. 2. Respect Creators: Don’t spam creators with affiliate requests. A polite, respectful approach works best. 3. Leverage Brand Recognition: Both large and niche brands can succeed on TTS. 4. Act Early: Major brands like Nike and Victoria's Secret are already on TikTok Shop. Be an early adopter to capture underpriced attention and boost sales. The future of commerce is social, and TikTok Shop is at the forefront. Sound off in the comments and let me know how you’re using TikTok Shop! | 13 comments on LinkedIn

LinkedInNik Sharma

• Own the off-price conversation: Treat retail like a brand-builder, not a liquidation channel
• Think event-based: Bentley made every drop feel like a live product moment
• Community > CRM: The “Skimpies Sisters” aren’t just email subscribers—they’re advocates
• Adapt your channel mix fast: Performance marketing is not enough (Eli Weiss)

“Performance marketing is not enough to build a business.”
—Cherene Aubert, SVP Ecom at Ilia Beauty (via Eli Weiss)

Final Word: Community > Conventions

Sean Frank called 2024 the “DTC winter”, but brands like Skimpies are proving that winter can still be harvest season—for founders willing to adapt.

I just talked to a TOP sell side M&A firm. | Sean Frank

I just talked to a TOP sell side M&A firm. 120 deals a year, just closed a 6 billion dollar deal. They flat out told me- "DTC is a 4 letter word right now" Shitty SPACs and failed IPOs have destroyed investor interest in consumer. But- has anyone actually ran the numbers? Lets break down consumer IPO returns from 2020 until now: First, I do not recommend buying one off stocks. This is my hobby and isnt advice. Second, the rules: Must be a CPG company- no restaurants. Must have listed after 3/1/2020. We want covid ZIRP SPACs and IPOs. lets do the winners. Its a shorter list. But what consumer stocks, if bought at listing (either IPO or SPAC) since 2020-now actually performed well? The best performing stock I found was actually a sleeper... Vita Coco is actually UP since IPO. Its trading at a 32x P/E (more than google) But it is actually UP A LOT!!! 2xing a consumer stock since covid puts them in rare air. Now, how about the good performers? Stocks that are actually UP since going public? Amer Sports (owner of Arc'teryx, salomon, and Wilson) is up 80% since IPO Oddity is up 45%, ON is up 40%, Birkenstock is somehwere between them at 40-45% Hims closed their first day of trading on 1/21/21 at $17. They would have been second on the list when I started researching this. But now they are probably first? stock just shot the fuck up So add hims to the winners Okay... Thats the winners lol Look, this isnt an exhausted list. I do this for fun and for free. So if I missed a high performing, consumer/CPG company that IPOed/listed after Covid... Please tell me! But now lets look at the underperfomers: Allbirds (duh), down 99% Solo stove (duh) prob a full blown ZERO Oatly down 97% Olaplex down 94% Figs down 85% Honest co down 75% Grove collaborative down 98% Torrid down 80% Black Rifle down 89% Warby Pasrker down 70% BARK down 90% AKA brands down 94% We could keep going. There are a few dozen -20% to break even deals. Thorn supplements comes to mind. SPAC, traded down 40%, taken private. Same thing happened to Casper. As a category, if you just bought the "New consumer brand Index" you would probably be down 70% on average. This is the problem in the consumer M&A market. The public market is closed because when it was open, the brands didnt perform. And they are just sitting there... They need to be taken private so the hard work can began. New brands cant go out until their bodies are removed from the stock market floor. No one wants to buy a brand for 10-15x EBITDA, when the ultimate buyer, the public market, is littered with 90% declines, just staring you in the face. PREDICTON: M&A for consumer stays frozen for 18-24 more months. By EOY you see the trashmen come and start clean up on the public market. Take privates, bankruptcies, and strip sales. Then, a few great brands IPO and start rebuilding trust. First big IPOs in Q1 2026. By Q4 2026 we are back selling brands like the good old days (2019, not 2021 lol) | 11 comments on LinkedIn

LinkedInSean Frank

Bentley’s move from TikTok to TJ Maxx wasn’t a retreat. It was a creative leap.

As she put it:

“Sometimes you just go with your gut.” —Modern Retail

And for the new generation of DTC operators, the real playbook might be the one you haven’t written yet.

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