The Complete Procedure for Designing a New Sales Channel: Partnering with Creators with Under 5,000 Followers to Aggregate and Sell

TikTok Shop is a new sales channel that companies with few followers should consider. Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's protein brand, "The Protein," partnered with creators who had fewer than 5,000 followers and surpassed 10,000 units sold on TikTok Shop. I will explain the design procedure for this new "aggregate and sell" sales channel that small e-commerce businesses can start imitating today.

I often hear people say, "Selling on social media is a game for companies with many followers." To conclude, this premise has already collapsed.

Today, I will discuss the design procedure for a new sales channel based on a case study of selling 10,000 units on TikTok Shop without relying on follower counts.

With Mall Dependency and Soaring Advertising Costs, There Is a Shortage of New "Gathering Places"

First, let's start by organizing the situation. Many e-commerce companies rely on two methods for customer acquisition: in-mall search and performance-based advertising.

Competition for both has become intense, and the cost of acquiring new customers continues to rise.

The problem here is the lack of a third customer acquisition channel. Many companies give up, saying, "I want to sell on social media, but it's impossible because my company account has few followers."

A case study that shatters this assumption was featured in this week's industry newspaper.

Source: Nihon Net Keizai Shimbun "[E-commerce Business Performing Well] Takeuchi Pharmaceutical, Previous Fiscal Year Sales Exceed 5 Billion Yen, 'TikTok Shop' Contributes to Revenue Growth" / https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/19534

TikTok Shop is a young sales channel that only fully launched in Japan on June 30, 2025.
That young channel has grown to a scale where it is cited as a "revenue contributor" in the financial results of a company with over 5 billion yen in sales.

Why You Should Consider Entering Now, Even with Zero Followers

Next, let's consider what happens if you leave it alone.
Algorithm-based sales channels like TikTok Shop determine exposure based on "per-video reactions" rather than follower assets.

In other words, the later you enter, the more competitor videos and data will have accumulated, increasing the learning costs for latecomers.
Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's protein brand, "The Protein," took advantage of this characteristic early on.

Source: Nihon Net Keizai Shimbun "Takeuchi Pharmaceutical, Protein 'The Protein' Surpasses 10,000 Units Sold on TikTok Shop" / https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/17820

That is 10,000 units for a single brand on a channel that has been fully operational for less than a year.
Note that the article is based on Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's announcement and includes a note that AI was used in production.

While the figures should be read with that premise in mind, the strategic design philosophy is well worth learning.

Three Designs Learned from "The Protein" That Do Not Rely on Follower Counts

So, how should you design it?
The article details specific tactics with figures.

Source: Nihon Net Keizai Shimbun "Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's Protein 'THE PRO' Surpasses 10,000 Units Sold on TikTok Shop" / https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/17820

The first part of the design was reversing the criteria for partners.
Instead of famous influencers, we approach small creators with fewer than 5,000 followers.

Source: Nihon Net Keizai Shimbun "Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's Protein 'THE PRO' Surpasses 10,000 Units Sold on TikTok Shop" / https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/17820

Out of about 400 approaches, 40 became videos.
In other words, the design is based on a 10% hit rate, competing on the total number.

The second part of the design is the idea of not entrusting sales to a single hit video, but rather preparing a large volume to win through probability.

The third part of the design is having the foundation of the core business as the base for the sales channel.

Takeuchi Pharmaceutical's composition is about 65% EC and 35% OEM, and President Yuto Ogura explains that the growth in OEM is supported by the accumulation of repeat business from existing customers.

Source: Nihon Net Keizai Shimbun "[EC Business is Strong] Takeuchi Pharmaceutical, Previous Term Sales Over 5 Billion Yen, 'TikTok Shop' Contributes to Revenue Growth" / https://netkeizai.com/articles/detail/19534

The challenge of a new sales channel is something you can only take on boldly if you have a foundation solidified by repeat business.
It is one funnel that includes the exit design of guiding new customers gathered on TikTok Shop to repeat purchases through CRM.

A move you can make starting today: Create a list of 10 small creators

Finally, here is a move you can make starting today.
There are three steps.

First, list 10 creators with fewer than 5,000 followers who would likely actually use your product.

Second, without providing a script, create a request message saying, "We will send you the product, so please introduce it as you feel it." Natural posts are the material that the algorithm evaluates.

Third, prepare one initial follow-up email to send to new customers who purchased on TikTok Shop. Even if the place where you gather them is new, the principle of nurturing them into repeat customers after gathering them remains the same.

Gather by volume, nurture with CRM. This is the design for collecting and selling starting from zero followers.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Entering TikTok Shop

Q1. Can our company sell even with a small account?
A. In the case of Takeuchi Pharmaceutical, the starting point was not the company's own follower count, but videos from small creators and diffusion by the algorithm.

Q2. How many requests to creators are necessary?
A. According to the company's announcement, there were 40 posts from approximately 400 approaches. It is realistic to design your sample size based on a response rate of about 10%.

Q3. What should be done after selling on TikTok Shop?
A. CRM design that leads new customers to repeat purchases. The company also cites the accumulation of repeat business as a pillar of their revenue growth.

Summary

TikTok Shop is a new sales channel where success is determined by the reaction to individual videos rather than follower assets.

Takeuchi Pharmaceutical sold 10,000 units through a design of small creators × sample size × algorithm, and grew it to contribute to their financial revenue growth.

In terms of the funnel, it is a form of adding one entrance for [prospects → new customers] and catching them with a foundation of repeat business.

Who are the 10 people who will talk about your product exactly as they feel?