How Neuro Gum scaled to $26M on TikTok Shop

Neuro’s playbook for success (A TikTok Shop case study)

I. Who is Neuro, and what are the numbers behind their growth?

Neuro is a nootropic gum and mint brand founded by Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen in 2015, first gaining traction through Indiegogo’s platform. They later expanded into Amazon and DTC, steadily building their presence before landing on Shark Tank during the COVID era, which gave them a major visibility boost.

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Fast forward to January 20, 2024—Neuro officially launched on TikTok Shop, with sales beginning to take off in July 2024. Since then, their growth has skyrocketed.

Key numbers since their launch on TikTok Shop:

• Total Sales Volume: 599.9K units
• Gross Merchandise Value (GMV): $26.3M
• Number of Products: 11
• Total Videos Featuring Neuro Products: 55.3K
• Live Shopping Sessions Conducted: 8.3K

Their best-selling product on TikTok Shop is Neuro Energy Caffeine Mints, which was first introduced on the platform in June 2024—aligning with their sales acceleration.

Now, their total monthly revenue is $7M across all platforms, with TikTok Shop contributing an average of $3.32M per month over the last six months.

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II. Winning strategy: What sets them apart?

TikTok Shop launch strategy: slow build, then scale – Neuro officially joined TikTok Shop on January 20, 2024, but their sales didn’t take off immediately. Instead of rushing into promotions, they focused on testing, optimizing, and refining their approach.

By July 2024, their TikTok Shop sales began accelerating, proving the value of patience and iteration.

Retail for trust, social commerce for revenue – While they expanded into Whole Foods and CVS to build legitimacy, Amazon, DTC, and TikTok Shop became a major revenue driver.

Branding is key – Their strong branding, competitive pricing, and refined product positioning made purchasing easy, eliminating hesitation for consumers. Neuro Gum created a category of one: the nootropic gum.

Co-founder Kent Yoshimura’s advice: "When starting, act like you’re already on top. Branding is everything. Establish a great product, great branding, and then create great marketing."

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III. Takeaways for brands

✓ Press = credibility – Strategic media outreach before launch helped Neuro gain consumer trust instantly. They contacted all journalists talking about nootropics before their launch in 2015.
✓ Live shopping fuels conversions – Their 8.3K live sessions have driven massive engagement and impulse purchases.
✓ Multi-channel strategy builds authority – TikTok drives revenue, while retail partnerships provide social proof.
✓ Frictionless shopping wins – Their strong branding, storytelling, and price point removed consumer hesitation.

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IV. The future: What’s next?

They’re aiming to dominate the gum and mint industry.

They already outsell the energy drink category on Amazon.

Their next targets? Gum, then mints, then confectionery categories.

Long-term goal: Become a household name in the industry.

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Neuro’s TikTok Shop journey is proving that smart branding, credibility-building, and seamless shopping experiences create unstoppable momentum.

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Sources:​
​https://www.outfront.com/blog/chew-on-this-neuro-gum-social-out-of-home-success
​​https://subscribe.moementum.co/p/how-this-gum-brand-made-1m-in-30-days
​​https://www.businessinsider.com/how-college-friends-built-company-seven-figure-energy-gum-neuro-2023-3​https://www.gloda.vip/en/analysis/shop/detail/7495157708248680579

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