Why telehealth provider Wisp is the first brand of its kind on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop made a buzzy U.S. debut nearly two years ago, luring shoppers and sellers with steep discounts and the promise of overnight virality. The platform quickly gained a reputation as a marketplace for bargain goods, while most established brands kept their distance.
But that perception has shifted, and bigger companies are betting that TikTok’s social shopping dominance will grow in the U.S. One of them is the telehealth brand Wisp, which launched on TikTok Shop Tuesday, becoming the first women’s health company to sell goods on the social commerce platform.
The move signals larger businesses are taking TikTok Shop seriously as a retail channel, not just a marketing tool. With more than 1.5 million U.S. customers, the presence of Wisp, the largest women’s telehealth platform in the country, adds an air of legitimacy to TikTok Shop’s commerce ambitions. Founded in 2018, Wisp started out by mailing prescriptions and over-the-counter treatments for conditions like yeast infections, herpes and bacterial vaginosis directly to patients’ homes. Wisp has since expanded beyond this direct-to-consumer pharmacy model into diagnostics, weight care, at-home testing and more. Wisp provides care for patients in all 50 states.
Wisp’s TikTok Shop debut is also a positive indicator that brands aren’t betting on the app disappearing anytime soon, despite the threat of a U.S. ban. (President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to comply with the divest-or-ban law to Sept. 17, and is prepared to delay it further if a deal remains out of reach.)
For Wisp, selling over-the-counter goods on TikTok Shop is a way to accelerate the company’s growth strategy. A year ago, Wisp said its business was generating revenue at an annual pace of about $80 million, growing nearly 70% on average each year over the past four years. Wisp declined to share updated metrics, but a spokesperson said the company has remained profitable. Wisp told Axios last year that it had aspirations of one day going public, similar to peers like Hims & Hers — a signal of its ambitions to scale. Entering TikTok Shop ahead of the holiday season fits into that growth playbook.
TikTok has been a successful marketing channel for Wisp since the company joined the platform in 2021. The company has amassed more than 100,000 followers on the app and has worked with dozens of influencers to build awareness around sexual and reproductive health. Many of its videos have gone viral on the platform, racking up millions of views. But until now, those campaigns stopped short of enabling a purchase directly in the app.
Modern Retail spoke with Wisp CEO Monica Cepak about why the company is betting on TikTok Shop, how it’s working with TikTok to navigate content restrictions on the platform and what consumers can expect from Wisp on the shopping app. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What inspired Wisp to join TikTok Shop, especially with the threat of a potential ban in the U.S.?
“We’re less worried about the ban. Ultimately, it comes down to consumer consumption patterns, finding consumers and patients where they’re already seeking broader information on women’s health. The ease of a platform like TikTok is very compelling, in that you have short-form video content that can effectively communicate the value proposition. And being able to purchase that product with just a double click of your phone is huge. More and more consumers are looking for that fast e-commerce experience.”
How was Wisp using TikTok before joining TikTok Shop?
“We’ve leaned very heavily into TikTok as both a brand awareness and acquisition channel. We partner with a number of different influencers who produce content for us as a means of educating communities on the value of women’s sexual and reproductive health care services. We also put paid dollars behind those videos to broaden our footprint. We have over 100,000 followers on TikTok — it’s significantly larger than Instagram, at this point.”
How significant is TikTok in Wisp’s overall marketing strategy?
“TikTok is a top-three marketing channel for us. While I can’t share the exact percentage of our budget, it’s a major focus.”
What challenges have you faced with restrictions on sexual health content?
“A lot of our content gets restricted. Posts get denied, ads get rejected. Up until two months ago, we weren’t allowed to promote any content related to herpes medication. This year, we became the first brand nationally to run paid content on TikTok around the value of prescription treatments in helping a patient with their herpes outbreaks. Female sexual health and arousal products still aren’t allowed — while men’s erectile dysfunction ads are. We consistently put pressure on TikTok to do something about that, because it really is unacceptable.
We’ve made progress with the TikTok team — the herpes approval this year was significant, because it’s such a prevalent condition. But there’s still a lot of work to do. It’s unfair that erectile dysfunction ads can run, but we can’t advertise our OMG cream, which is like prescription-strength female Viagra. For every win, there are months or years of conversations to get there.”
What were some of the hurdles in getting onto TikTok Shop?
“It’s taken about four months of planning across the organization to get it live. There are a lot of logistics involved with our pharmacy partners on the fulfillment side, and we needed to have content ready to go. We wanted to launch before the holidays — that’s a big time for us, because a lot of women reflect on their health at year-end and stock up on products. It was important that we were operationally set up to leverage that holiday moment.”
What products are you launching on TikTok Shop?
“We’re starting with our UTI cleansing mix and urinary tract health support capsules — both over-the-counter products. We’re also exploring custom supplements, like sleep aids and probiotics, for future launches. TikTok Shop limits us to non-prescription products, so we can’t sell things like birth control or other prescription treatments there.”
Who are you hoping to reach with TikTok Shop?
“While we want to serve existing customers, our main goal is to reach new audiences who may not be familiar with Wisp. TikTok Shop is a great introduction to our brand and mission. TikTok Shop helps us reach more people, especially those in areas with limited access to care.”
Are you considering other retail channels?
“We’ve looked at Amazon and traditional retail, but those take longer to scale. For now, TikTok Shop is our focus as we expand our portfolio of over-the-counter products.”
How interested are you in TikTok’s live shopping push on Shop?
“I think it’s worth testing. If that’s the direction TikTok is going, we want to experiment. At the end of the day, our mission is about democratizing and destigmatizing women’s health. If live shopping is another tool that helps us do that, we’ll lean in.”