WABU vs Stella Rising: TikTok Shop Agency Comparison (2026)
WABU and Stella Rising both help brands sell on TikTok Shop, but they come at it from different directions: WABU is a dedicated live commerce operator, while Stella Rising is an award-winning media and marketing agency that offers TikTok Shop as part of a broader media practice, with deep roots in beauty and wellness. Here's how they compare.
Key takeaways
- WABU is a dedicated live commerce operator; Stella Rising is a media agency that offers TikTok Shop.
- Stella Rising suits beauty and wellness brands wanting media-led growth, and won two 2026 U.S. Agency Awards.
- WABU suits brands wanting end-to-end live selling and Hispanic/LATAM reach.
Table of Contents
- At a glance
- Company background
- Services compared
- Geography and markets
- What changed in 2026
- Pricing and model
- Where WABU stands out
- When Stella Rising might be the better fit
- Sources
At a glance
| WABU | Stella Rising | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Miami, FL (US) | US offices in New York, NY; Southport, CT; and Raleigh, NC |
| Core focus | Live commerce / TikTok Shop specialist | Digital media & marketing agency; TikTok Shop Certified Agency (2024) and TikTok Marketing Partner |
| Category strength | Beauty, fashion, home, CPG + Hispanic/LATAM | Beauty, health, food, and lifestyle (e.g., Laneige, Sulwhasoo, Real Techniques) |
| Services | Creator sourcing, live, shoppable video, payouts, attribution | TikTok search ads, TikTok SEO, influencer activation, paid social for TikTok Shop; broader media, SEO, and Amazon |
| Hispanic / LATAM vertical | Yes, dedicated | Not a stated specialization |
| Markets | US + LATAM (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil) | Primarily US |
| Pricing | Published tiers: retainer + % of sales | Not publicly disclosed |
Company background
WABU is a Miami-based live commerce agency running TikTok Shop end to end across a general U.S. market vertical and a dedicated Hispanic & Latin American vertical, reporting $24M+ in 2025 GMV.
Stella Rising is an award-winning U.S. digital media and marketing agency with offices in New York, Southport (CT), and Raleigh (NC) that works with beauty, health, food, and lifestyle brands. It calls itself a verified TikTok Shop Partner and pioneer in TikTok search advertising and displays a 2024 TikTok Shop Certified Agency badge. Its TikTok work features beauty brands such as Laneige, Sulwhasoo, and Real Techniques. Its TikTok Shop services emphasize search ads, influencer activations, and paid social — reflecting its heritage as a media agency.
Services compared
The difference is live commerce operations versus media and activation.
WABU runs the operational engine of live commerce: sourcing and managing creators, producing and moderating live sessions, fulfilling samples, building landing pages, and tracking attribution into payouts — across both general-market and Hispanic/LATAM verticals.
Stella Rising brings a media agency's strengths — paid social, TikTok Shop, influencer activation, TikTok SEO, TikTok search ads, and TikTok analytics, plus a TikTok rank-tracking tool called TokTrak — with particular depth in beauty and wellness. Its wider practice covers paid search, SEO/AEO/GEO, Amazon and retail marketplaces, and customer loyalty. It's well suited to brands that want media-led TikTok Shop growth integrated with a broader marketing program.
If your priority is end-to-end live selling and creator operations, WABU is built for it. If it's media buying and activation anchored in beauty/wellness, Stella Rising's heritage shows.
Geography and markets
WABU spans the U.S. and Latin America, with cross-border expansion into Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil and a Hispanic, Spanish-first creator network. Stella Rising operates primarily in the U.S. from its New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina offices. For Hispanic and LATAM reach, WABU is the closer fit.
What changed in 2026
Stella Rising added industry recognition in 2026. In August it won Digital Agency of the Year and Media Buying Agency of the Year at the 2026 U.S. Agency Awards, and in January it was named to Ad Age's Best Places to Work for a fifth consecutive year. In October it was nominated for three 2026 Search Engine Land Awards: PPC Agency of the Year, SEO Agency of the Year, and Best Integration of Search Into Omnichannel Marketing (for L'Occitane). Those honors recognize its media and search work, not live selling.
Pricing and model
WABU publishes tiered pricing — In-Store Live from $500/hour plus a percentage of gross sales, a tiered monthly Content Network plan plus a percentage of sales, and a custom performance-based Shop Management tier.
Stella Rising does not publicly disclose pricing. As a media-led agency, engagements often involve media budgets plus agency fees; request a quote and clarify how media spend and fees are structured.
Where WABU stands out
- Live commerce specialization — the full operation, not a media line item.
- Hispanic & LATAM vertical — dedicated bilingual and Spanish-first creators.
- Published pricing — including a lower-commitment hourly in-store option.
- Attribution feeding payouts — real-time, creator-level revenue tracking.
When Stella Rising might be the better fit
Stella Rising is likely the stronger choice for a beauty or wellness brand that wants media-led TikTok Shop growth — search ads, TikTok SEO, paid social, and influencer activations — integrated into a broader marketing, search, and Amazon program, and that values an award-winning agency with marquee beauty clients. Brands prioritizing paid acquisition and brand media over end-to-end live selling operations may prefer it.
Sources
- Stella Rising — official site (offices, services, partner badges)
- Stella Rising — TikTok services (TikTok Shop, search ads, TikTok SEO)
- Stella Rising — wins two 2026 U.S. Agency Awards
- Stella Rising — 2026 Search Engine Land Awards nominations
- The Social Shepherd — agency roundup including Stella Rising profile
- WABU — wabulive.com (self-reported figures and pricing)
Stella Rising details reflect its public materials as of October 2026; pricing is not publicly disclosed. WABU figures are self-reported. Verify directly before relying on any detail.
Want a partner built entirely around live commerce — including Hispanic and LATAM reach? Book a strategy session with WABU or explore the Hispanic & LATAM vertical.
Frequently asked questions
What's the main difference between WABU and Stella Rising?
WABU is a dedicated live commerce operator with a Hispanic & LATAM vertical and published pricing. Stella Rising is an award-winning media and marketing agency, and a 2024 TikTok Shop Certified Agency, that offers TikTok Shop through search ads, TikTok SEO, paid social, and influencer activations, with strong beauty and wellness roots.
Which is better for a beauty brand?
Both serve beauty. Stella Rising has deep beauty and wellness media experience, and its TikTok work features Laneige, Sulwhasoo, and Real Techniques. WABU runs end-to-end live selling and adds Hispanic and LATAM reach. The choice depends on whether you want media-led activation or full live commerce operations, including creators, live sessions, and payouts.
Which reaches Hispanic and LATAM audiences?
WABU does, through a dedicated vertical with bilingual and Spanish-first creators and cross-border entry into Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. Stella Rising operates primarily in the U.S. from offices in New York, Southport (Connecticut), and Raleigh (North Carolina), and does not state a Hispanic or LATAM specialization.
Do they publish pricing?
WABU publishes tiered pricing: in-store live from $500 an hour plus a percentage of sales, a monthly Content Network plan, and a custom Shop Management tier. Stella Rising does not publicly disclose pricing. Media-led engagements usually combine a media budget with agency fees, so ask how each is calculated before comparing quotes.
What awards has Stella Rising won in 2026?
Stella Rising won Digital Agency of the Year and Media Buying Agency of the Year at the 2026 U.S. Agency Awards and was named to Ad Age's Best Places to Work for a fifth straight year. In October 2026 it was nominated for three Search Engine Land Awards, including PPC and SEO Agency of the Year.