TikTok’s popularity shaping e-commerce’s future in Southeast Asia

In the feverish hive of activity within a Northeast Jakarta shophouse, a myriad of salespeople takes turns advertising products ranging from cosmetics and contact lenses to hair accessories. While one individual gives guidance on choosing optimum lipstick shades, another trumpets the most recent price drop in vitamin supplements. However, far from the chaotic scene of a bustling market, this is a premier example of TikTok‘s live-streamed marketplace, a revolutionary digital platform that is yielding a windfall for innovative entrepreneurs worldwide.

TikTok, a subsidiary of ByteDance Inc. China’s giant technology corporation, has earned its household status primarily due to the viral dance challenges that explode in popularity on its platform. However, it has emerged that a different aspect of the application, TikTok Shop,…