Here’s what to expect when you shop on TikTok’s new ecommerce portal

TikTok is getting serious about ecommerce. It launched its new TikTok Shop feature in Indonesia in mid-April, right at the start of Ramadan. In a country where marketplaces like Tokopedia and Bukalapak already command repeat patronage, TikTok Shop places products before users’ eyes in an entertaining way, blending infomercials with small-screen livestreams. The result is an enticing, up-close connection between seller and customer that is absent in most forms of ecommerce.

Photo credit: Unsplash

To drum up attention for its Shop vertical, TikTok linked up with prominent Indonesian celebrity Nagita Slavina, who has an online store on the app. Slavina and her co-presenter review items on her stream, including skincare products, face masks, and electronics, and interacts with users who leave comments and reactions. Her first livestreaming session racked up more than 1.4 million views.

Intrigued by this new feature, I bought a product through TikTok Shop. Here’s how it works: TikTok Shop is marked by a yellow shopping cart icon at the lower left of TikTok’s homepage. In an app where full-screen entertainment is the draw, TikTok Shop is easy to miss. But from there, it’s straightforward – the product checkout process is the same as any other online store, and its payment options include Ovo, Dana, bank transfers, and cash payments at Indomaret and Alfa convenience stores.

That’s where the user experience runs into hitches. I was paying with Ovo, and I had to leave TikTok’s interface and approve my payment in the Ovo app on my phone within 55 seconds of confirming the order. And the system is buggy – hours after I completed the payment, I received an “order unpaid” notification from TikTok. After firing off a question about this to the seller, it took three days for them to respond. Another day passed, and the package was shipped out.

The last problem was there were no shipping options, and I couldn’t track my package as I would after buying things from other ecommerce marketplaces. My purchase arrived in four days, delivered by J&T Express.

TikTok Shop operates like it’s still being tested. At the time of this writing, the feature still doesn’t have its own dedicated page. Livestreams can be found by typing #tiktokshop in the app’s search box. Yet despite the drawbacks, TikTok’s in-app shopping and live commerce feature seems promising in that it combines interactive videos – which TikTok creators have mastered – and real-time interactions between sellers and consumers.

Until the end of April, TikTok Shop held a number of livestream sessions promoting products from brands and small and medium-sized enterprises, hosted by famous content creators and influencers. TikTok also partners with JD.id, which has a flagship store on the app and also organizes livestreams to showcase the items it carries.

It is unclear how many sellers have joined TikTok Shop and whether the platform will have a page specifically for its ecommerce feature. TikTok Indonesia has yet to respond to KrAsia’s request for comment.

Converting viewers into buyers

TikTok has been on a hiring spree in Indonesia and Singapore for various ecommerce roles, including business development, content producers, and category operation managers. It also has various programs for SMEs like TikTok for Business and TikTok Shop Seller University, which offers a full suite of tools for sellers and serves as a recruitment and training hub to instill business skills centered around the video platform.

Photo credit: ByteDance

Integrated ecommerce systems in apps that have a hold on our attention are nothing new. Last year, Facebook launched a shopping page where businesses can create online stores on Facebook and Instagram for free. Meanwhile, WhatsApp for Business connects small enterprises with their customers without hassle.