Indonesia contributed US$6.2 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) to TikTok Shop in 2024, making it the app’s second-largest market after the US, according to Momentum Works.

The US led with US$9 billion, while Thailand came third with US$5.7 billion.

TikTok temporarily suspended its live shopping feature in Indonesia on August 30, 2025, due to ongoing political demonstrations.

A spokesperson said the move is a security measure and that the company is removing content that violates community guidelines.

TikTok Shop held around 11% of Indonesia’s ecommerce GMV, behind Shopee and Tokopedia. If TikTok and Tokopedia were combined, their GMV would total US$19 billion.

TikTok will monitor the situation before deciding on next steps.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg Technoz

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Live commerce creates new vulnerabilities for social media platforms

TikTok’s temporary suspension of live features during Indonesian protests reveals how social commerce platforms face unique risks that traditional e-commerce sites avoid.

The company voluntarily disabled live streaming for four days starting August 29, 2025, citing “rising violence during protests” rather than any government mandate2.

This decision directly impacted a feature that contributed to a 73% increase in e-commerce turnover in Q3 2023, according to an Ipsos Indonesia survey2.

The suspension demonstrates that platforms combining content and commerce must balance user safety with economic impact in ways that purely transactional sites like Amazon rarely face.

Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms that can operate during social unrest, live commerce platforms depend on real-time human interaction that becomes problematic during volatile periods.

2️⃣ Live shopping has become critical infrastructure for emerging market commerce

Indonesia’s reaction to the TikTok live suspension shows how quickly live commerce has evolved from novelty to necessity in developing markets.

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