TikTok Shop makes live shopping hot again in SEA

IN FOCUS

In today’s newsletter, we look at:

• How TikTok Shop fuels a new gold rush for Southeast Asia’s live-shopping scene
• Temu’s arrival in the region

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Hi there,

Several weeks ago, I visited the livestream studios of Social Bread and BintanGo in BSD City and Jakarta, respectively. I witnessed firsthand how the hosts conducted TikTok live-selling sessions for brands that are clients of those companies.

There were several things I learned from the visit, such as the hosts being required to talk non-stop because there’s a rule against live sessions going too quiet for too long.

Most hosts can go live every day. They typically broadcast for six hours a day, but they didn’t seem to complain about their working hours.

Recently, the demand for talented hosts to sell products on TikTok has been increasing, and so is the number of startups providing studios or solutions to enable live commerce.

I analyze this trend in this week’s Big Story with my colleague Huong. We examine the rise of live commerce enablers following the boom of TikTok in Southeast Asia.

In addition to enabler startups trying to ride the wave, the live commerce trend is also driving the region’s creator economy. In fact, many new creators weren’t very active on social media until they became hosts.

As for the Hot Take, I delve into the entry of Pinduoduo’s sister app Temu into Southeast Asia, with the Philippines as its first market. Can the ecommerce firm replicate TikTok’s boom in the region? What are the challenges?

Read the details below.

— Jofie

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THE BIG STORY

TikTok’s live-commerce boom: hustler’s paradise or fleeting trend?

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THE HOT TAKE

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NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

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