In Depth: TikTok’s Foray Into Southeast Asian E-Commerce Is No Slam Dunk

By Bao Yunhong, Sun Yanrang, Guan Cong and Hao Shuai

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A woman poses for the camera at the TikTok Southeast Asia Impact Forum 2023 in Jakarta on June 15. Photo: Bay Ismoyo/VCG

TikTok, the world’s biggest short-video app, is pushing into the e-commerce business in Southeast Asia, stirring a new round of competition in the fast-growing market.

“We are going to invest billions of dollars in Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia over the next few years,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said at a forum in Jakarta in June.

TikTok, the global short video sensation backed by China’s ByteDance Ltd., will pour $12.2 million over the next three years into supporting more than 120,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs in the region, Chew said.