In recent years, the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce has provided unprecedented opportunities for global sellers, and the Southeast Asian market, with its huge population base and rapidly growing internet economy, has become a hot spot for many merchants to compete for market share.
According to the latest news, TikTok Shop has launched two major policies in Southeast Asia: the "Green Channel for Individual Entrepreneurs with No Experience" and "Multiple Stores with One License", further lowering the entry threshold for small and medium-sized businesses and providing cross-border sellers with more flexible operating space.
This policy adjustment will not only have a profound impact on the seller community, but will also drive the further expansion of TikTok Shop in the Southeast Asian market.
Image source: Google
Policy Relaxation: Lowering the Threshold, Stimulating Market Vitality
The core of TikTok Shop's new policy is to simplify the entry process and expand operating rights.
For individual entrepreneurs, the "Green Channel for No Experience" means that even without cross-border e-commerce experience, one can complete the entry process within three working days with just a business license, and quickly resolve operational issues through a business development manager. This initiative greatly reduces the trial and error cost for new sellers, allowing more small and medium-sized businesses to easily take the first step in cross-border operations.
Meanwhile, the "Multiple Stores with One License" policy is even more groundbreaking, allowing the same business license entity to open up to three groups of stores, covering 15 markets in Southeast Asia.
Compared with previous restrictions, this adjustment allows sellers to lay out their market strategies more flexibly. For example, different stores can operate different categories, or differentiated pricing and marketing strategies can be formulated for different countries. In addition to improving sellers' operational efficiency, it also provides consumers with a richer shopping selection.
Image source: Google
Seller Opportunities: Refined Operations and Matrix Layout
For small and medium-sized sellers, this policy adjustment is undoubtedly a major boon.
First of all, new sellers can use the green channel to quickly enter the market and seize traffic dividends. Especially in the context where e-commerce competition in Southeast Asia is not yet saturated, early movers are more likely to establish brand awareness and accumulate loyal users.
For mature sellers, the "Multiple Stores with One License" policy provides even more room to maneuver. Sellers can open multiple stores to achieve vertical operations in different categories, such as one store focusing on beauty products and another on home goods, thus accurately reaching consumers with different needs.
In addition, sellers can adjust their pricing strategies according to the consumption habits of different markets, such as positioning mid-to-high-end products in the Malaysian market with stronger purchasing power, and launching more cost-effective products in the price-sensitive Indonesian market.
However, while seizing opportunities, challenges cannot be ignored. Although multi-store operations can bring more traffic, they also place higher demands on sellers' supply chain management, team collaboration, and data analysis capabilities. Sellers need to plan inventory allocation, logistics solutions, and customer service systems in advance to avoid affecting user experience due to excessive operational pressure.
Image source: Google
Conclusion: Embrace Change, Seize the Future
This policy adjustment by TikTok Shop is not only an excellent opportunity for small and medium-sized sellers to enter the Southeast Asian market, but also a key measure for the platform to deepen its localized operations.
In the future, as the Southeast Asian e-commerce market continues to heat up, TikTok Shop is expected to further consolidate its market position with its unique advantages in social e-commerce.
As for sellers, only by keeping pace with platform policies and flexibly adjusting strategies can they gain the upper hand.