Branislav Peric’s Post

TiKTok… NOT ?! 🇺🇸📱🛍️ I’ve been quiet about the whole #tiktok ban in the US debate, as it’s incredibly hard to reflect on it without becoming too “political”. This article by Nick Morgan perhaps sums up my take on it - as a founder in the #socialcommerce #tech space - best. Here’s my rundown on the issue Since China has imposed a law which requires Chinese businesses operating in the US to relay a certain level of data, it is likely that ByteDance is doing so, yes. The same applies to a Temu or SHEIN too. So where does this stop? Are they all going to be banned when they become too “big”? Another debate that baffles me is the whole “Chinese businesses are battling Amazon”. Honestly : if Amazon (or any other retailer or social platform) were doing such a great job at being the entertainment and discovery destination for gen Z and Alpha, then there simply wouldn’t be the space for TikTok etc. to come in. What I appreciate in this article is that it looks at this debate through the lens of innovation. Chinese companies showing Western ones how their young audiences really want to spend time and discover products is perhaps just the wake-up call to fuel innovation that is required. In my vision of the future there is a collaborative model between social media and retail in which everybody wins. The seamless community / content commerce revolution has already started - if social platforms would open up to allow seamless check-out on a retailers website - and a model where everyone participates in the data collected - we’d finally be giving consumers what they really want and growing the industry as a whole. #livecommerce #tiktok #retail #ban #usa #socialmedia #socialcommerce #innovation https://lnkd.in/eQDtFkA9

The live commerce revolution is real and it’s here to stay. Social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, and eCommerce platforms like Shopee and Amazon have captured headlines with their explosive growth and endless potential. If you are an online brand selling products or services to an audience, it is time to adapt. But why just TikTok? Time to look beyond it. Here are the best live commerce platforms to start selling while you livestream to your fans. If you want to take it to the next level, contact us today! Discover how our platform can help you simulcast seamlessly, personalize the customer experience, and gain valuable first-party data for long-term success. It's a great time to go live and BeLive. Read more: https://hubs.li/Q02wtpBg0 #livestreaming #livecommerce #tiktok

The rise of Pinduoduo: How a group buying app grew to rival Alibaba Pinduoduo entered the Chinese ecommerce scene in 2015, and rapidly grew to become one of its largest players thanks to a savvy combination of social features, gamification, low prices, and targeting the right audiences. In late November last year, its parent company temporarily overtook leader Alibaba in market capitalisation, making it – for a time – China’s most valuable ecommerce company. How did Pinduoduo succeed at becoming such a dominant force in a short space of time? How are competitors shifting their behaviour to meet the threat of Pinduoduo, and can Temu replicate its success overseas?

TikTok Shop launched in the US in September last year, enabling Chinese merchants sell goods globally, and has already turned up the heat on Meta who launched shopping via Instagram in 2020. Having seen the success platforms like SHEIN and @Temu have had in the US, there is even now talk of going head-to-head with Amazon, with the ByteDance owned platform providing a range of services ranging from storage to shipping to merchants in China to help them sell directly to the consumer. Significantly, ByteDance is continuing to grow at nearly twice the growth rate of rival Meta. For the first nine months of the year, ByteDance revenue rose 40% to $84.4B, with revenue in the third quarter of 2023 rose roughly 43% to $30.9B generated through both advertising and ecommerce, however, TikTok Shop is becoming the main force driving Byte's growth. The app’s push into live e-commerce comes as other platforms have struggled with online shopping initiatives. Meta-owned Instagram ditched livestream product tagging and shopping in March last year and got rid of the shopping tab on the app’s navigation bar. Facebook also axed live shopping last October. There is still a fundamental problem with many consumers being unwilling (and feeling unsafe) to buy via social media and given the reputation of TikTok in the US and more internationally, I would guess that hesitancy will remain. What’s more, the fear of counterfeiting with little chance of returns remains high, along with the likelihood of product quality being poor. According to EMARKETER, mobile ecommerce will account for close to half (49.8%) of US ecommerce sales in 2027 and social commerce in particular accounted for 5.9% of US retail ecommerce sales in 2023, and 7.8% come 2026 – so there is a clearly a big opportunity. But is TikTok really an Amazon challenger? I find it hard to believe that given the deep mistrust of ByteDance by the US government who continue to voice concerns that TikTok could be used as a tool for the Chinese government to collect and exploit user data or even spread propaganda. This will only amplify if Trump returns to office at the end of the year. Even if it started to pose a challenge, what would stop the US government making trading conditions so hard for TikTok that it became impossible to scale or was even banned? Amazon’s success is built on being a universal platform, a life staple, whom people have a largely neutral view on, and which captures every age group – Can TikTok do that? I can’t see it. DHR Global #socialcommerce

🌟 E-commerce Update from China Internet Watch! 🌟 It looks like WeChat is making a meaningful move into video streaming and sales. This year, they've shown a significant increase in GMV, indicating steady progress in the e-commerce landscape. The platform's fully integrated APIs present a unique opportunity for brands to delve into marketing automation and create engaging customer experiences. 🚀 With last year's focus on WeCom, Tencent is now shifting towards video content to compete with the likes of Douyin and Xiaohongshu. This strategic shift could be a game-changer for brand engagement. 🎥 Stay updated with the latest from WeChat's journey into video e-commerce! #eCommerce #WeChat #Tencent #DigitalMarketing #Innovation

Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is feeling the pressure. As competition from other e-commerce giants intensifies and geopolitical factors take a toll, the company is grappling with stagnating growth in a once-thriving market. 📉 Key challenges: - Fierce competition from regional e-commerce players 🛒 - Geopolitical tensions impacting cross-border operations 🌍 - Struggling to maintain user engagement on its platforms 📲 How do you think Bytedance can pivot to overcome these challenges and sustain its growth? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gGAY7yew #Ecommerce #Geopolitics #TikTok #Bytedance #GrowthStrategy #DigitalCommerce #TechTrends

TikTok Shop and Shopee have both been classified as #Retailtainment because of their #socialcommerce elements (eg. livestreaming) but what is the difference between the two and why is the former more prominent in the social commerce revolution in Asia? Social media platforms like TikTok are primarily used for entertainment. The platform only began to formalise their e-commerce business after the social commerce trend gained ground. While TikTok supported referral links from merchants on their TikTok for Business accounts, the company only officially launched TikTok Shop in September 2023 which offered direct in-app purchasing. As such, non TikTok Shop users are still using TikTok as an entertainment product which creates a larger captive audience for TikTok to advertise TikTok Shop gradually. In contrast, traditional e-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada, Amazon, Rakuten, Coupang are primarily shopping channels. Users who open these apps on their phones already understand that they would be shopping. Conversely this also means that if consumers are not looking to purchase anything, they would not open the app, significantly reducing the platform's ability to induce on-the-spur spending, a hallmark of social commerce. The growing political tensions on the global stage and the relative novelty of the entire social commerce industry has presented opportunities for more regionalisation and smaller players. Following concerns of an impending ban in the US, a ByteDance-owned lifestyle app Lemon8, which has similar functions and user interface to TikTok and Instagram, saw strong surges in popularity as the app rose to become the most downloaded lifestyle app on Apple's App Store since April 2024. If similar legislative initiatives emerge from other markets, we will see an increasingly pluralised and competitive global social commerce market. BMI Country Risk & Industry Analysis Fitch Solutions

Exciting news! Momentum Commerce, an e-commerce enabler, has become an authorized TikTok shop partner in Malaysia. Their focus is on helping Malaysian brands leverage TikTok's exponential user growth with a unique approach that blends commerce and entertainment seamlessly. Here are some key takeaways from the article: - The TikTok Shop feature offers shoppertainment, integrating the entire customer journey within the app. - Momentum Commerce has partnered with major brands like NIVEA, Eucerin, Wardah, and Al-Ikhsan Sports to tap into the potential of TikTok Shop. - Social commerce is projected to grow by more than 45% annually, making TikTok Shop a promising avenue for brands. - Momentum Commerce provides a comprehensive solution for brands on TikTok, including live streaming services, content creation, talent management, and analytics. - They offer Smart AI Technology Solutions to streamline operations and enhance brand-consumer relationships on the platform. Stay ahead of the curve with Momentum Commerce's innovative approach to social commerce on TikTok! https://lnkd.in/gG4H4Fzx

An interesting fact: TikTok Shop, a key player in Indonesia's e-commerce scene, halted operations due to new regulations imposed by the Ministry of Trade. This sudden shift leaves a significant gap in a marketplace that has benefitted from TikTok’s unique ability to blend social engagement with seamless shopping experiences. As sellers, from multinationals to SMEs, relied on TikTok to drive their sales, this change could drastically impact revenue streams and influencer partnerships. The implications are profound. Just as TikTok's innovative features helped to reposition e-commerce in the region, their absence may push both users and sellers toward other platforms like Shopee and Lazada. However, the challenge remains for these competitors to replicate TikTok’s dynamic user engagement; simply moving the traffic won't suffice. What do you think this means for the future of social commerce in Indonesia? How will brands adapt to this evolving landscape? I’d love to hear your insights! https://lnkd.in/gY86zFAy

The battle of the channels continues. TikTok was (and continues to be) a major source of sales growth for many D2C and established brands. The challenges of operating in multiple channels and aligning #logistics operations across those channels can take it's toll on an operation. If you're struggling to scale your #fulfillment operation or just want to see what options exist then reach out. National Logistics Services is your one stop shop to support true omni-channel fulfillment at scale. Reach out and let's talk personalized #supplychain #optimization.