South-east Asian merchants scramble as TikTok ban in US looms, shifting focus back to Amazon, Etsy
There is still room for these sellers to improve their US sales on such traditional platforms, industry insiders say
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[HO CHI MINH CITY] South-east Asian cross-border sellers to the US, hoping to replicate the success of their Chinese counterparts, are facing setbacks as the looming TikTok ban pushes them back to less-profitable e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Etsy.
Despite TikTok’s potential with 170 million American users, these merchants are now scrambling to adjust, after building their TikTok Shop operations as a critical sales and marketing channel to expand their US presence.
The threat of a looming TikTok ban in the world’s largest consumer market is forcing these sellers to return to traditional e-commerce giants, where lower margins and a less supportive ecosystem are already challenging growth prospects, industry players indicated.
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