South-east Asian merchants scramble as TikTok ban in US looms, shifting focus back to Amazon, Etsy

[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.