TikTok Shop emerging as growth driver for Malaysian SMEs through ‘shoppertainment'
For local creators interviewed by SunBiz, the platform has become a game changer.
Pinn Yang, for example, said TikTok Shop finally bridged the gap between content discovery and actual sales conversion.
'Before this, even with our strong following, there was no direct way to turn discovery into purchase. With TikTok Shop, we closed that gap,' he said.
His team grew from experimenting with live selling to generating over RM3.8 million in sales during the Yang Riang Raya campaign within a year.
The secret, he said, lies not just in using the platform, but in the speed of testing, feedback and adaptation.
'People think you need a big audience or fancy equipment. But when we started, it was just me, a phone and a ring light. What really matters is consistency and truly understanding what your audience wants.'
For Puspa Gomen, TikTok Shop transformed her brand by simplifying the buying process and expanding reach.
'Some of my TikTok videos reached up to eight million views, and in just three months, I made almost half a million in sales,' she shared.
She added live streams allow buyers to see products in action, ask questions and build trust in real time which are crucial for driving repeat purchases.
Eira Syazira, founder of Candyta, echoed the sentiments, calling TikTok Shop a game changer that enabled rapid scaling far beyond traditional retail. In just six months, Candyta saw sales surge, with 35% now coming from returning customers and its follower count multiplying fivefold.
Meanwhile, Nabilah Nazib of Sugardoll described TikTok Shop as a pivotal shift from a labour-intensive, agent-based system to a direct-to-consumer model.
'Previously, our revenue relied on manual order-taking. Now, sales are driven by content, not manpower. Stock sells out in hours after a viral live,' she said.
Beyond reduced acquisition costs and faster sellouts, she noted that genuine, problem-solving content matters more than follower count. 'This proves that today, scaling a brand is less about team size and more about being visible, relatable, and consistent.'
Syeikh Omar Sadeq, another creator, saw sales jump two to three times after joining TikTok Shop.
'Short videos help build community, while live sessions let us explain products and connect directly. Many customers return because they feel more confident after watching our lives,' he said.
Contrary to popular belief, creators said TikTok Shop isn't just for young shoppers or cheap products.
Premium offerings can succeed too if the story, authenticity and community connection are strong.
The latest data on TikTok Shop's global gross merchandise value (GMV) shows that consumers in Malaysia spent a whopping US$2.724 billion (about RM12.07 billion) in 2024.
According to Tabcut.com, TikTok Shop's GMV in Malaysia grew 104% year-on-year from US$1.3 billion in 2023, making Malaysia one of the platform's top six markets globally.
TikTok Shop is not just expanding rapidly, it is outpacing traditional giants in percentage growth and positioning itself as the second-largest platform in the market.
Data from ecommercedb.com showed Shopee is leading the Malaysian market with US$7.24 billion in GMV for 2024, followed by TikTok Shop and Taobao. However, Tik-Tok Shop is leading the surge in live and video commerce in Southeast Asia, where players like Shopee and Lazada are playing catch-up.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar wraps up three-nation visit to boost trade and ties
RIO DE JANEIRO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim departed for home today after a series of official visits to three countries – Italy, France, and Brazil. The chartered flight from Malaysia Airlines carrying the premier and the Malaysian delegation departed the Galeao Air Force Base (BAGL) at 1pm local time (midnight Monday Malaysian time). This series of visits by the Prime Minister, starting with a three-day official visit to Italy, forms part of Malaysia's ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and promote economic cooperation at the global level. The visits to these major economic hubs – Rome, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro – were to strengthen Malaysia's diplomatic ties and trade relations with the respective nations. These three markets collectively recorded bilateral trade valued at RM50.91 billion (US$11.14 billion) last year. The Prime Minister was accompanied by a business delegation comprising representatives from major Malaysian corporations and innovative enterprises, including Petronas, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), Maybank, FGV, YTL Power, and Sunway. Anwar's inaugural visit to Italy was undertaken at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The visits were to further strengthen bilateral relations between the countries across a wide range of sectors. In Rome, the Prime Minister was accompanied by five Cabinet ministers, namely Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir was also part of the delegation. In Paris, the Prime Minister met with President Emmanuel Macron, with discussions focusing on trade, technology, and education, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In addition to a roundtable with France's industrial giants, the Prime Minister also engaged with local Muslim leaders, met Malaysian citizens in France, and delivered a public lecture at Sorbonne University on July 4. After the Paris stopover, Anwar headed to Rio de Janeiro to attend the 17th BRICS Summit upon invitation from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Malaysia's role as a BRICS Partner Country and Asean Chair for 2025 was to emphasise the importance of multilateralism based on law, governance of artificial intelligence, climate action, and global health, representing the aspirations of over 650 million Asean citizens. Anwar attended the BRICS Summit as a partner country to the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. - BERNAMA
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia stresses global health and climate equity at BRICS summit
RIO DE JANEIRO: Malaysia believes that vaccine access, strong public health systems, and the regulation of global medical supply chains are central to both national stability and international security. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that when governments divert limited resources from essential services such as healthcare and clean water to service historical debts, financial systems designed to foster development instead hinder progress. "Let us begin with a hard truth. In too much of the world, life expectancy remains shaped not by biology, but by income. "The fact that a child's chance of surviving past the age of five is still largely determined by GDP per capita represents a failure for us all," he said during his intervention at the "Environment, COP30 and Global Health" session of the 17th BRICS Leaders Summit here today. Malaysia, he said, welcomes the launch of the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases. "It reflects a clear understanding that disease cannot be meaningfully addressed without tackling the conditions that entrench it," said Anwar. The Prime Minister voiced Malaysia's support for deeper collaboration between BRICS and Asean to strengthen surveillance, accelerate knowledge transfer, and build resilience across borders. He also reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to a credible and just low-carbon transition, highlighting the country's pledge to reduce emissions intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. "These targets are grounded in law and embedded across public policy," he said, noting that Malaysia's approach is anchored in the National Energy Transition Roadmap and supported by efforts to introduce a carbon pricing mechanism and regulatory reforms across key sectors. Anwar said that Malaysia is also assessing the role of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) in decarbonising industry, with policy frameworks currently being developed. However, he stressed that policy alone is not enough - transition requires capital. "At present, international climate finance stands at roughly US$300 billion per year. This is far short of the estimated US$3 trillion required by developing countries alone to meet mitigation and adaptation needs by 2030," he said. As this year's Asean chair, Anwar said Malaysia is working to strengthen regional coherence on climate action. He said the nation is focused on improving access to green finance, harmonising standards, and positioning Southeast Asia as a centre for clean energy innovation and sustainable investment. Ahead of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, this November, Anwar called for a shift "from aspiration to execution". "Climate justice is ultimately about allocation: of capital, of risk, and of responsibility," he said. The Prime Minister said Malaysia views health, climate, and finance as inseparable, warning that a degraded environment weakens health systems while an underfunded health system undermines resilience. "And both suffer when sovereign debt restricts national policy space," he added. Anwar arrived here on Saturday to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders' Summit hosted by Brazil at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Barnama
5 hours ago
- Barnama
Malaysia Committed To Strengthening Economic Co-operation With Brics -- Tengku Zafrul
KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is committed to strengthening co-operation in economics, trade and investment with BRICS countries, especially with the great potential of artificial intelligence (AI) which needs to be harnessed for inclusive development. 'With ASEAN's digital economy expected to reach US$2 trillion (US$1=RM4.231) by 2030, this is a golden opportunity that we cannot afford to waste,' said Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz in a post on X today. Tengku Zafrul said the side meetings with BRICS partner countries and business leaders opened up space for Malaysian companies to explore markets and investment opportunities in future-oriented sectors.
