Recently, Indonesia's ban on TikTok e-commerce and its subsequent change of attitude have become an important topic of discussion in the field of international e-commerce. The introduction and revocation of this ban not only reflects the change in Indonesia's attitude towards the emerging e-commerce model, but also reveals the complex relationship between live streaming and the real economy.
In the second half of 2023, Indonesia** issued a ban on the sale of goods on social platforms in order to protect local small and medium-sized businesses, which means that live streaming is completely banned in Indonesia. In particular, this ban is almost exclusively aimed at TikTok e-commerce. Before the ban, there were more than 6 million local sellers and more than 7 million live streaming practitioners on the TikTok platform, and this ban directly cut off their main livelihood channels.
Two months later, however, the situation took a dramatic turn. On the eve of Singles' Day, TikTok announced that it would take a stake in local platform Tokopedia, and its e-commerce business was relaunched. Indonesia's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and other departments have also expressed their support for live-streaming e-commerce to help the real economy. Indonesia's ** Minister Zulkifli Hassan, who once strongly advocated the ban on TikTok e-commerce, even changed his stance and expressed support for social e-commerce and Indonesia's economic growth.
Behind this change, it is actually a re-evaluation of the relationship between live streaming and the real economy in Indonesia. The original ban on live streaming did not lead to the recovery of the physical market as expected, but caused more economic losses. Dana Abang Market, a famous shopping area in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, halved the traffic after the ban was imposed, indicating that live streaming has not completely seized the share of the physical market, but may be creating new consumer demand.
In addition, the decision-making process of banning TikTok e-commerce also revealed that Indonesia** is wary of foreign e-commerce platforms, especially TikTok carrying "high-quality and low-cost Chinese goods". To some extent, this ban is seen as a protective measure for foreign e-commerce and goods in Indonesia**.
With the relaunch of TikTok e-commerce, this experimental policy adjustment in Indonesia** shows that as an emerging e-commerce model, live streaming has a far more complex relationship with the real economy than a simple zero-sum game. This shift in Indonesia** may provide a valuable reference for other countries when dealing with similar issues. Live streaming can not only become a new driving force to stimulate economic growth, but also provide new opportunities for cooperation in the traditional physical market.