[This is a sponsored article with TikTok.]
Raise your hand if you’ve ever mistakenly bought a counterfeit product online from an ecommerce seller posing as a genuine brand. (I know I have.)
This isn’t surprising, as 8,162 cases of ecommerce fraud with losses amounting to RM57.73 million have been reported nationwide in October 2021 alone.
In turn, this can negatively affect a consumer’s faith towards online shopping, hindering the growth of reputable online merchants.
To combat this, ecommerce platforms are taking measures to reduce the trafficking and sale of counterfeit goods on online marketplaces.
One example can be seen through TikTok Shop’s newly launched TikTok Shop Mall.
100% authenticity guaranteed
Introduced in late 2023, TikTok Shop Mall works as a by-invite-only channel for sellers.
This means that as a consumer, you’ll exclusively find products sold from a brand’s flagship store and authorised online retail outlets, making the virtual shopping sphere more trustworthy.
You’ll be able to find this “Mall” feature within the TikTok Shop tab. And you’ll recognise a seller’s authenticity through its distinguished Mall Label provided by the platform.
Brands with this label will also be featured more visibly in your recommendations.
To date, TikTok Shop Mall is promising users access to 600 local and international brands that can guarantee 100% authentic and original products, free 15-day returns, and free shipping.
Scrolling through TikTok Shop Mall, some local brands that are already featured here include Elgini (sportswear), Dessini (cookware), Habib Jewels (jewellery), and Mydin (grocery items). Meanwhile, well-known international names like Maybelline, Pandora, Skechers, and JBL are also available on TikTok Shop Mall.
More than a feature that can give users a positive shopping experience, this effort by TikTok Shop can also enhance the growth and support for local SMEs on the platform.
“The benefits go both ways: sellers now have an added stamp of authenticity on their products, and buyers can now easily identify and shop from their favourite brands with greater peace of mind,” shared Nur Azre Abdul Aziz, Acquisition Lead at TikTok Shop Malaysia in a press release.
Launched in April last year, TikTok Shop Malaysia became a local ecommerce powerhouse in 2023, sharing with Vulcan Post that it saw a 78% increase in SME sellers onboarded between January to June 2023 alone.
A report by a US-based consultancy firm Momentum Works highlighted that TikTok Shop is expected to triple its ecommerce market share in SEA from 4.4% in 2022 to 13.2% in 2023.
Hence, it would be interesting to see what other moves the platform continues to make to leverage its shoppertainment capabilities, boosting SME visibility online in years to come.
TikTok is available for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post