PROGRES.ID– Starting today, Wednesday (4/10/2023), TikTok Shop has officially closed at 5:00 PM Western Indonesia Time (WIB). This decision has sparked protests among sellers, especially those who rely on income from TikTok Shop. One of the sellers who has felt the impact is Yeyen, a seller from Madiun, East Java.
The news of TikTok Shop’s closure shocked Yeyen, and she even admitted to feeling shocked to the point of tears. For Yeyen, TikTok Shop has been a source of livelihood for her family, especially during the pandemic. She depended on selling dresses on TikTok Shop to make a living.
“I’m really shocked because TikTok Shop has greatly changed my family’s life. I was able to educate my children and improve the lives of my employees,” Yeyen said as quoted from Republika on Wednesday (4/10/2023).
With the closure of TikTok Shop, Yeyen tried to make the most of her remaining time to sell her merchandise. Today, she conducted live shopping sessions from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM WIB. To reduce her remaining inventory, Yeyen even lowered prices by offering significant discounts of up to 45 percent.
What saddens her is that her online store had just released new products. The news of TikTok Shop’s closure forced her to find creative solutions.
“Today, we’re slashing prices, selling as cheaply as possible to quickly reduce inventory. Ironically, today we just received a new fabric shipment, I had just bought the fabric, cut it, and new products came in. Hearing this news is really distressing,” she explained.
For Yeyen, TikTok Shop has held great significance as it transformed her life over the past two years. Initially, she was just an ordinary housewife. However, due to the impact of Covid-19, her husband had to seek new sources of income. Eventually, they collaborated with a local clothing manufacturer to sell dresses.
Throughout her journey on TikTok Shop, Yeyen faced many challenges. Initially, the number of viewers during her live shopping sessions was minimal, but over time, her audience grew significantly. In the future, Yeyen plans to market her products on other e-commerce platforms.
“God willing, after this, we will try our luck on other e-commerce platforms. One of our mistakes was relying too much on TikTok Shop. Perhaps we will still be active on TikTok, but purchases can be redirected to other e-commerce platforms,” she said, hoping for a new beginning in the future.
