TikTok said on the 23rd that it has launched the "Korea-JP Cross-border" solution to support Korean brands' entry into the Japanese market.
Korea-JP Cross-border is a service that allows sellers to open a Japan TikTok Shop with only a Korean business registration certificate, a passport, a domestic address, and a virtual account, without establishing a local entity or building a payment system. Sellers can ship products directly from domestic warehouses and settle sales proceeds into a bank account under the Korean business name, reducing the expense and operational burden that arise during overseas expansion.
Following last year's debut of "Korea-US Cross-border" for the U.S. market, TikTok launched "Korea-SEA Cross-border" targeting five Southeast Asian countries. With the addition of Japan, the number of supported countries has expanded to seven.
TikTok Shop is a "discovery commerce" platform where users can do everything in the app from watching content to product discovery, purchase, payment, and delivery tracking. Sellers can manage the entire commerce process in one place, from product listing and order processing to logistics and settlement.
Since launching in June last year, Japan TikTok Shop has been growing rapidly. According to the company, as of the end of last year, the number of users increased 20 times compared with the initial launch period.
To mark the launch of the solution, on the 22nd TikTok held an offline event for domestic businesses titled "The fastest key to entering the Japanese market with TikTok Shop." The event covered the Japanese e-commerce market and consumer trends, TikTok Shop operating strategies, and ways to boost sales through live commerce and creator collaborations.
Shichi Woo, general manager of global business solutions at TikTok Korea, said, "Japan has strong consumer potential and a mature e-commerce market, making it attractive for sellers," adding, "This Korea-JP Cross-border solution will be an important foundation to help domestic sellers easily and efficiently connect with Japanese consumers and expand new business opportunities based on content."