TikTok Shop | Mid-2025 launch research | July 2025 summary
Understand what sellers need to adopt GMV Max.
Worked on seller-perception research supporting GMV Max launch and adoption planning. The project explored ad investment during campaigns, seller operating maturity and barriers to scaling.
- 23
- seller interviews
12 Indonesia + 11 Thailand
- 2
- markets
Indonesia and Thailand
- 4
- categories
Fashion, FMCG, Electronics, Lifestyle
Study approach
Online and in-person one-to-one interviews with mid-to-high GMV-tier sellers (T4-T6). Findings were grouped by operational maturity to distinguish education needs from reporting, control and capacity constraints.
What the interviews surfaced
- Readiness changes the support needed. More mature teams sought granular reporting and control; less mature operators needed clearer explanations and lower-risk onboarding.
- Confidence depends on measurement. Participants raised concerns about creative- and SKU-level visibility and differences between reported GMV and net sales.
- Product and LIVE needs differ. Participants described different experiences with Product and LIVE GMV Max, especially around delivery, budget utilization and returns.
- Content supply is a commercial dependency. Affiliate commission concerns, creator permissions and operational capacity could constrain adoption alongside ad settings.
Research recommendations
Product priorities: clearer reporting and sales reconciliation, bounded budget controls, easier multi-shop reporting, and investigation of LIVE delivery concerns.
Education priorities: tiered onboarding, practical GMV Max clinics, short explainers and clearer seller-to-creator communication on commission mechanics.
Output: a qualitative research summary and recommendation set for product, marketing communications and seller education. These are proposed actions, not a claim that features shipped or adoption increased.
Source: supplied GMV Max research summary, July 2025. Historical, qualitative seller perceptions, not representative market statistics or a statement of current product capabilities. Seller-level budgets, identities and quotes are omitted.