TikTok Shop Ignites Japan, Surpasses ¥100 Million GMV Within Three Months

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Armed with short videos and live streaming, TikTok is poised to shake up Japan's e-commerce scene.

Having expanded across Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas, and now back to East Asia, TikTok's e-commerce venture is gaining formidable momentum.

On June 30th this year, TikTok officially launched its in-app shopping feature for Japanese users, marking the formal inclusion of Japan—a heavyweight e-commerce market—into TikTok Shop's global expansion strategy.

Leveraging TikTok's established base of tens of millions of social media users in Japan and tapping into the world's fourth-largest e-commerce market, TikTok Shop Japan is undeniably brimming with potential.

A Sizzling Start for TikTok Shop Japan

Recently, Studio15, a leading Japanese MCN agency, released a research report on TikTok Shop's market performance and forecasts. The report highlights the remarkable growth speed of TikTok Shop Japan since its launch.

In its first three months (July to September), the platform's total sales reached approximately 3 billion yen (about RMB 140 million). Monthly sales just exceeded 1 billion yen in August, and by September 28th, daily sales had set a new record of around 100 million yen.

Based on this growth trajectory and trends observed in the US market, Studio15 predicts that within the next year (from July this year to June next year), the market size of TikTok Shop Japan could reach about 50 billion yen (roughly RMB 2.335 billion).

The study also found that although Japan is among the later markets for TikTok Shop and has its unique characteristics, consumer purchasing preferences converge in familiar categories like beauty & personal care and home appliances.

Data shows that from July to September, the top three bestselling categories contributed to about 80% of TikTok Shop Japan's sales: Home Appliances & Gadgets (23.7%), Beauty & Personal Care (22.4%, including beauty devices), and Apparel (20.2%).

Furthermore, within most categories, top-performing shops account for a significant portion of sales. For instance, the top ten shops in Apparel make up over 60% of category sales, and in Home Appliances & Gadgets, the top ten account for over 55%.

This suggests that these top sellers are likely experienced players from other TikTok Shop markets or "internet-famous brands" already established in Japan before the platform's launch. Their influx into TikTok Shop Japan is a key driver behind its rapid market growth.

Additionally, as a cross-border e-commerce platform, international sellers are performing exceptionally well on TikTok Shop Japan. Among the top 50 sellers by sales, cross-border sellers constitute over half, while Japanese sellers account for about 34%.

Overall, with the groundwork laid by earlier market launches, TikTok Shop Japan has had a commendable start. However, compared to the scale of Japan's overall e-commerce market and other TikTok Shop regions, there remains vast room for growth. If TikTok Shop continues its upward trajectory in Japan, the market could potentially become another core hub alongside the US and Southeast Asia, forming a "tripartite division" of key markets.

Accelerating Global Expansion

From launching in Mexico earlier this year to now solidifying its presence in Japan, TikTok Shop's global blueprint is largely taking shape. For this year's peak shopping season, TikTok Shop is specifically hosting its first global Black Friday campaign, declaring its entry into the year-end battle for customers.

Clearly, TikTok Shop has grand ambitions. Its drive for globalization stems partly from corporate positioning—TikTok itself has become a top global social media platform, second only to Google and Meta's ecosystems. On the other hand, current trends indicate that TikTok Shop's market scale is still relatively modest.

It's well-known that TikTok Shop is backed by ByteDance. In the Chinese domestic market, ByteDance created the Douyin e-commerce phenomenon, surpassing veteran player JD.com in GMV within just a few years through live-streaming commerce. With this pedigree, TikTok Shop's overseas expansion naturally aims to replicate such success.

Yet, the reality shows a significant gap remains. According to industry media 36Kr, Douyin E-commerce's total GMV in 2024 was about RMB 3.5 trillion. Per video commerce data analysis firm Tabcut.com, TikTok Shop's global GMV in 2024 reached approximately $32.6 billion (about RMB 232.3 billion), with the US market contributing the highest share at around $9 billion.

Simultaneously, the global market continues to shift. For example, US tariff increases in the first half of the year impacted TikTok Shop's operations, causing a sales dip in the US for May. Although growth resumed quickly, such volatility underscores the need for TikTok Shop to accelerate international expansion, evolving into a global e-commerce giant with stronger risk resilience.

In June, TikTok announced increased investment in the UK market, planning a new London office, business scale expansion, and job creation. In October, construction began on TikTok's first data center in Brazil—a project estimated at $9.1 billion—to support long-term in Latin America for TikTok Shop, short videos, live streaming, and other services.

It's foreseeable that to propel TikTok Shop toward greater global development, TikTok will provide support across all fronts. Following Japan, deepening presence in Europe and exploring markets like Australia may soon become key strategic priorities. For TikTok, this is a necessary step following its established roadmap; for the overall market, it signifies the quiet formation of an e-commerce empire.

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