Young Indonesians eye burgeoning job of TikTok livestream shopping hosts

A merchant (L) promotes a product via livestreaming on the TikTok in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/Xinhua)

by Hayati Nupus, Abdul Azis Said

As of May 2023, Indonesia had 113 million TikTok accounts out of the 135 million users in Southeast Asia, making the archipelagic country the second-largest contributor of TikTok users worldwide behind the United States.

JAKARTA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- In front of a cellphone camera and ring light, a host was promoting a product offered via livestreaming on the TikTok social media account while occasionally responding to inquiries from potential customers in the chat column. A few orders started to come in, and the number kept growing.

With a shop and entertainment concept, the TikTok online shopping feature is expanding in Indonesia and boosting sales. Venture builder and insights research firm Momentum Works predicts that this year's transaction value in Southeast Asia could reach 15 billion U.S. dollars, more than three times last year's value.

As of May 2023, Indonesia had 113 million TikTok accounts out of the 135 million users in Southeast Asia, making the archipelagic country the second-largest contributor of TikTok users worldwide behind the United States.

The development of social media by ByteDance also provides young talents job chances, with vacancies for livestream shopping hosts on job search sites.

Due to the higher income from hosting livestream shopping, 24-year-old Donatus Ladjar, the owner of the Angelo TikTok account, quit his previous job as a social media manager at an institution last year.

Supported by an agency, Ladjar has hosted and promoted various products on their account, from tissue paper to snacks belonging to a popular celebrity.

Ladjar may make double the monthly minimum wage in Jakarta just by talking in front of his cell phone for about 20 hours a week.

"That includes commission, which is generally 1 percent of total sales," he told Xinhua recently.

Ladjar keeps trying to come up with new ideas for product promotion to compete with celebrities who are already popular and have a large number of followers.

A merchant promotes a product via livestreaming on the TikTok in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Agung Supriyanto/Xinhua)

Since his workdays are brief, he has a lot of free time which he utilizes to hold livestreaming sales on his individual TikTok account and generate additional income as an affiliate.

Ladjar has a double advantage from hosting well-known brands, which has helped him quickly grow his personal account's followers.

Aufia Nisa, 24, hosts livestreaming fashion products as a side, usually in the evenings or on weekends, in between her work as an employee at a government office in Bandung.

Since Nisa likes fashion and frequently serves as a style icon for her peers when it comes to dressing up and accessories, she was able to respond to every customer query with ease during the livestreaming.

"It turns out that this hobby may be profitable, and I enjoy selling as a result," she said.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Azizah has been hosting livestream shopping on TikTok since last year. She is a high school graduate but has not attended college because of financial burdens.

Using this income, she covered her younger brother's tuition and enrolled her name at a college. She will soon begin her studies at her own expense.

With a flexible work schedule and substantial income, Azizah plans to continue her career as a TikTok livestream shopping host between her activities as a student later.

Nailul Huda, a digital economy expert at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), predicts that the demand for livestream shopping hosts will rise in the future due to the growing popularity of online shopping via livestreaming features and the allure of tempting discounts.

Although online shopping host is a type of informal skilled labor not backed by benefits like health and employment insurance like formal workers, Huda believes the substantial income enables livestream shopping hosts to pay for various social security advantages on their own.