Recently, TikTok's policy landscape in the United States has undergone some notable changes.
The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has withdrawn a previous directive restricting the use of TikTok on federal government devices. Previously, the US Department of Justice had also stated that following adjustments to TikTok's US business structure, its US operations were in compliance with the relevant legal requirements.
This does not mean that all regulatory issues surrounding TikTok in the US have been completely resolved, nor does it mean that the US market has suddenly become a market without barriers.
However, for Indonesian sellers operating on TikTok Shop, these developments are still worth paying attention to.
The real point is not simply whether the “TikTok ban” in the US has been lifted, but how TikTok's global commercial ecosystem continues to develop.
For Indonesian sellers, this means TikTok Shop should not be viewed only as a local sales channel.
TikTok Is Evolving from a Sales Channel into a Gateway to Global Markets
Many Indonesian sellers first approach TikTok Shop with a very straightforward process:
Find a product → upload the product → create videos → find creators → generate orders.
This approach works well during the early stage.
But as a business grows, a new question emerges:
If a product has already been validated in Indonesia, where can the next stage of growth come from?
In traditional cross-border e-commerce, the answer is often to look for a new platform.
TikTok, however, is different.
The platform already connects users, creators, and content ecosystems across multiple countries and regions.
After validating a product in Indonesia, sellers can theoretically begin exploring markets such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. Depending on the characteristics of the product, they can also evaluate markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Middle East.
Of course, this does not mean that one product can simply be copied into every market.
Consumer behavior, pricing, logistics costs, taxes, product regulations, and content preferences vary significantly from one country to another.
What can truly be replicated is not a single viral video or one successful piece of content, but the seller's ability to select products, produce content, and manage creator collaborations.
Changes in the US Market Do Not Mean Indonesian Sellers Should Rush In
After seeing changes in TikTok's US policy environment, one of the most natural reactions is:
“The US market is becoming an opportunity again.”
But looking at it this way is still too simplistic.
The US remains a highly competitive and mature e-commerce market.
It has a large number of local brands, as well as sellers from China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and other regions.
Therefore, for Indonesian sellers, the more important question is not “when should we enter the US market?” but:
Does our product actually have cross-market potential?
For example, if a product is performing well in Indonesia, sellers should look deeper into the reasons behind its success:
Why is the product selling well?
Is it because of the price?
Is it because of the product's functionality?
Is it because of the way the content presents the product?
Or does it solve a specific need among Indonesian consumers?
If the product's core selling point depends heavily on Indonesian local culture, its performance may be very different in another market.
On the other hand, if the product has a more universal appeal, such as home goods, accessories, outdoor products, certain beauty products, or pet products, it may be worth exploring its potential in other markets.
Therefore, a more mature cross-border mindset is not:
“Which market has an opportunity right now? I'll enter that market.”
Instead, it is:
“In which other markets could my product still be relevant?”
Creators Are One of the Most Underrated Elements of Cross-Market Expansion
When sellers begin entering their second or third market, one of the biggest changes occurs in the way they produce content.
An Indonesian seller can certainly create videos independently.
But when the target audience becomes consumers in Malaysia, the US, or Australia, simply translating an Indonesian video into English does not necessarily make the content effective.
Language is only one part of localization.
The way a product is presented, everyday situations, usage habits, visual preferences, price perceptions, and the problems consumers actually care about can all be different.
This is why creators are becoming increasingly important in TikTok-based cross-border e-commerce.
A creator who genuinely understands local consumers can help sellers with much more than simply “making a video.”
They can help answer a more important question:
How can a product be presented in a way that local consumers can understand and accept more naturally?
For example, for the same product:
An Indonesian creator may focus on price and practicality;
a US creator may focus on use cases and product comparisons;
an Australian creator may emphasize outdoor scenarios.
The way the content is presented can be completely different.
Therefore, cross-market expansion is not simply about copying the same content into another country.
A more practical approach is:
Keep the product relatively consistent, while adapting the way the content is presented to each market.
Moving from One Market to Multiple Markets Increases Operational Complexity
Many sellers underestimate one of the biggest challenges of cross-market expansion.
The problem is not necessarily the lack of market opportunities.
The real problem is that once the number of markets increases, almost every part of the operation becomes more complicated.
At first, a seller may only need to manage 20 creators.
After entering a second market, that number could become 50.
After entering a third market, it could reach 100 or more.
At the same time, every creator may be at a different stage of collaboration.
Some have just been contacted.
Some have already replied.
Some are willing to collaborate but have not received samples.
Some have already received the product.
Some have already published videos.
Some have already generated orders.
Others may have performed only moderately in their first collaboration but could still be worth testing again.
If all this information is managed through personal memory, Excel spreadsheets, or chat histories, problems such as repeated outreach, missed follow-ups, and scattered collaboration data become increasingly common as the business grows.
Therefore, what cross-market expansion really requires is not simply “more resources,” but a workflow that can operate consistently at scale.
Four Capabilities Indonesian Sellers Can Build Before Expanding Cross-Border
If you are not ready to enter the US or other overseas markets yet, there is no need to rush into expansion.
A better approach is to first build the basic capabilities in the Indonesian market.
1. Validate Whether Your Product Has Cross-Market Potential
Do not look only at current sales.
Analyze whether the core need solved by your product is universal.
If the product only meets a very specific local need, its potential for expansion will naturally be limited.
If it solves a problem that exists across multiple countries, the potential for market expansion will be greater.
2. Build the Ability to Test Content
Do not treat a single viral video as proof of success.
What matters more is understanding:
What type of hook makes users stop scrolling?
What kind of scenario makes the product easier to understand?
Which product benefits are more likely to generate clicks?
What type of content is more likely to generate orders?
Once these patterns begin to emerge, sellers have a stronger foundation for testing them again when entering a new market.
3. Build the Ability to Manage Creator Collaborations
Do not evaluate creators only by their follower count.
Pay attention to:
Whether their content style fits the product;
whether their audience matches the target customers;
whether their content performance is consistent;
how willing they are to collaborate;
and how they have performed in previous commercial collaborations.
In the long run, a creator who can collaborate consistently may be much more valuable than a large number of creators who only collaborate once.
4. Build a Cross-Market Review System
After entering a new market, do not simply copy the strategy used in the previous market.
Track each market separately.
This can include:
Content performance, clicks, conversion rates, average order value, refunds, creator performance, and consumer feedback.
Only by doing this can sellers clearly understand:
Which parts can be replicated, and which parts need to be localized.
Do Not Treat TikTok Policy Changes as a Short-Term Gold Rush
Over the past few years, TikTok has gone through many changes.
Platform policies change, markets change, and consumer behavior changes as well.
Therefore, if sellers completely change their business direction every time a policy change occurs, they can easily fall into the habit of constantly chasing short-term trends.
A more sustainable capability is:
No matter which market TikTok opens next or which rules change, you should be able to quickly determine whether that market is suitable for your product and build the appropriate content and creator strategy.
This is much more valuable than betting everything on a short-term opportunity in one particular market.
The US market may continue to grow, but it may also face new regulatory changes.
Southeast Asia still has significant e-commerce potential, but competition will also become increasingly intense.
TikTok may continue expanding into more countries and regions in the future.
For Indonesian sellers, the most important thing to prepare is not one specific country, but the ability to operate across multiple markets.
Sellers Need to Prepare for the Next Stage of TikTok Growth
The changes to TikTok's policies in the United States are only one part of the platform's broader global development.
They also highlight an important shift for sellers: TikTok is no longer simply a platform for generating traffic from a single market.
It is increasingly connecting consumers, creators, brands, and products across different countries.
In the future, competition will not simply be determined by who can generate the most views.
What will matter more is:
Who can quickly determine whether a market is a good fit for their products;
who can find creators that genuinely match local consumers;
who can consistently produce content that fits the characteristics of each market;
who can turn a one-time collaboration into a long-term relationship with creators;
and who can identify what works in one market and intelligently test those strategies in another.
For TikTok sellers, the most important takeaway from the changes to TikTok's policies in the US is not whether one market suddenly becomes a new opportunity, but whether your business is prepared to capture the next opportunity when a new market opens.