TikTok, a new launchpad for small businesses in Pakistan
Sacrificial animals mandi (market) on TikTok.
ISLAMABAD, Jun.27(Gwadar Pro) - As a new study has revealed that small businesses are finding their home on TikTok around the world, the Chinese video-sharing platform has also proven to be a critical tool for small business owners in Pakistan to reach customers and grow their businesses.
TikTok worked with Hello Alice, a leading organization dedicated to supporting small businesses, to understand that SMBs are navigating today’s digital world. It invited 750,000 SMBs into their network for the study and found that “SMBs are leveraging TikTok” to find new audiences, build community and generate real-world results.
In Pakistan, apart from well-known brands promoting their products on TikTok, the owners of small businesses have started using the platform to attract customers and enlarge their businesses.
For example, “Qurbani..2k22”, an account with over two thousand followers, sells sacrificial animals on TikTok. The account, in just five days, received 34.8 likes. Customers in the comments section interact with the owner of the animals about their pricing and delivery procedures.
A TikToker Taim Alam, from Peshawar, has been sharing short videos on TikTok about different restaurants and guides foodies on where to find their best food.
Similarly, Aisha projects homemade food in the southern city of Karachi. “We are providing all over Karachi home food service,” according to her TikTok page.
‘Handmade Mafia1’, an account with 109.1k followers on TikTok, promotes the selling of handmade leather Chappal and valets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The channel shares new products and details about the 12-hour supply in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on TikTok.
Salman Ahmad and Sayed Usama from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently registered their small business and are selling shoes online. “We are grateful to TikTok, which provides us with a platform to reach customers and promote our business,” Salam Ahmad told Gwadar Pro.
There are hundreds of TikTok accounts promoting the business of gemstones, jewelry, embroidery, watches, shoes, modern and traditional dresses, etc. on this social media platform, and they are discovering new businesses around the country.
“We want to empower more small businesses to get started on TikTok, so that they can also share their story with the TikTok community and reach their goals,” according to an official statement of TikTok, adding that for this purpose the platform has launched a number of education programs and its Small Business Resource Center. TikTok also plans to announce an “exciting new initiative” that will help small businesses and leverage TikTok to grow.
“Small businesses enrich our lives. They employ our neighbors; provide solutions for our problems; and make us smile by creating something beautiful. All of us at TikTok are thankful to be a part of what makes small businesses successful, and we’re excited to help them connect with communities and thrive,” reads the statement.
