Live commerce, decoded
Playbooks, results and lessons from the team running 20+ TikTok livestreams a day.
Are keyword ads still effective on Shopee in 2026? GMV Max vs manual search ads
Yes. Keyword ads still work for high-intent searches, but Shopee Malaysia is phasing out Product Manual Ads in favour of GMV Max, where the algorithm picks keywords, bids and placements. The competitive advantage moves from keyword management to what you give the algorithm: the right SKU, price, conversion rate, reviews and inventory.
read post →TikTok Shop analytics: how we turn product data into sales decisions
A useful TikTok Shop product analysis looks at 4 layers: exposure, interest, conversion and availability. Impressions, click-through rate, conversion rate, variant availability and stock cover each point to a different action, from restocking to a new display image to stopping a product. In one recent weekly review, 53% of sales came from products with less than 3 days of stock cover, so the first job was protecting winners, not buying more traffic.
read post →TikTok Shop Partner vs MCN vs TAP vs e-commerce enabler: what is the difference in Malaysia?
A TikTok Shop Partner (TSP) operates the shop. An MCN develops the creators. A TikTok Shop Affiliate Partner (TAP) activates the affiliates. An e-commerce enabler operates the wider online business across TikTok Shop, Shopee, Lazada and more. The roles overlap, so choose a partner by the part of your operation it will take responsibility for, not by the label.
read post →Marketplace fees are expensive. So why should brands still sell on marketplaces in Malaysia?
Because the alternative is not free. A brand can pay 20% to 25% of GMV to the marketplace ecosystem plus 7% to 15% on paid marketing, but a D2C store acquiring customers through Meta at a realistic 3x ROAS already spends about 33% of revenue on acquisition alone. In Malaysia, 71% of online shoppers use Shopee and 62% use TikTok Shop, so the marketplace is where the customer already is.
read post →How much does it cost to launch a consumer brand in Malaysia?
Opening a TikTok Shop or Shopee store in Malaysia costs around RM5,000. Finding out whether Malaysia works for your brand costs far more: RM30k to RM60k plus inventory for a 30-day test, RM100k to RM300k for a serious 90-day validation, and RM300k to RM500k or more for a 6-month market entry. Around 25% of GMV goes to the marketplace and another 7% to 15% to paid marketing before product cost. A cost breakdown from an operator running TikTok Shop, Shopee and livestreaming in Malaysia.
read post →Why your TikTok Shop dashboard is hiding your best product
An apparel brand's best earning category nearly missed the restock because the report everyone reads could not see it. 30 days of TikTok Shop and Shopee data, one model, and the verdicts that came out of it.
read post →How to enter the Malaysia e-commerce market in 2026: a guide for international brands
Malaysia's B2C e-commerce reached RM374.7 billion in 2024 and 62% of online shoppers now use TikTok Shop, but international brands still fail by importing a full catalogue before testing demand. A 90-day market-entry plan from an operator that runs TikTok Shop, Shopee and livestreaming in Malaysia.
read post →What does a TikTok Shop enabler actually do?
A TikTok Shop enabler runs livestreams, ads, content, store operations and fulfillment for your brand. Here is what that looks like in practice at Labu-Labu.
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