BANGKOK: Live commerce is becoming a more powerful sales channel for Thailand’s farm produce, with a joint TikTok and Department of Internal Trade (DIT) campaign pushing durian sales on TikTok Shop up 10.6-fold.
The programme was designed to support durian sales from eastern Thailand during the 2026 harvest season, while widening sales channels for farmers, stimulating domestic consumption and improving the distribution of agricultural produce through online platforms.
According to TikTok, the first three months of the programme saw more than 89,000 durian livestreams on TikTok Shop. That translated into a new livestream starting every 1.4 minutes on average, with each session lasting about 118 minutes.
During the peak supply period, durian gross merchandise value (GMV) rose 10.6-fold compared with average weekly sales before the partnership began.
TikTok pointed to its platform ecosystem as a key driver of the campaign’s reach, noting that more than 1.8 million creators produce content related to products sold on TikTok Shop.
Alongside general creators, farmers and local content makers have also joined the platform to promote and livestream their produce, helping consumers discover agricultural products more easily.
The activity helped increase the number of fruit buyers on TikTok Shop by 105% year on year, while total fruit orders in the first half of 2026 grew by 134%.
Nearly half of those who bought durian on the platform also returned to buy again within the same season, reflecting stronger repeat-purchase behaviour among online consumers, TikTok added.
Yanee Srimanee, deputy director-general of the DIT, noted that Thailand is expected to produce about 2.07 million tonnes of durian this year, with around 70% bound for export and the remaining 30% sold domestically.
The DIT is also working to strengthen the domestic market, viewing public-private cooperation as a way to help farmers reach consumers more efficiently. TikTok Shop, she noted, has helped support digital skills and opened opportunities for agricultural products to enter online markets.
Chanida Klyphun, TikTok’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, described the partnership with the DIT as part of an effort to give Thai farmers greater access to the digital economy through skills development and the use of live commerce as a sales channel.
After the eastern durian season ends, TikTok and the DIT plan to continue supporting durian sales from southern Thailand.
They also aim to extend the model to other agricultural products and farming communities, using content, creators and online commerce as key tools to expand market opportunities and build long-term income for farmers. - The Nation/ANN
