TikTok has announced a partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on a global initiative to help empower small businesses and help them unlock more digital commerce opportunities. The program focuses on community building, online training modules, and virtual classrooms that aim to help businesses succeed in the digital space.
TikTok and the ICC Partner to Help Small Businesses Build a Strong Digital Presence
In a recent news post, TikTok announced that the company has partnered with the ICC to launch the Digital Commerce Labs. This is a global program that aims to unlock more digital commerce opportunities for small businesses and help them build up their digital presence.
The program is designed for small businesses in select markets, such as Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Specifically, the program will leverage TikTok’s suite of digital tools and pair it with ICC’s expertise on international trade and the organization’s powerful network of committees and chambers of commerce to expand access to training, resources, and more.
With the partnership, both TikTok and the ICC hope to equip small businesses with the digital skills and tools needed to expand market access, build resilience, and increase revenue opportunities. The program hopes to create a scalable education model that can be replicated across various markets to help transfer digital knowledge into real-world growth.
This isn’t the only time that TikTok has collaborated with an organization to benefit small businesses, as it recently partnered on a new integration with Wix to help companies create, manage, and optimize ad campaigns.
The Program Features Three Integrated Components
According to the post, this program features three integrated components to deliver learning and economic impact. First, the foundation is community building, which will bring small businesses together through both online and in-person sessions with local ecosystem partners to help with network development and peer learning.
Next, there will be self-led online training modules hosted on a dedicated learning platform that offers participants plenty of flexibility and depth. The platform will include videos produced by local experts, quizzes, and even a certification for completing it.
Lastly, virtual classrooms will offer participants instructor-led learning opportunities, where small businesses can communicate directly with industry experts, ask questions in real-time, and improve their understanding of digital commerce strategies and tools.
How the Program Works
In their post about the partnership, the ICC provides a couple of details about how the program works. First, it says that the program is completely free of charge for all micro, small, and medium-sized businesses in eligible markets. It’s launching in 10 markets across Africa, Latin America, and Thailand, with more regions being added according to demand.
The post says that applications are considered on a rolling basis, however, places for community events and virtual classrooms will be limited to ensure participant engagement. Lastly, when a business completes the program, it’ll receive a recognized certification.
I believe this program could provide some great results for small businesses in the supported regions, and help them better participate in the digital commerce space. Ecommerce and doing business online are a major part of succeeding in business today, and it’s good to see TikTok and the ICC help more companies become educated about it.
At the very least, this program should help small businesses and entrepreneurs in these areas to make good connections and engage with industry leaders and peers in their area.
