In the process of operating an online store, sellers may encounter various force majeure events, such as natural disasters, policy changes, etc., which may result in the inability to perform obligations in accordance with the original performance SLA (Service Level Agreement). In response to this situation, TikTok Shop has formulated corresponding adjustment policies to help sellers cope with the impact of force majeure events.
1. Platform Adjustment of Performance SLA
When a force majeure event affects a certain area, TikTok Shop will uniformly extend the performance SLA of sellers in the affected area. By announcing the scope of the affected area in the Seller Center, sellers are ensured to understand and comply with the adjusted performance standards.
2. For sellers not covered
For sellers who are not in the “force majeure adjustment area”, if they are affected by force majeure events, there are two ways to deal with it:
2.1 Set the store to “holiday mode”
If you are not sure when you can resume normal operations, you can set the store to “holiday mode” to prevent new orders from being generated.
When the store can operate normally, the store can be adjusted back to “standard mode”.
Before setting “Vacation Mode”, the generated orders must still comply with the seller’s shipping SLA. When an order cannot be fulfilled, you can apply for an SLA extension or appeal any platform penalties.
2.2 Report force majeure events and apply for an SLA extension
If you know when you can resume normal operations, you can report force majeure events to TikTok Shop and apply for an SLA extension.
If the time requirements for extending the SLA are met, you can continue to receive orders during the recovery period.
The platform will temporarily extend the SLA period, but will not extend the order delivery time indefinitely. The final result is subject to the platform review.
In summary, TikTok Shop is committed to providing sellers with flexible strategies to deal with force majeure events to ensure that merchants can deal with emergencies in a timely and effective manner, and to maximize customer experience and seller interests.