CREOK announces live commerce franchise, with 13 locations planned across seven regions of Japan

CREOK, which provides operational support for TikTok Shop, announced its new business, CREOK FRANCHISE, at a first-anniversary presentation held at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo on 16 October 2026. The scheme will offer live commerce operating expertise to businesses across Japan, with an initial launch planned at 13 locations in seven regions. It introduces a new model to Japan’s franchise sector, in which the franchisor and franchisees jointly support sales through livestreaming.

Operating systems for 13 planned locations nationwide

According to a report published by Live Times on 17 October, CREOK’s Representative Director and CEO, Yoshio Sakurai, disclosed the company’s operating data for the first time at the event, alongside presentations on the franchise business and a joint project with Shachihata.

CREOK was established in July 2025. Its business centres on TikTok Shop, an e-commerce feature that allows users to discover and purchase products within the TikTok app. The service launched in Japan on 30 June 2025, and CREOK specialises in supporting its operation.

Sakurai described the franchise as “a system that lets businesses adopt our sales capabilities directly”. Rather than simply granting rights to sell products or use a brand, the planned package combines livestreaming talent, products, training and the use of data.

The first phase envisages 13 locations across seven regions of Japan. These are planned launch locations: the announcement does not mean that 13 sites are already trading. Prospective franchisees should distinguish between the proposed scale of the network and the number of locations that have actually begun operating.

Cumulative sales of nearly ¥1.5 billion: the breakdown matters

At the presentation, CREOK reported cumulative sales of ¥1.498 billion over a one-year period. This comprised ¥573 million from accounts it operates directly and ¥925 million from partner shops whose operations it supports. It also said it worked with more than 1,000 brands.

These figures illustrate the operating track record behind the new venture. However, the total of almost ¥1.5 billion combines sales from two different categories: directly operated accounts and shops supported by CREOK. It should not be treated as equivalent to CREOK’s own accounting revenue or as a forecast of sales at new franchise locations.

In particular, the disclosed results do not indicate the earnings of the franchise locations yet to launch. Prospective franchisees can use the existing track record as a reference, but should prepare a separate business plan based on the assignments they would handle, staffing requirements and operating costs.

Live commerce connects product presentations and purchases within the same app. CREOK’s proposed franchise support goes beyond securing livestream presenters: it also covers the supply of client assignments and products, scriptwriting and post-broadcast analysis. Alongside the headline sales figures, an important question is how these operating capabilities will be transferred to franchisees.

Six areas of franchise support, including training, products and data

CREOK outlined six main elements of its franchise package.

• Brand and official accreditation: Franchisees will operate within CREOK’s framework, which holds three official TikTok Shop accreditations.
• Client assignments and products: The franchisor will provide livestream slots, products and assignments from major companies.
• Creators: The franchisor will supply approved livestream presenters.
• Training and certification: A curriculum will train employees with no previous experience to manage operations.
• AI and data: Scriptwriting resources and livestream analysis will be shared across all locations.
• Hands-on support: The franchisor will support operations for the first 100 days after opening.

The training programme is intended not only for people with livestreaming experience, but also to develop inexperienced employees into operations staff. This gives prospective franchisees a starting point for deciding how to allocate their own employees and which tasks they need to learn.

The provision of approved livestream presenters and training for franchisees’ employees are listed as separate forms of support. Businesses considering joining should distinguish between on-camera roles and day-to-day operational responsibilities when assessing the team they will need.

AI and data sharing are also planned across the entire network. A distinctive feature is that scriptwriting and analysis are treated as shared support functions rather than being left entirely to individual locations. A system for sharing expertise across the franchise network is one of the main pillars of the announcement.

The 100-day support period provides a defined timeframe for assistance during the launch phase. In practice, prospective franchisees should establish not only how long support lasts, but also which daily tasks the franchisor will undertake, what staff and equipment the franchisee must provide, and how operations will be managed after those 100 days.

Joint project on livestream authenticity also announced

The same event also featured the announcement of a joint project with Shachihata. It was presented as an initiative to develop a way of demonstrating “proof of authenticity” in livestreaming in the AI era.

While the franchise business aims to roll out operating expertise nationwide, the joint project addresses trust in livestreaming. Although announced together, the project concept should be considered separately from the six elements of franchise support.

At the heart of the announcement is a plan to make CREOK’s accumulated sales and operating expertise available to businesses across Japan through training, people, products and shared data. As the network develops, attention should focus not just on the planned number of locations, but also on the operational arrangements put in place at each one.

The key practical point is not to confuse cumulative sales of nearly ¥1.5 billion with the earnings prospects of individual franchise locations. Before joining, businesses should clarify the terms on which client assignments will be provided, employee training, the division of responsibilities with the franchisor, and arrangements after the 100-day support period. Any decision should factor in their own costs and staffing requirements.