Malaysia and Thailand better positioned to develop e-commerce

Online shopping is increasingly popular in key ASEAN cities, thanks to improved infrastructure and the variety of payment options, including cash-on-delivery, bank transfer or paying at the 7-Eleven store.

Moreover, online marketplaces provide a wide array of imported items, attractive promotions and discounts. E-commerce is also an attractive alternative for people in rural areas where shopping malls may not exist; and those who live in the city, where traffic congestion is a huge issue, as in Jakarta.

This is especially true when it comes to consumer electronics and IT gadgets – a category among the most researched online, alongside apparel and cosmetics.

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E-commerce in ASEAN is Reaching an Inflection Point

The recent entry of Chinese tech heavyweights into ASEAN may help the region reach its vast potential for e-commerce, as investments by Chinese companies, such as Alibaba, JD.com and Tencent have surged in recent years. These Chinese investors have not only injected capital into e-commerce companies, they have also brought in digital payment and logistics expertise, which will help ease the two major pain points that have been holding back the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment of e-commerce, especially cross-border, in ASEAN.

Thailand better positioned to develop e-commerce

Countries with more developed infrastructure, such as Malaysia and Thailand, are better positioned to develop e-commerce. Thailand could be set to experience a surge in e-commerce activities over the coming years.

First, alliances have been formed between Chinese e-commerce giants and large Thai retailers with extensive distribution networks, such as the joint venture between JD.com and Thai retailer, Central Group.

Second, Thailand already has decent infrastructure connectivity, and there has been significant rise in the number of e-commerce logistics enablers.

Third, the government is proactively pushing for e-payment adoption via the Promptpay scheme[1] and use of QR codes.

Fourth, Thailand has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in ASEAN.

Indonesia has a high long-term e-commerce potential given its large and growing middle class, as well as its young consumer market. Moreover, living in gridlocked Jakarta traffic sometimes makes consumers hesitate to commute for shopping. The two Alibaba-invested online marketplaces, Lazada and Tokopedia, have occupied about half of the national web traffic, while Shopee tops the mobile apps ranking.[2] While e-commerce players focusing on integrating infrastructure within the ecosystem, such as payments and logistics, they also emphasise building trust with consumers and improving consumer experiences.

Technology Leapfrogs and Fragmented E-commerce Market

More than 60% of ASEAN’s population is under 35 years old, creating a large future consumer market. At the same time, the region’s youth are tech-savvy, and e-commerce is poised to grow exponentially in Southeast Asia in the coming years.

It is important to recognise that consumers here are technology ‘leapfrogs’. Outside of first-tier cities, many have bypassed desktops, accessing digital platforms primarily through mobile devices. Mobile-first consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace, Shopee, is gaining market share in Thailand and Indonesia.

In Southeast Asia, the B2C e-commerce market is quite fragmented, as no single platform is preferred by more than 20% of consumers in any Southeast Asian country.[3] Today’s ASEAN market includes classifieds (e.g. Mudah and OLX), C2C (e.g. Tarad, Tokopedia, Bukalapak), B2C (e.g. Lazada, All IT Online Store, Blibli), B2B and retailers’ own sites (e.g. BEST DENKI, Fresh Gadgets, Urbanlife, IT City, Banana, Power Buy).

In ASEAN, most electronic brands and retailers sell via B2C marketplaces as well as their own websites, in addition to distributing through e-tailers, like Central Online and MAP.

Major Online Platforms in ASEAN

Major Online Marketplaces in ASEAN

There are a huge number of online shopping portals selling consumer electronics, electronic accessories, and IT gadgets in ASEAN. The list below is not exhaustive, but it gives a general picture of the online platforms in the region.

Lazada – Lazada is a horizontal marketplace where consumers can find a wide selection of product categories. The company, introduced by Rocket Internet in 2012, has a presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Lazada hosts more than 155,000 local and international sellers, as well as 3,000 brands. Its recent acquisition by Alibaba has cemented its position, playing a key role in Alibaba’s development in Southeast Asia.

Shopee – Shopee is a peer-to-peer online marketplace that allows individuals to easily upload products for sale using mobile phones. For now, Shopee does not charge listing fees or commission from transactions. In ‘mobile-first’ countries, Shopee is a primarily mobile platform, with a presence in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, as well as in Taiwan.

11 Street – 11 Street is an open marketplace operated by Celcom Planet Sdn. Bhd. – a joint venture between Celcom Axiata Bhd. and SK Planet Ltd. 11 Street is a horizontal e-marketplace with product assortments spanning fashion, to health and beauty, to baby and toys, to mobile, IT and camera, to home electronics and accessories. The platform allows three types of sellers: individual, business and global. By filling in a business registration form and providing bank account and supporting documents, such as business registration certificates, buyers can start selling on 11 Street.

All IT Online – This online platform is part of ALL IT Hypermarket, offering portable hard drives, USB mice, power banks, power sockets, Bluetooth headsets, mini mobile dual-stick controllers, DVD writers, wireless speakers, activity trackers, and flash drives, among others. It currently only provides shipping within Malaysia, with delivery to Peninsular Malaysia taking three to five working days and East Malaysia taking five to seven working days. Alternatively, buyers can choose to collect their purchases at its physical stores at Low Yat Plaza, Digital Mall and IOI City Mall.

ipmart.com.my – Product categories include phone and tablet accessories, notebooks and PC accessories, projectors, printers, cameras, and gaming. The online portal is managed and operated by MY Social Network Sdn Bhd. With offices in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the US, the portal source products from suppliers, including manufacturers and authorised distributors in the region.

Lelong.my – The online marketplace hosts about 7,000 sellers, including both local and international offline retailers and online merchants.

JIB – JIB computer group is a specialised computer and IT products department store in Thailand. It operates an online shopping site for electronic gadgets, carrying brands like Samsung, ViewSonic, Acer, Asus and others.

Orico – Orico is an online electronics store in Thailand, selling a wide range of accessories like portable hard drives, USB power banks and cables.

Munkong Gadget – With its own e-commerce platform, Munkong Gadget is a specialised audio gadgets and accessories chain store in Thailand. Products include earphones, loudspeakers, custom headphones, earphone cables, and other gadgets.

InvadeIT – InvadeIT is an electronics marketplace offering attractive prices, good customer service and quick delivery. Its product categories range from laptops, tablets and smartphones to computer hardware, peripherals, printers and scanners, as well as general electronic items and accessories.

Blibli – Established in 2011, Blibli.com was one of the leading e-commerce companies in Indonesia, offering diversified products categories, including a wide variety of electronics and gadgets.

JD.id – A diversified online portal, JD.id provides a wide variety of IT gadgets. Launched in 2015, it is a subsidiary of the Chinese e-commerce company, JD.com.

Elevenia – An online marketplace hosting more than 30,000 sellers with diverse products, including home appliances, computers and gadgets. Brands include Sony, SanDisk, Oppo, Lenovo and others.

Bhinneka – Bhinneka is a store chain specialised in home appliances, electronic gadgets and accessories. It also has an online shopping platform.

Tokopedia – Launched in 2009, Tokopedia is one of the biggest online marketplaces in Indonesia. It allows individual sellers to open and maintain an online store for free.

Bukalapak – Founded in 2010, Bukalapak is another leading marketplace in Indonesia, with about 3 million online merchants selling on the platform. The company also works with kiosk store owners as agents who earn commission by helping customers to place orders on Bukalapak.

Selling on Online Marketplaces

Lazada

Lazada is the key B2C e-commerce market player in the region. A seller who wishes to list on the marketplace must submit valid documentary proof of authorised distributorship. Lazada’s online merchants do not have to pay listing fees, instead they pay a commission (with the rate based on the product category) only when the product sells. All sellers get paid on a bi-weekly basis. The marketplace monitors product information provided by the sellers to ensure that all items comply with laws and regulations, and to combat counterfeit merchandise.

Lazada gives sellers the wide range of backend selling platform, business management, and distribution tools. It also runs a cross-border logistic programme for all sellers. Sellers only need to stick the label on the parcel and deliver to one of Lazada’s sorting centres in Asia (Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Korea), then the company’s cross-border logistic team will take care of the rest, which includes export and import documentation, custom clearance and last-mile delivery.

Cross-border delivery takes three days, but if the product is already in the local warehouse, it will only take one day. A shipment pre-alert is often sent to customs several days prior to the expected arrival date. This notice allows customs officials time to prepare for the arrival. Lazada offers multiple payment methods: cash on delivery, credit/debit card, Lazada Wallet, PayPal/AMEX, as well as an instalment payment plan.[4]

At the time of writing this report, Lazada’s sign-up for new cross-border sellers is suspended temporarily, while local sellers can still sign up. If a Hong Kong seller with local operations in any of those ASEAN nations and all the required legal documents can sign up as a local seller.

Shopee

Shopee is a fast-growing online shopping platform in the region. It is simple to register on the platform – just open the Shopee app, take a picture of the product for sale, write a short description, set a price, and then upload the picture and the product will be listed on Shopee. The simple steps to upload and sell products is one of the reasons Shopee became popular quickly after its launch in 2005.

The platform focuses on small businesses and budding retail entrepreneurs. It also accepts cross-border sellers from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Sellers can organise their inventory and measure their online store’s performance with Shopee’s Seller Assistant feature which is accessible on a mobile phone. The platform provides an in-app chat function that allows potential customers to communicate with the sellers about the product and make transactions directly. This is a very popular feature, as many consumers prefer contacting the sellers directly so that they can negotiate the price and learn more about the product.

Anyone can sign up on Shopee, while all the listed products will be vetted through its content team to ensure that the merchandise are not illegal. Since almost anyone can start selling on Shopee, sellers are bound to face a large number of competitors who may be selling the same product. For the same reason, customers are bound to be more careful about the sellers on Shopee. Shoppers can look at reviews, ratings and whether they are from Shopee Mall (managed sellers) or Preferred sellers (who meet certain criteria).

According to Shopee, successful sellers are those who proactively study the local market trends and select the right products with competitive pricing. Good customer service when handling in-app chats with buyers is also crucial. Customer reviews and ratings are effective ways for customers to know if a seller is trustworthy.

Social Commerce

In addition to a frictionless checkout experience, search-engine optimisation and marketing, sales opportunities arising from social networking platforms have become more apparent in key ASEAN countries. Nowadays, people spend much of their time on social networks built around their interests and relationships. As a result, the shopping process is shifting from one driven largely by the goal of finding an item, to one that is more based on discovering things within consumers’ social lives and circle of friends.

The high mobile phone penetration in ASEAN, the fact that the ASEAN consumer are reluctant to provide their financial and personal information online, and less than 30% of the population (except Malaysia and Singapore) using either debit or credit cards to make payments[5], are success factors for selling via social networks in the region. In Thailand, a clear majority of online shoppers make purchases through social media.

In social commerce, an order is usually made online while the payment is done offline. Merchants set up ‘shops’ on Facebook or Instagram and post images and details of goods for sale. Shoppers browse and inquire about product availability and arrange a method of payment, sometimes through a popular chat app such as LINE in Thailand.

Social media is an ideal selling platform for electronic accessories and IT gadgets, as buyers can share their user experiences. User comments are of paramount importance on purchase decisions as nowadays people trust such opinions more than advertising.

Among all social media, Facebook and Instagram reign supreme as the most effective platforms, with links to shoppable content to allow users to smoothly transition from browsing to buying. Social commerce presents a great opportunity for small suppliers or non-brands to test the consumer markets in ASEAN without too much financial commitment.

[1] PromptPay is an interbank mobile payments system launched in Thailand in January 2017. PromptPay is one of the initiatives under the Thai government’s National E-payment initiative.

[2] www.ecommerceiq.asia

[3] Bain Report “Can Southeast Asia Live Up to Its E-commerce Potential?” 2016 Bain & Company

[4] For more details on each payment method, please refer to Lazada – Payments

[5] World Bank, The Little Data Book on Financial Inclusion 2018

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