With a growth rate of 20.6% in 2022, the southeastern Asian (SEA) region is forecast to see the fastest growing ecommerce retail growth in the world. Sales of Southeast Asia ecommerce companies are expected to reach $89.67 billion and to cross the $100 billion mark in 2023.
There are more active consumers in the region than in the US and Japan combined if we look at Singapore. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The explosive growth that we are currently seeing in the region means that there is considerable upheaval in the sector as well as a number of rapidly rising stars in ecommerce in southeast Asia 2022.
Growth Forecast to Continue
Source: Campaign
Source: emarketer
Who are the main players in ecommerce in southeast Asia 2022?
Source: Campaign
Shopee
Active in: IN, VN, PH, TH, MY, SG as well as many other markets worldwide
HQ: Singapore
Average Monthly visits: 470 mln
Estimated yearly GMV: 60 bln USD
Employees: 20.000
Website: shopee.com
Shopee is presently the largest online platform in South East Asia (SEA) and offered purely 3rd party sales. (There was no business model where they buy the products themselves until the introduction of Shopee Supermarket). The parent company Sea belongs 25% to China’s Tencent.
From the start, Shopee has taken a mobile first approach. The platform started out as a C2C marketplace but has since evolved to include B2C in a hybrid format.
One feature which offers security for both sellers & buyers is the Shopee Guarantee – this is an escrow payments structure where the buyer’s money is held in trust until after the product has been delivered, offering security for both sides.
Shopee also offers sellers a wide variety of marketing options to make the products more attractive to potential customers. these include coupons, promotions, bundles and free shipping campaigns. The platform is known for excellent customer service, offering rich chat features and language specific support around the clock, allowing brands to build loyalty.
Crossborder Ecommerce
There are 2 fulfillment options for the Shopee Mart as an overseas brand:
- Fulfillment by Shopee, which is by invitation only for selected brands and official distributors (you need to have high sales volumes, but it includes free shipping and returns, picking & packing, storage)
- 3rd party fulfillment – there are a number of 3rd party fulfillment specialist companies who help smaller brands to sell on platforms such as Shopee.
Who can sell on Shopee?
To be a seller on Shopee, you need to have the following:
- a GST (general sales tax) ID number
- a mobile phone number to register your business with
- a shipping address
- provide a signature.
If you meet these criteria, you can go ahead and start selling on Shopee.
Fees
Transaction fee (for receipt of payments): 2%
Commission: generally 5% for Shopee Mall, but is capped for some high value items
There may also be a service fee for certain programmes such as the Free Shipping programme where your clients always receive free deliver
Lazada
Active in: SG, PH, TH, ID, VN, MY
HQ: Singapore
Average Monthly visits: 140 mln
Estimated yearly GMV: 40 bln USD
Employees: 10.000
Website: lazada.com
For almost 10 years Lazada was the no 1 in the region, until Shopee took over the top spot during the pandemic. The GMV mentioned above is more of an estimation than the other numbers mentioned in this post, as Alibaba doesn’t report Lazada separately.
Since Alibaba took over the controlling stake in 2016, the product offering has been brought in line with that of Tmall in China, so you have Lazada Global, Lazada Mall etc.
The platform offers a huge range of products on a B2C basis & like Tmall has strict requirements that sellers need to meet. These revolve around brand rights as well as proving that products are genuine.
Crossborder E-commerce
The LazGlobal store is a crossborder e-commerce option making it simpler for foreign companies to sell via the platform & tap into their huge audience across the region.
There are certain limits on which products can be sold via the crossborder business model, especially when it comes to food & beverages or health care supplements.
This business model is fulfilled via the Lazada warehouses in Hong Kong, which is a practical solution for the sellers, however slower for delivery times than if selling on the domestic mall.
Who can sell on Lazada?
To be a seller on Lazada, you need to:
- Have an email id and phone number to register your business with
- Have a business license
- Have prior shopping experience on other e-commerce sites like Amazon, Etsy, or more.
- Have a Payoneer card or p-card that is registered as an enterprise.
If you meet these criteria, you can go ahead and start selling on Lazada.
Fees
Compared to selling on Tmall, Lazada is relatively cheap for brands as there is no deposit or running fee, but it’s more expensive than Shopee.
Depending on the product, commissions range between 4-8%, plus 2% for Payoneer.
As you may be familiar with from Tmall, there are also Lazada Partners, however an LP (unlike a great TP) won’t break the bank. Prices start at around $500 for the set up and then $200 monthly ongoing.
Tokopedia
Active in: ID
HQ: Jakarta, ID
Average Monthly visits: 150 mln
Estimated yearly GMV: 14 bln USD
Employees: 5.000
Website: www.tokopedia.com
Tokopedia offers free C2C marketplace services for dealers and private persons as well as having an official store model for brands to do B2C sales. It feels a bit like taobao in the past and isn’t open to foreign buyers right now.
The platform is known for flamboyant marketing activities showcasing pop stars.
It’s estimated that Tokopedia has around 30% of the Indonesian ecommerce market.
Investors include Alibaba, Google & Softbank, and in May 2021 the company merged with ride-hailing unicorn Gojek to form the Go-To Group.
Whilst brands are able to have official stores on Tokopedia, you need to consider in advance that margins are generally low in Indonesia.
Bukalapak
Active in: ID
HQ: Jakarta, ID
Average Monthly visits: 27 mln
Estimated yearly GMV: 8 bln USD
Employees: 2.000
Website: www.bukalapak.com
Bukalapak is number 3 in the Indonesian market, behind Shopee and Tokopedia.
The platform had its initial success with selling folding bicycles, but is now offering a full range of products. The platform differentiates itself by facilitating online to offline ecommerce by partnering with many smaller offline retail stores.
In 2021, the platform raised a record breaking $1.5 billion in their IPO but 6 months later had lost 66% of their value. This was driven not only by a lack of profits, but also by the CEO leaving to transition to the public sector.
Blibli
HQ: Jakarta, ID
Average Monthly visits: 16 mln
Employees: 2.000
Website: www.blibli.com
Blibli is yet another Indonesian site, who will soon reach unicorn status. Whilst they like to focus on Indonesian brands, it’s also possible to have an official brand store on the platform if you have an entity or partner within Indonesia. Blibli were the first ecommerce site in Indonesia to integrate video streaming. They pride themselves on their 2 day delivery guarantee (not an easy feat in a market as fragmented & widespread as Indonesia, where last mile logistics can be a real challenge). This is made possible by having their own in-house logistics team.
Carousell
Active in: SG, PH, MY, ID
HQ: Singapore
Average Monthly visits: 21 mln
Employees: 500
Website: carousell.sg
Carousell started out as a marketplace to sell used electronics, but has now evolved to sell a range of products and with both C2C and B2C business models. It has a bit of an ebay feel to it, so certainly isn’t suitable for all types of business.
Tiki
Active in: VN
HQ: Ho Chi Minh City, VN
Average Monthly visits: 18 mln
Employees: 4.000
Website: www.tiki.vn
As the Vietnamese ecommerce market is the 2nd largest in Southeast Asia (after Indonesia) it’s hardly surprising that there are some strong homegrown players. The market is forecast to triple in size in the next 5-7 years.
Tiki has grown from being a bookstore to the multiproduct platform it is today and focuses on a younger demographic.
The largest investor in Tiki is Alibaba.
Tiki doesn’t offer a cross-border ecommerce model, so in order to sell here, you will need either a local partner who can sell here or your own local entity.
Sendo
Active in: VN
HQ: Ho Chi Minh City, VN
Average Monthly visits: 5 mln
Employees: 500
Website: www.sendo.vn
Mainly working with a C2C model, Sendo focuses on more rural areas. Apparently a merger with Tiki was planned for 2020, but this has been postponed at least until now due to the pandemic. Sendo is probably not so interesting from a Western business perspective until the merger with Tiki goes through (assuming it goes ahead) when the access to more provincial traffic could become interesting.
Zalora
Active in: ID, PH, MY, SG (also Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia & New Zealand)
HQ: Singapore
Average Monthly visits: 7 mln
Employees: 3,000
Website: zalora.com
Zalora is part of Global Fashion Group and is a leading fashion retailer and marketplace in the region. Since 2020 the platform also ventured into beauty and lifestyle. They feature the work of around 500 international and local designers, making them an interesting opportunity for brands in the space who are looking for the right sales platform.
Southeast Asia Ecommerce Companies are set for huge growth
- seller interfaces & documentation are often in English, especially if you start out via Singapore, the Philippines or Malaysia
- less competition than China – right now, the marketplaces are simply less noisy than say Tmall or JD, making it easier to get your brand messaging heard
- It is cheaper to cooperate with both in terms of the commissions which are required and also the necessary marketing spend
- Your Gateway to SE Asia: a Guide to Exporting Food and Beverages to Malaysia
- 6 Food and Beverage Industry Trends in Vietnam 2022 to watch out for
- Digitalisation of Supply Chains 2022: Trends in South East Asia
- Business Etiquette in Vietnam
