{"id":212850,"date":"2021-10-14T08:50:22","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T00:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/?p=212850"},"modified":"2021-10-13T22:07:56","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T14:07:56","slug":"southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Southeast Asia sees exhilarating rise in social commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><b>Social media has surpassed physical retail to become the second most popular shopping format in the region, second only to e-commerce.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand top the charts in the number of times shopped online in a month.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Overall social commerce\u2019s revenue per order rose 88% during the first two quarters of this year.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this day and age, the opportunity for social media as a sales channel is too enormous to be ignored. Especially when it comes to Southeast Asia (SEA), data by Bain &amp; Co. shows social commerce accounting for close to half (44%) of the region\u2019s U$109 billion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/07\/consumer-behavior-in-e-commerce-moving-towards-shoppertainment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e-commerce market<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last year alone. It is not surprising, considering how the region is home to the highest internet penetration rates in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"see-also right\"><div class=\"row\" data-equalizer><a href=https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2020\/11\/3-ways-social-commerce-took-off-in-2020\/><div class=\"medium-12 small-4 columns\" data-equalizer-watch><img width=\"400\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-400x200.png\" class=\"ratio2by1 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Twitter fleets a new feature of twitter app.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-400x200.png 400w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-800x400.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-150x150.png\" class=\"ratiosquare wp-post-image\" alt=\"Twitter fleets a new feature of twitter app.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-167x167.png 167w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-344x344.png 344w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-409x409.png 409w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shutterstock_1753181378-125x125.png 125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"medium-12 small-8 columns\" data-equalizer-watch><h4>3 WAYS SOCIAL COMMERCE COULD TAKE OFF IN 2021<\/h4><p class=\"byline\">Joe Devanesan | 19 November, 2020<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is surprising however, is the fact that for the first time, shopping via social media has surpassed traditional retail to become the second most preferred shopping method in SEA.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/ikala.tv\/news\/social-commerce-surges-in-southeast-asia\/\">annual report by iKala<\/a> titled \u2018Riding the Pandemic Wave &amp; Beyond\u2019, within the first half of this year alone, orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in the region\u2019s social commerce sector jumped 102% and 91%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">iKala, an AI-based solution provider, said in a statement that even with Covid-19 restrictions in many parts of Southeast Asia, the pace of growth for social commerce shows few signs of slowing. \u201cIf anything, more people are spending more of their time discovering, considering and purchasing products within the social media ecosystem,\u201d the statement reads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report is based on a survey of 1600 social shoppers and more than 23,600 business customers (social sellers) across Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, conducted in the first two quarters of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Social commerce accelerates in SEA<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While e-commerce (91%) overwhelmingly remains the preferred channel for shoppers in Southeast Asia, social commerce (78%) is emerging hot on its heels, the report states, even outstripping traditional retail by a country mile (35%).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn fact, as many as 42% of total shoppers said they use social media to make purchases 1-2 times per month, and 35% use it shop more than 3 times a month,\u201d iKala noted. To top it off, revenue per order rose 88%, a staggering amount that reflects how consumers weren\u2019t just buying more on social media, but also spending more on every order.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_212851\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-212851\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-212851 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/iKala-chart-1024x434.png\" alt=\"Social commerce activity is driving revenue potential on social networks\" width=\"1024\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/iKala-chart-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/iKala-chart-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/iKala-chart-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/iKala-chart.png 1090w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-212851\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">How often do you shop using social networks? Source: iKala<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEO and co-founder of iKala, Sega Cheng, believes that because \u201cSoutheast Asia already has some of the most avid social media users in the world, and spurred by the pandemic, they\u2019ve taken to social platforms for their shopping needs at an exhilarating pace. Even as brick-and-mortar reopens, Cheng said it\u2019s become clear that social commerce is not a phase \u2014 the ease, convenience and accessibility of this format has earned it a permanent place in the way this region shops.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is fair to note that shopping on social platforms is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/09\/safety-and-security-most-important-when-buying-online-say-shoppers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not friction-free<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Based on the study, consumers across the region report expensive shipping (51%), no return and exchange policies (41%) and a lack of customer service (34%) as key points of friction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even different <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/09\/these-asian-counties-are-testing-with-cross-border-digital-payments-platforms-with-south-africa\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">payment preferences across the region<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contributes to some friction. \u201cConsumers in Singapore and Malaysia rely much more on credit cards and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/fintech-unicorns-in-sea-are-bearing-their-fangs-ready-to-pounce\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">digital wallets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> respectively, while those in Thailand and the Philippines prefer cash on delivery (COD),\u201d the report highlighted. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheng noted that despite how navigating consumer expectations poses challenges, more retailers are starting to leverage emerging tools and technologies to make the customer journey seamless. \u201cAs the landscape matures, sellers who are quick to adopt effective solutions to eliminate pain points will be able to retain engagement and trust in the long run,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social media has surpassed physical retail to become the second most popular shopping format in the region, second only to e-commerce. Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand top the charts in the number of times shopped online in a month. Overall social commerce\u2019s revenue per order rose 88% during the first two quarters of this year.\u00a0<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce\/\" title=\"ReadSoutheast Asia sees exhilarating rise in social commerce\">&#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":161039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2593,4911,116,10],"tags":[335,4831,312,207,128],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Southeast Asia sees exhilarating rise in social commerce - Tech Wire Asia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Data by Bain &amp; Co. shows social commerce accounting for close to half (44%) of SEA\u2019s U$109 billion e-commerce market last year alone.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Southeast Asia sees exhilarating rise in social commerce - Tech Wire Asia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Data by Bain &amp; Co. shows social commerce accounting for close to half (44%) of SEA\u2019s U$109 billion e-commerce market last year alone.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tech Wire Asia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techwireasia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-14T00:50:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-13T14:07:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/instagram.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"719\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DashveenjitK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@techwireasia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/\",\"name\":\"Tech Wire Asia\",\"description\":\"Where technology and business intersect\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/techwireasia.com\/2021\/10\/southeast-asia-sees-exhilarating-rise-in-social-commerce\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/instagram.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.techwireasia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/instagram.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":719,\"caption\":\"Shopping tags allow users to browse and Southeast Asia sees exhilarating rise in social commerce. 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