How Etaily Is Riding Southeast Asia's Ecommerce Wave

"Ecommerce in Southeast Asia is booming. Five of the 10 fastest-growing ecommerce markets in the world are to be found in the region, with sales in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand all accelerating at a more rapid pace than in any Western economy or even in China. The consultant McKinsey reckons Southeast Asia's ecommerce market could be worth $230 billion by next year, having grown at annual rates of more than 20% since 2022."

"Still, doing business in the region remains challenging for large global brands unfamiliar with its nuances - everything from customer preferences to logistics and fulfillment arrangements. In particular, Southeast Asian consumers have embraced social commerce with un parallelled enthusiasm; in Indonesia, for example, research shows 60% of shoppers make purchases via live-streaming platforms. "Live-stream shopping provides consumers an interactive experience that is different from brands - they feel directly connected to the brand, even though by online," concluded a recent report from the market research group Ipsos. "Live-streaming shopping services add more value to the relationship between brands and consumers.""

"Enter the Philippines-based start-up etaily, which is today announcing it has raised strategic investment from SMBC Asia Rising, a fund run by Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The ecommerce technology specialist will use the addition funding to increase its capacity to support brands with social commerce activity - creating content, producing live-streams and working with influencers, for example. "We're seeing a shift in shopper behaviours like we've never seen before," says Alexander Friedhoff, the founder and CEO of etaily. "But social commerce is infrastructure heavy - for example, you need a studio to film content and a team of presenters ready to"

Southeast Asian ecommerce is growing faster than Western economies and even China, with McKinsey estimating the market could reach $230 billion by next year after double-digit annual growth. Rapid adoption of social commerce and live-stream shopping has shifted customer behaviour, with platforms and influencers playing central roles and up to 60% of Indonesian shoppers buying via live streams. Large global brands face challenges adapting to local preferences, logistics and fulfillment nuances. Start-ups like etaily are securing strategic funding to provide infrastructure, content production, live-stream capabilities and influencer partnerships to help brands scale social-commerce activities.

Read at Forbes