E-Commerce Opportunities in Southeast Asia: Market Entry 101

Executive Summary

In this report, we outline the scale and potential of retail and e-commerce in Southeast Asia. We discuss the opportunities in e-commerce platforms that brands can leverage, and the strategies brands can adopt to enter the e-commerce market in Southeast Asia.

• Southeast Asia’s retail sales are forecast to almost double to $1.38 trillion in 2025 from $720 billion in 2018, according to a study by Google and Temasek. 
• E-commerce sales are expected to virtually quadruple to $100 billion by 2025 from $23 billion in 2018, according to Google and Temasek. 
• Southeast Asia’s e-commerce potential lies in many factors that are unique to the region, which include: a GDP growth rate of 5.3% over the next 10 years, a growing middle class, a young population and a high rate of Internet and mobile penetration.
• Brands can leverage existing e-commerce platforms to break into this market, using strategies such as launching hero products and joining shopping festivals.