The evolution of e-commerce is changing the way people purchase in the SEA region. To stay ahead of this disruption and lead the market in the future, brands must implement a direct-to-consumer digital strategy. As consumers become more tech-savvy, internet shopping is gaining huge traction in Southeast Asia. The rise of digital shoppers has been fueled by the region’s increasing smartphone and internet adoption rates. Because of the price, variety, and convenience of shopping online, virtual stores are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among young people. 

E-Commerce growth could cause prices to fall through increased competition, cost-efficient processes, and increasing consumer expectations. There is a wide range of businesses that can profit from having their own online shop where they can offer their own products/services, from startups to small and medium-sized enterprises to giant corporations. Simultaneously, the rapid adoption of new technologies in the retail environment has led consumers of all ages to anticipate a convenient and connected experience that fits smoothly into their daily routines. People in Southeast Asia are developing new internet discovery, deliberation, and purchasing behaviours. Many entrepreneurs are capitalising on the paradigm change in consumer behaviour that has occurred in Southeast Asia (SEA).

In this article, we’ll have a look at the most notable e-commerce startups in the SEA Region.

1. Shopee: Shopee is a Southeast Asian e-commerce platform that provides clients with an easy, safe, and fast online buying experience with robust payment and logistical support. Shopee’s goal is to continuously improve its platform and become the region’s preferred e-commerce destination through constant product optimization and localised user-centric methods. Shopee, a Southeast Asian startup, debuted in Singapore in 2015 and has since expanded to Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. 
2. Lazada: Lazada Group is Southeast Asia’s top E-commerce platform. Through business and technology, they are driving progress in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lazada is a part of customers’ everyday life in the area since it has the largest logistics and payment networks in the region. It was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Indonesia.
3. Pomelo: Pomelo is a trendy fashion company that offers elegance at an affordable price. It was incepted in 2013 and is situated in Bangkok, Thailand. Products for today’s global customers are proudly created and manufactured in Asia. The company operates with a clear, worldwide mindset: on-trend, online, and on-the-go. Pomelo aspires to provide ladies everywhere with their finest appearance at an unrivalled price, with an undeniable sense of style.
4. Tokopedia: Tokopedia is an online market that allows individuals and small and medium-sized company owners to easily and freely start and maintain their online store while delivering a better and safer online purchasing experience to their consumers. Its platform has enabled millions of Indonesian people, MSMEs, and businesses to offer items to clients all throughout the country. This enterprise has resulted in the creation of employment for millions of people in Indonesia.
5. Oxwhite: Oxwhite is a Malaysia-based lifestyle brand that aspires to make luxury accessible to everybody. For years, CK Chang tried to locate a formal shirt that fit his Asian frame. He found the exquisite workmanship of a superb tailor while roaming London’s famed Savile Row in 2015 and made the instinctive decision to splurge on a made-to-measure shirt. Inspired by this life-changing purchase, CK gathered a team and immediately began studying and working on designing items. Oxwhite has since catered to the demands of every modern Asian, from professional attire to leisure wear, and from travel essentials to home and lifestyle basics.
6. Tiki Corporation: Tiki.vn is Vietnam’s most rapidly growing B2C e-commerce firm. Since being founded in 2010, it has amassed nearly 300,000 goods in 12 categories, including technological gadgets, lifestyle products, and books. Among all e-commerce businesses in Vietnam, the firm claims to have the greatest customer satisfaction rate and the lowest return rate. This is because it manages the whole supply chain, from cooperating with brands to delivering high-quality items to managing warehouse logistics to processing payments and offering excellent customer support.
7. Zilingo: Started in 2015, Zilingo is a fashion-related technology and commerce platform headquartered in Singapore. It is an e-commerce website that connects wholesale buyers and sellers in fashion, lifestyle, furniture, home goods, office supplies, fabric, FMCG, health & beauty, and medical supplies. Its goal is to use technology to improve the efficiency of the fashion and cosmetics supply chain. In addition to Indonesia, Zillingo also has offices in Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, India, and the United States.
8. Carousell: Carousell is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell new and used products. Carousell’s website and mobile app feature a wide range of items in categories such as vehicles, clothing, housing, lifestyle, technology, fashion accessories, and more. The company began its operations in Singapore in 2012, and also has subsidiaries in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
9. HappyFresh: HappyFresh is an e-grocery firm that allows customers to buy items from prominent grocery stores in the Cilandak region with the touch of a button. It has its own delivery fleet and personnel to pick up fresh supplies from affiliated stores. Aside from its home country Indonesia, it is also functional in Malaysia and Thailand.
10. Boson Protocol: Boson Technology is a blockchain protocol that allows for completely automated and dependable real-world trade of objects. It is focused on allowing autonomous decentralised commerce and is developing infrastructure to integrate smart contracts with real-world trade and data. When the Boson Protocol solution is complete, users will be able to link digital assets to tangible goods, easing the interchange of digital and physical products and services. The company was founded in Singapore in 2019.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 has sped the transition to a new digital reality. Merchants have recognised the importance of having an online presence and have begun to invest in creating customer-centric businesses. With the technological advancements happening in the market, now starting an eCommerce business is simple, inexpensive, and low-risk. There’s lots of potential for passive income and high ROI over the long term if a company chooses the proper products/services, has an adequate business strategy, and finds the perfect partner to assist in establishing its own online business store. Startups can search for good opportunities in this domain and plan for new business models accordingly.