Blooming online stores and social media in Thailand

A rapidly expanding market has made Thailand a digital battlefield with e-commerce and social media competing for a slice of the action. The value of e-commerce has tripled in two years, reaching 3 billion U.S. dollars a year.

A growing passion for digital buying in Thailand has made the country one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing online marketplaces – and analysts say this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Thailand is an emerging market for online shopping. Right now the value of e-commerce is only around 1 percent compared to the total retail value. For example, in China, e-commerce penetration is 20 percent – that means there is huge potential for Thailand's e-commerce market to catch up with China,” said Thanawat Malabuppha, president of the Thai E-Commerce Association.

Established e-commerce giants such as Lazada along with Shop and JD are dominant in Thailand. But now they're being challenged as social media turns to sales with the arrival of Google Shopping and Facebook marketplace. Lazada, for example, allows customers to post and chat on its app, rivaling Facebook. These providers want to become central to Thai users' "digital lifestyles."

Economists predict growth will continue with e-commerce sales quadrupling to 13 billion U.S. dollars a year by 2025. Investment in logistics is making it easier for people in the countryside to join the e-shopping revolution. An improved delivery network is now seeing almost half of all purchases being made in rural areas.

(CGTN)