Shopee Thailand’s marketing director Agatha Soh said that Shopee has achieved tremendous growth in Thailand over the past year. “Shopee has more than 30 million users in Thailand, and through rich and detailed insights, we have created a superior shopping experience based on the special needs of Thai consumers.”
Soh also summarized the six major trends in Thailand’s e-commerce market in the first half of this year:
1. Online shopping is expanding from Bangkok to inland provinces such as Bung Kan, Udon Thani and Satun, which are also several areas where Shopee shopping activities have grown rapidly since the beginning of this year.
2. Thai online shoppers prefer to buy health, beauty, mobile phones, gadgets, and home and living products. Products such as skin creams and facial masks are popular in Thailand, and technological products such as smartphones and fitness watches are also popular.
3. Unlike Lazada, Thais usually shop on Shopee in the afternoon and evening, especially between 12 noon and 2 pm and 9 pm to 11 pm. This is consistent with the mobile nature of online shopping in Thailand, as the penetration rate of smartphones in Thailand continues to grow rapidly, and Thais often shop online during their free time during lunch breaks and before bed. Thais also browse products on their phones on their way home from get off work, with user activity extending from 6pm to 9pm.
4. Online shopping activity in Thailand peaks in the middle of the week, with Wednesday being the peak of Shopee’s weekly business.
5. Thais still do not trust online payments, and cash on delivery is their preferred payment method. Cashless solutions such as credit cards are the preferred payment method for users in Bangkok, while users outside Bangkok prefer cash on delivery and bank transfers.
6. Shopee’s live streaming feature is becoming increasingly popular among Thai users because live streaming can provide real-time interaction between sellers and buyers. So live streaming shopping is becoming an increasingly popular shopping method for Thai buyers.