The following takes Southeast Asia, an important region along the “Belt and Road”, as an example, and discusses the current status of cross-border e-commerce development in Southeast Asia from four aspects: favorable conditions for Chinese sellers to export to Southeast Asia, trade relations between China and Southeast Asia, e-commerce development in major Southeast Asian countries, and shopping levels of consumers in Southeast Asia.
16.4.1 Favorable conditions for Chinese sellers to export to Southeast Asia
With the rapid popularization of the Internet in Southeast Asia, the e-commerce industry has developed rapidly in Southeast Asia, and Chinese products have gradually been recognized by Southeast Asian consumers.
Due to geographical factors, consumption habits in Southeast Asia are deeply influenced by Chinese culture, and consumers in Southeast Asia accept and identify with Chinese culture and Chinese products. With the upgrading of domestic consumption in China, Chinese products have begun to become popular in the Southeast Asian market. Similar to the Chinese market, Southeast Asia is one of the largest consumption upgrading markets in the world.
From the statistical data on the number of Internet users and the average time online per capita, the Southeast Asian e-commerce market has great development potential.
1. There are many Internet users in Southeast Asia
According to statistics in 2018, the Internet coverage rate in Southeast Asia ranks third in the world, and there are many Internet users.
2. Southeast Asians spend a lot of time online
According to statistics, Southeast Asians spend an average of 4 hours a day on the Internet, with Thais ranking first at an average of 4.5 hours a day, followed by Indonesians at an average of 4.2 hours a day. Americans, Japanese, and British spend an average of 2.2 hours, 1 hour, and 1.9 hours a day on the Internet, respectively.