Change of consumer behaviour in new normal boosts online sales

Priceza.com is a leading price comparison website in Southeast Asia and currently operates in Thailand and Indonesia.

According to the Department of Business Development, the value of e-commerce in Thailand has been growing continuously from 2014 and by this year, the market value is expected to hit Bt200 billion.

Along with the e-commerce market, the logistics business is also growing. The SCB Economic Intelligence Centre estimates that 22 logistics companies have been set up between 2017 and 2019 and the parcel-delivery business has grown 40 per cent per year and is worth around Bt28 billion.

Other key related businesses are operators of marketing tools, trading channels and payment. Priceza.com has updated these businesses in each category in its Thailand E-commerce Landscape 2020.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on launched the “Turning Farmers into Professional Online Merchants” in cooperation with Lazada Thailand in March, and the campaign has been successful since it sprouted.

“Many farmers as well as community enterprises and agricultural cooperatives have expressed an interest in joining the programme, which also provides e-commerce business training,” he said.

“Over the past two months, these farmers have opened 113 new shops on Laza, which should boost their sales by at least 30 per cent in the next six months.”

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit also announced at the end of last month that his ministry was collaborating with other e-commerce platforms like Thailandpostsmart, Shopee, Lazada, JD Central and Cloudmall, to sell farm produce and fresh fruit as part of its “Thailand Fruits Golden Months: Thai help Thai”. This move is in response to a sharp drop in exports due to the Covid-19 crisis.