Share of preferred channels for online shopping Thailand 2019

In 2019, the most preferred channel for online shopping in Thailand was social media accounting for 40 percent, followed by e-marketplaces. According to the source, consumers preferred chatting with buyers through social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. They usually purchase items mostly through Facebook fan pages.

Social media and business opportunities

Thais are very active on social media. In 2019, the average daily time spent online using social media was almost three hours. Facebook is the most prominent social media platform in Thailand with more than fifty million users. In 2019, Thailand ranked fifth in terms of the number of Facebook users among other counties in the Southeast Asia. Overall, social media is an opportunity for local businesses, especially for small ones, to easily reach out to their customer base. Social commerce has become a popular method of sales, and online marketplaces have risen from this scene as a result.

The Thai e-commerce consumer

Most Thai online buyers tend to search for and purchase mobile devices and other electronics. Fashion and beauty items were also popular items to buy online in recent years. A significant portion of buyers are mostly female millennials between 18 to 34 years old. Despite Lazada being the most popular e-commerce platform in Thailand, buyers prefer to buy from Shopee in 2019. Shopee is another popular B2C buying channel and competitor.