
The e-commerce sector this year is expected to experience fiercer competition, the rise of affiliate commerce and faster delivery service, according to Priceza's five e-commerce trends for 2025.
The retail sector should continue to grow this year thanks to government stimulus packages, Chayanit Somsuk, analyst at the Economic Intelligence Center of Siam Commercial Bank, told the "Priceza Thailand E-Commerce Trends 2025" forum yesterday.
Amid several negative factors, the local retail market this year is projected to grow 5.1% to 4.21 trillion baht from 4 trillion last year, she said.
Ms Chayanit said the e-commerce market is estimated to tally 1 trillion baht in 2024, making up 25% of total retail value.
Thanawat Malabuppha, chief executive and co-founder of Priceza, said the Southeast Asian e-commerce market expanded from 2022 to 2024, with the market reaching 5.56 trillion baht in 2024.
Thailand ranks second in the region, accounting for 16.4% of the market share, with the region's e-commerce market projected to grow to 13 trillion baht by 2030.
Mr Thanawat, who is also honorary president of the Thai E-Commerce Association, said the local e-commerce market is expected to grow from 1 trillion baht in 2024 to 2 trillion baht in 2030.
Of the total market value in 2024, 50% was attributed to e-marketplaces, 20% video commerce, 18% social commerce, 8% quick commerce and groceries, and 4% online retailers, and official brand websites, sometimes referred to as brand.com channels.
He also shared five trends for e-commerce this year, with the first the popularity of affiliate commerce, where affiliate marketing drives e-commerce growth in Thailand.
The influence of affiliate marketers and influencers is growing, with Thailand having around 9 million content creators.
Some 83% of Thai consumers said they purchase products or services based on influencer recommendations.
Priceza launched its own affiliate commerce platform, Shopfluence by Priceza, enabling direct collaboration between online retailers and content creators. The platform also announced its collaboration with leading Thai online retailers.
The second trend is fiercer Thai e-commerce competition, with more international sellers entering the market.
Mr Thanawat estimated Shopee, Lazada and TikTok have around 3 million local sellers offering more than 300 million products.
Many sellers from China have continued to expand their presence in the local market.
Previously, Thai companies had opportunities to collaborate with the local distributors of Chinese brands but now Chinese brand owners are directly opening their own official stores and competing head-to-head with local merchants.
Thailand allows foreign online sellers to send products to consumers without paying customs duties, as long as the product does not exceed 1,500 baht. This gives them a cost advantage over local products.
The third trend is the use of e-commerce listening tools, enabling businesses to track competitors' prices and sales on major foreign platforms and providing valuable insights for users' strategic decision-making.
The fourth trend is the evolution of the e-commerce business model, driven by the competitive e-commerce landscape in Thailand.
During the past decade, the market was concentrated around the marketplace business model, where platforms allowed sellers to open their own stores and manage marketing independently. The platforms earned revenue through collecting sales commission fees.
Fast forward to 2025, the market has grown significantly, with a diverse range of players stoking competition.
As a result, the market has evolved to include vertical marketplaces, which focus on specialised product categories.
Another new model is the consignment model like that adopted by e-marketplace giant Temu which purchases products in bulk directly from factories and markets them on its own.
Shopee and Lazada have adjusted their business models to encourage sellers who do not want to handle their own marketing to store their products in the platforms' warehouses. Shopee and Lazada will then manage the marketing, set prices and drive sales to compete with rivals.
In addition, many large Thai retailers have focused more on selling via their own platforms, known as own mobile applications or brand.com channels.
Previously, they focused on opening stores within other e-marketplaces. However, due to the rising fees of Shopee, Lazada and TikTok, several large retailers are shifting their strategy to encourage consumers to purchase directly via their own apps.
The fifth trend is what Mr Thanawat calls "fast delivery like a devil".
The demand for fast delivery is increasing, with consumers expecting same-day or next-day deliveries. This behaviour has prompted retailers to adjust by leveraging their vast store networks nationwide to directly and quickly deliver products to customers.
"We are entering a new era where consumers are spoiled and have become accustomed to not waiting long for products. This is pushing the competition in Thailand's e-commerce market in 2025, where players will compete to deliver faster than ever," said Mr Thanawat.