The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Dongguan City to establish an e-commerce park this year.
The agreement aims to help local entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) capitalise on the e-commerce ecosystem.
The two parties will invest through a partnership model, including providing university students help in developing micro-SMEs working on digital platforms.
The ETDA is also holding talks with Srinakharinwirot University to recruit digitally skilled students prepared to coach local entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs doing business via the e-commerce platform.
For the first batch this year, the ETDA expects to produce 500 digitally-skilled students, said ETDA chief executive Surangkana Wayuparb.
Mrs Surangkana said the e-commerce park will be established on the 15th floor of the ETDA's headquarters and some areas in Srinakharinwirot University.
E-commerce is a crucial driver of the new economy, but many small companies are facing barriers to capitalising on digital platforms," she said, adding that the support in e-market place platforms covers activities such as brand building and packaging.
"China is interested in e-commerce parks as there are about 2,000 of them there, which are driven by the private sector, even though only 10% of them are successful," she said.
Mrs Surangkana said the pioneering e-commerce park project is being driven by ETDA and Chinese government representatives.
ETDA wants to see more e-commerce parks in the country, and if possible, in every region. Those efforts will be bolstered by collaboration between the ETDA and private sector.
The agency predicts total value of local e-commerce this year at 2.5 trillion baht, increasing from 2.2 trillion in 2017.
Mrs Surangkana said the e-commerce ecosystem has grown increasingly sophisticated due to activities evolved from website platform to social commerce and new digital platform such as blockchain.
Development of e-commerce activities has pressured the ETDA to adjust its methods of data collection.
The ETDA plans to include total transaction value of e-commerce activities through every digital platform, including digital content, to understand total e-business value in 2018. Those figures will be released early next year.
The ETDA's new core mission covers five projects in 2018: a cybersecurity park, national digital ID, forming a digital content association, the Durian platform as an alternative marketing platform for local e-commerce, and encouraging domestic travel via a digital tourism platform.
The ETDA has an annual budget of 700 million baht for 2018. The agency has asked the government for a budget of 2.3 billion for next year.