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DBS Asian Insights

DBS Group Research October 2015

E-Commerce In Asia
Bracing for Digital Disruption
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E-Commerce In Asia
Bracing for Digital Disruption
Thematic co-ordinator
Sachin MITTAL
+65 6682 3699
[email protected]
Analysts
Carol WU
+852 2863 8841
[email protected]
Mavis HUI
+852 2863 8879
[email protected]
Andy SIM CFA
+65 6682 3718
[email protected]
Derek TAN
+65 6682 3716
[email protected]
Jeff YAU CFA
+852 2820 4912
[email protected]
Danielle WANG CFA
+852 2820 4915
[email protected]
Mervin SONG CFA
+65 6682 3715
[email protected]
Alfie YEO
+65 6682 3717
[email protected]
Rachael TAN
+65 6682 3713
[email protected]
Steve CHOW
+852 2820 4611
[email protected]
Mark LI
+852 2971 1935
[email protected]

Production and additional research by:

Asian Insights Office DBS Group Research

go.dbs.com/research
@dbsinsights
[email protected]

Chien Yen Goh Editor in Chief

Geraldine Tan Editor
Martin Tacchi Art Director
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05 Introduction

06 Regional Perspective:
Shaky Beginnings, Robust Outlook

China Big Room for Growth in Smaller Cities and

Rural Areas

ASEAN Growing at Uneven Paces and in

Unexpected Places

13 Country by Country:
Multiple Realities, Multiple Outcomes

Singapore Countering Rising Labour Costs and

Stagnating Tourism

Indonesia Major Roadblock From Lack of Trust and

Unreliable Logistics

Thailand Proactive Retailers in a Fragmented Sector

Malaysia Eager Consumers, Unfavourable

Environment

The Philippines Foreign Players Take the Lead

25 Conclusion
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Introduction

H
yper-connectivity and mass adoption of mobile technologies have made it easier
for e-commerce companies to target consumers when they are looking for a
particular product by tracking their online habits and itineraries. The TV and radio
advertising often used by traditional retailers lack this ability, making them not
as time- or cost- efficient as many of the digital platforms available to modern marketers.

In Asia, many traditional retailers are finding it difficult to bring customers into their
physical stores. On one hand, existing customers have little incentive to visit a physical
location when it is more convenient for them to shop on mobile and online platforms. On
the other hand, simply offering a wide range of products on e-commerce websites does
not guarantee the reaching and captivating of new customers, as their online interactions
are increasingly saturated with ads, promotions, recommendations, and notifications
from all types of commercial entities.

In short, rising online sales can help some traditional retailers diversify and expand their
customer base, but they can also adversely affect the bottom lines of physical stores,
significantly impacting profits, commercial property prices, and employment opportunities
in the retail sector.

It is in this context that this report presents a topline outlook of current e-commerce
trends in key Asian markets. The report identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each
specific market and examines the many potential challenges and opportunities created by
a disruptive digital environment.
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Regional Perspective
Shaky Beginnings, Robust Outlook

E
-commerce is already big in the most affluent parts of Asia and has much room to
grow in the regions emerging economies. As local start-ups and global players tap
into new opportunities, each country creates its own e-commerce leaders who set
the pace and direction in their respective markets.

It is worth studying how new and established e-commerce players shape Asian consumers
online and offline behaviours.

China Big Room for Growth in Smaller

Cities and Rural Areas
At 55%, e-commerce represents the biggest component of Chinas internet sector,
followed by online ads (21%) and online games (15%). Despite their relatively small
shares, online payment and internet financing could see better growth prospects over the
medium-term.

Of all these sub-segments, e-commerce has the best potential to achieve monetisation
(i.e. generating revenue and profit) because its transaction-based business model closely
involves payments and cash flows.

Indeed, online shoppers normally have clear intentions when they surf the internet, which
helps to improve conversion rates (i.e. browse-buy ratio).

Diagram 1: E-commerce is the Biggest Component of Chinas Internet Sector (2013)

Note: For e-commerce, we use revenue figures, instead of gross merchandise value (GMV).
Source: iResearch
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In 2014,
about 30% of Eager to enhance their online influence, most brand operators are willing to partner with
online sales e-commerce players to tap on their online expertise. In addition, the use of mobile devices has
increased the time users spend surfing the internet (more than ten hours a day), while users
in China were
are also spending more on mobile commerce. Of note, in 2014, iResearch found that about
transacted on 30% of online sales in China were transacted on mobile devices, versus some 15% in 2013.
mobile devices,
versus some 15% Thanks to the promotion of computers and mobile devices, improvements in telecom
in 2013 facilities, and cultivation of online buying habits, the number of e-commerce customers in
China reached 302 million in 2013, accounting for 49% of the total netizen population.
This is still far below the proportion found in Japan (75%), the US (76%), and the UK
(97%), but, according to Aliresearch, e-commerce customers in China could sustain
decent growth to reach about 540 million in 2020, or more than 25 million new online
customers each year.

Diagram 2: Online Shoppers as a Percentage of Netizen Population (2013)

Source: CNNIC, UK Statistics Bureau, A.T.Kearney, Statista.com

Studies by Aliresearch show that in the first year, online shoppers spend, on average,
about 1,000 Chinese yuan per annum; by the fifth year, spending can rise to about 15,000
Chinese yuan; by the tenth year, spending would reach some 30,000 Chinese yuan. Since
online shoppers in China, on average, have 3.5 years of online shopping experience, there
is plenty of upside potential for average online spending to grow. Aliresearch expects
online spending per capita to reach some 17,900 Chinese yuan in 2020, representing a
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 16% between 2014 and 2020.

Despite sound e-commerce developments over the years, online operators have mainly
only penetrated the urban markets so far, while rural areas have been largely untapped
due to less developed infrastructure and weak user awareness. In 2014, Aliresearch noted
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Diagram 3: Spending Per Online Shopper

yuan

Source: iResearch, Aliresearch, DBS Vickers

that more than 35% of the urban population in China had made online purchases, but
only about 10% of the rural population had used e-commerce platforms.

According to our estimates, online shoppers in rural areas spent an average of 2,600 yuan
last year, or merely one-third of the amount spent by their urban counterparts. Given the
rising incomes in the low tier markets, we believe the gap could narrow over the medium-
term. Aliresearch estimates that online sales in the rural markets amounted to 180 billion
yuan in 2014. With improvements in payment channels and logistics facilities, rural online
sales are expected to reach 460 billion yuan in 2016, implying about 60% CAGR.

Contrary to conventional belief, our view is that the development of rural e-commerce in
China has not been at the expense of offline retail sales. Analysis by McKinsey shows that
In 2014, for every Chinese yuan spent online in the rural markets, 0.57 yuan could be additional
more than 35% spending by the customers, over and above what would have been spent offline.
of the urban
population in This is mainly due to the lack of retail infrastructure in rural areas, where online sales
may actually encourage customers to spend more. Hence, we believe that the evolution
China made
of rural e-commerce could enhance retail sales growth in China over the medium term.
online purchases,
but only about Online shoppers in China are increasingly buying via their mobile devices; they not only
10% of the rural spend a lot of time on mobile internet (more than ten hours a day), they also make use of
population used many e-commerce features (group-buying and location-based services). In 2014, mobile
e-commerce commerce contributed about 30% to e-commerce, and the ratio is expected to reach
57% in 2017.
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Diagram 4: Development of Online Sales Lifts Total Consumption

= +

Note: E-commerce is more effective in stimulating retail sales in 3rd & 4th tier markets, as
e-commerce offers greater convenience, promotion, and social networking effects to rural users.
Source: McKinsey research (2013)

This huge potential for mobile commerce motivated the Alibaba Group to launch its first
app Mobile Taobao back in 2010. Riding on the success of the Taobao marketplace,
Mobile Taobao has been the most popular mobile commerce app in China, by number
of monthly active users, since August 2012. Coupled with other apps such as Tmall,

Diagram 5: Market Size of Mobile Commerce in China

Mobile commerce gross merchandise value, yuan (billion)

Source: iResearch
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Juhuasuan, and Taodiandian, we estimate Alibaba dominated the market in 2014, with
86% of mobile market share.

Despite its relatively small mobile market share, JD.com has increasingly gained traction in
mobile commerce, thanks to the development of its online marketplace, the improvement
of its payment channels, and the user traffic support from Tencent following their strategic
partnering. Such initiatives lifted JD.coms mobile market share to 5.4% for the September
quarter 2014, as compared to only 3.4% in the March quarter 2014.

E-commerce is well positioned to monetise on user activities, and Alibaba could be

the major beneficiary of this trend, followed by JD.com. Baidu has limited e-commerce
exposure except for its investment in LEHO.com, an online sales platform focusing on
fashion products. Tencent has transferred most of its e-commerce operations to JD.com,
following the strategic cooperation launched in March 2014.

Diagram 6: Market Share of Mobile Commerce in China, 2014 (%)

Source: iResearch

ASEAN Growing at Uneven Paces and in

Unexpected Places
Compared to China, online sales are low in ASEAN countries. According to research firm
Euromonitor, online retailing accounted for less than 1% of total retail sales in the six
largest Southeast Asian countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
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Indonesia overtook Singapore and Thailand in 2014 to emerge as the largest e-commerce
market in ASEAN with online sales of US$1.1 billion. Euromonitor forecasts online revenue
to grow by a CAGR of 38% between 2014 and 2017. Slightly behind Indonesia, Thailands
online sales amounted to US$1.1 billion in 2014, representing 1.2% of the total sales as
per Euromonitor, which forecasts online revenue CAGR of 19% between 2014 and 2017.

Singapore is the third largest market with online retail sales of US$860 million or 3.4%
of total retail sales as per Euromonitor, which forecasts a 13% CAGR for online retail
revenue between 2014 and 2017. Despite much higher income levels, Singapores online
sales lag behind similarly developed countries due to the convenience of well-developed
retail outlets all over the island and the lack of strong domestic e-commerce players. A
majority of online sales are skewed toward products that are not available locally.

Malaysia had online retail sales of US$496 million or 0.9% of total sales according to
Euromonitor, which forecasts a 21% CAGR for online retail revenue between 2014 and 2017.

Diagram 7: ASEAN Internet Retailing as a Percentage of Total Retail Sales

Source: Euromonitor 2014

E-commerce in ASEAN faces three main challenges: Payment, delivery, and marketing.

Payment: There is a lack of trust in online retailers in terms of product reliability and
safety of payment mechanisms. Credit card ownership covers less than 10% of the
population and those who do have them do not use them online for fear of fraud.
Most customers prefer cash-on-delivery which requires partnering with sophisticated
delivery providers.
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Delivery: With the exception of Singapore, delivery networks are a major challenge in
ASEAN. Postal services are often unreliable and local logistics firms are still unprepared
to handle high volumes of small packages.

Marketing: Online marketing is trickier in ASEAN than in China. The variations in cultures,
languages, and regulations make it hard for online players to customise their online
portals to suit local languages and cultures while battling various customs regulations.

Despite these major hurdles, a number of recent transactions show just how promising
the ASEAN e-commerce sector really is.

Rakuten, Japans biggest marketplace, set up its Southeast Asian headquarters in

Singapore in 2013, and is keen to become a regional player. In June 2014, Alibaba
bought a 10% stake in Singapore Post for US$250 million, signalling its intention to grow
large and fast in ASEAN. In October 2014, Indonesias leading e-commerce marketplace,
PT Tokopedia, raised US$100 million from Japanese investment firm SoftBank Corp. and
Sequoia Capital. In December 2014, Lazada, the Rocket Internet-backed e-commerce
firm, received fresh funding of US$250 million from multiple sources (the main one being
Singapores Temasek Holdings). Besides Lazada (multi-category), Rocket Internet also
owns online store Zalora (apparel) which operates all over the region.

Last year also saw the entry of Internet messaging players into e-commerce. Japanese Internet
voice and messaging provider LINE entered the e-commerce fray in 2014 in Thailand with
the launch of its online marketplace. For now, it will only be available in Thailand, where
it already counts 33 million active users. LINE partners with a local e-commerce service
provider, aCommerce, which takes care of product sourcing, storage, and delivery.

LINEs rival, WeChat, which has about 480 million users, also launched e-commerce and
food delivery services. This was after WeChats parent company, Tencent, bought a 15%
stake in JD.com, Chinas second largest e-commerce company, giving it an exclusive
shopping channel on the WeChat platform. WeChat then launched its first takeaway
Payment, delivery service in December by partnering with Foodpanda.
delivery, and
marketing are the KakaoTalk, which has 50 million users mainly across South Korea, also has plans to get
three key areas into e-commerce by challenging Coupang, the so-called Amazon of South Korea.
that need to be
Each of these instant messaging players is taking advantage of instant access to millions
developed for
of users, while avoiding the expensive process of building an e-commerce infrastructure
e-commerce to from scratch. There have also been rumours that Twitter will enter the e-commerce market
truly take off in by providing an online platform for retailers to sell their products.
Southeast
Asia
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Country by Country
Multiple Realities, Multiple Outcomes

A
n in-depth analysis of the trends in five ASEAN markets shows that e-commerce
is at a different stage in each country, with different sets of opportunities and
challenges. Logistics remains a key impediment to be overcome in Indonesia
and the Philippines, while Singapore which faces no such infrastructure
limitations still has relatively low online retail adoption rates because of the convenience
of accessing traditional retailers. Opportunities also abound in each market; rising labour
costs in Singapore may be a boon for the online retail segment, while the non-traditional
work hours of the Philippines business process outsourcing workforce has created a
ready market for non-traditional retail.

Singapore Countering Rising Labour Costs

and Stagnating Tourism
By many accounts, Singapores internet penetration, smartphone adoption, financial
infrastructure, and logistical facilities are among the best in the world.

Yet the city-state has not seen online retail adoption rates similar to those of Japan or
South Korea. This could be due to various factors: The high convenience of shopping in
the many malls, the fact that tourist spending is mostly done in offline locations and the
absence of a strong local e-commerce player.

Indeed, a large portion of online sales comes from players outside Singapore. According
to AT Kearney, about 47% of all online retail sales in Singapore come from outside the
ASEAN region. As a result, a big cross section of online sales tends to have considerably
high shipping costs and long delivery times.

Online retail adoption could, however, accelerate over the next three years due to the
following reasons:

1) Tourist arrival numbers have not been increasing

Singapore attracted over 15 million tourists in 2014, a significant figure that plays a key
role in the retail segment. Retail sales generated from these tourists and travellers tend to
be comparatively more resilient to changes brought on by online shopping, as it is a part
of the holiday experience for them. However, tourist numbers have not been increasing,
resulting in a lower percentage of retail sales from tourist spending.

Retail brands have also expanded into other markets (China, Indonesia, and Malaysia),
making Singapore a less unique shopping destination.

About 47% of all online retail sales in Singapore

come from outside the ASEAN region
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Diagram 8: Percentage of Retail Sales Coming From Tourist Spending (Singapore)

Source: DBS Bank

2) Traditional retailers have been hit hard by labour policy changes

The services sector including the retail industry has felt the most impact of the Singapore
governments reduction of the dependency ratio ceiling, which determines the number of
foreign workers a firm is permitted to hire based on the number of local staff it employs.

Retailers in Singapore collectively face two problems: First, escalating labour costs which
impinge on their profitability; and second, even if retailers are able to contain their labour costs
and afford additional labour, there isnt any labour to be found as locals tend to shy away from
service sector jobs.

Diagram 9: Unit Labour Cost of the Singapore Economy (4Q rolling average)

Source: DBS Bank

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3) Suburban retailers may steal market share from downtown

retailers

The emergence of master-planned regional centres Jurong in the Western part of

Singapore, Tampines in the East, and Woodlands in the North brings shopping to the
heartlands and offers shopping experiences that were previously only available downtown.

This development offers shoppers the convenience of shopping malls within short
distances from homes. Except for niche lifestyle needs and high-end products, consumers
prefer to shop for groceries, garments, and cosmetics within their neighbourhood malls.
As such, malls that offer low- to mid-end products are likely to face higher substitution
from online sales.

4) Emergence of strong e-commerce players

More and more local players and local affiliates of larger global e-commerce platforms are
emerging in Singapore. Global players such as Alibaba have invested in Singpost, which
is developing a logistical hub in Singapore. This should cut down the costs as well as the
delivery times for local customers, leading to better adoption of online platforms for day-
to-day purchases.

Diagram 10: TechinAsias Popular E-Commerce Sites in Singapore

Name Products Sold Launched

Reebonz Luxury goods 2009
Kwerkee Novelty design accessories 2012
Qoo10 Business-to-consumer general marketplace 2012
RedMart Household items/groceries 2011
Luxola Cosmetics/beauty products 2011
NoQ Store Books 2011
HipVan Home & furnishings, accessories, art, fashion 2013
Bellabox Beauty products 2011
Clozette Fashion 2010
Rakuten Business-to-consumer general marketplace 2014
Taobao Business-to-consumer general marketplace 2013
Zalora Fashion 2012
Carousell Consumer-to-consumer second-hand marketplace 2012
Wego Travel 2005
VanityTrove Beauty products 2011
Source: TechinAsia.com, DBS Bank
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Luxola, a Singapore-based online cosmetics retailer, said it hit its first S$1 million in sales
within two years of its April 2011 launch. But its most recent million-dollar revenue was
achieved in under two months in April 2014, according to its founder and chief executive,
Alexis Horowitz-Burdick, who expects annual revenue to hit S$100 million by 2016.

Even e-marketplaces that represent individual sellers and retail entrepreneurs claim to be
doing great. Singapore-based Qoo10, for one, says transaction volume on its site grew
from under S$100 million in 2012 to S$150 million in 2013 and is expected to double to
S$300 million in 2014. In February 2014, Japanese e-marketplace giant Rakuten launched
its Singapore website to connect more individual buyers and sellers. Rakuten has also
partnered with Toys R Us to sell the latters goods on its website. Like Toys R Us, local
brick-and-mortar store Planet Telecoms has also entered the e-commerce fray.

Indonesia Major Roadblock From Lack of

Trust and Unreliable Logistics
Indonesia overtook Singapore and Thailand in 2014 to emerge as the largest e-commerce
market in ASEAN with online sales of US$1.1 billion. This translated into only 0.7% of total
sales in Indonesia according to Euromonitor, which forecasts online revenue CAGR of 38%
between 2014 and 2017. Within online retail sales, entertainment media (books, video
games, etc.), consumer electronics, fashion, and travel/tourism have been the bestsellers.

Diagram 11: Leading Online Retailers in Indonesia

Company Category
Kaskus Misc
TokoBagus Misc
Berniaga Misc
Lazada Indonesia Misc
Bhinneka Consumer electronics
Agoda.com Travel
Zalora Fashion
Tiket Travel
Groupon Indonesia Misc, lifestyle
Tokopedia Misc, mostly consumer electronics
Bukalapak Misc, mostly consumer electronics
Qoo10 Indonesia Misc
Elevenia Misc
Lamido Indonesia Misc
Rakuten Belanja Online Misc

Source: DBS Vickers

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Online retail is hampered by trust and

image issues in Indonesia

Lazada and Tokopedia are the top online marketplaces in Indonesia. In October 2014,
Tokopedia claimed that its merchants were, monthly, selling about 2 million products and
receiving 10 million visitors. In February 2015, Lippo Group launched MatahariMall, a new
e-commerce venture, in partnership with the Matahari chain of department stores.

Online retail is hampered by trust and image issues in Indonesia. According to a study by
McKinsey, customers key customer concerns are over fraudulent transactions, security
issues with online payments and the reliability of product quality. Companies that
effectively address these issues may see better growth in online retail in the medium term.

Diagram 12: Top Reasons for Not Shopping Online in Indonesia (Top 3 Reasons Selected %)

Source: McKinsey and Company, Evolving Indonesian Consumer, Nov 2013

Zalora Indonesia has for instance introduced free shipping with no minimum spend,
money back guarantees, cash-on-delivery payments, and customer service platforms to
address these issues.

The lack of a developed logistical infrastructure is another key issue, especially considering
the fact that Indonesia is a large nation spread across several islands with under-developed
infrastructure. As a result, e-commerce players face difficulties in reaching the more
remote locations and most online sales are highly concentrated around Jakarta. JNE, the
market leader in e-commerce logistics in Indonesia, delivers about 60% of its e-commerce
related packages within Jakarta.
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At 47%, 42.8%, and 41.6% respectively, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, and Bali have three of the
highest internet penetration levels in the country (national average of 32%), mainly from
people using 3G phones1. Thanks to their demographic and economic growth potential,
these three provinces represent a large potential market for e-commerce players.
1] Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association, Indonesia Internet Usage for Business Sector, 2013.

Diagram 13: Internet User Penetration in Java and Bali Regions

Source: DBS Vickers calculations based on Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association data
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Thailand Proactive Retailers in a

Fragmented Sector
In 2014, online sales amounted to US$1.1 billion in Thailand, only slightly behind
Indonesia. This translated into 1.2% of total sales, as per Euromonitor, which forecasts an
online revenue CAGR of 19% between 2014 and 2017.

At present, internet retailing in Thailand remains fragmented with many small online
retailers. Major brick-and-mortar chains that have developed online platforms are also
among them.

Internet For example, Tesco Lotus started an online shopping mall in Thailand back in 2013.
retailing in They offer over 20,000 products for home delivery. Big C and Tops also have online
Thailand remains platforms targeting urban clientele. CP ALL, the 7-Eleven franchisee in Thailand, is using
fragmented its nationwide network of more than 8,000 stores to allow online retailers to do self-
with many collection and in-store payments.

small online
retailers Diagram 14: Notable Online Retail Players in Thailand

Company Category
Lazada Misc
WeLoveShopping Misc
Tarad Misc
Zalora Fashion
Ensogo Misc
Agoda Travel
Air Asia Air Line Ticketing
Bookings.com Hotel Booking
Cdiscount Misc
J.I.B. Consumer Electronics
Central.co.th Misc
MunkongGadget Consumer Electronics
eBay Misc

Source: DBS Vickers

Japanese internet voice and messaging provider LINE entered the e-commerce fray in 2014
in Thailand with the launch of its online marketplace. For now, it will only be available in
Thailand, where LINE has 33 million active users. LINE partners with a local e-commerce
service provider, aCommerce, which takes care of product sourcing, storage, and delivery.
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Last year, its rival WeChat, which has about 480 million users, also launched e-commerce
and food delivery services.

Lazada.com, which operates in the ASEAN region, reportedly allocated US$30 million of
its 2014 marketing budget on Thailand, while, in the same year, sales were expected to
reach US$50 million. Lazada Thailand claims to have an average of 5 million users per
month with a bounce rate of 40% and 30% of traffic coming from referrals.

Luxola is an online beauty store with operations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and
Brunei. Out of its 450,000 visitors per month, about 36,000 are estimated to be from
Thailand. Weloveshopping.com is an example of a consumer-to-consumer transaction
platform in Thailand that uses a third-party payment processor provided by True Money,
an online wallet service in the country. They also hold customers payments for seven days
before releasing them to merchants, allowing buyers to claim a refund.

Intense competition from traditional retailers, who are expanding aggressively, is seen as
a major threat to online retails growth. Similarly, high-end department stores are seeing
significant growth. The newer shopping complexes in Bangkoks central region are moving
toward the high-end, luxury-style shopping segment. This segment is more resilient to the
disruption caused by online retail due to their exclusivity.

As in Indonesia, lack of trust also serves as a major deterrent in Thailands online retail
market. The majority of online shoppers (62%) in Thailand are reluctant to give out credit
card information while online. Further, suitable security measures in this area are still
lacking.

Logistics also play a role. Free delivery of the goods purchased through e-commerce was
limited to only 25% of buyers in 2013. While the national postal service is considered
cheap, delivery remains unreliable. Many private logistics operators cover only selected
areas and tend to be expensive.

The low internet penetration level is another key bottleneck for Thailand. Despite much
higher income levels, smartphone penetration in Thailand is only 40% versus 25 to 30%
in Indonesia.

Malaysia Eager Consumers, Unfavourable

Environment
Malaysias online retail sales reached US$496 million or 0.9% of total sales, according
to Euromonitor, which forecasts a 21% CAGR for online retail revenue between 2014
and 2017. Travel is a clear leader in terms of online purchases, and entertainment media,
consumer electronics, and fashion tend to enjoy high interest as well.
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Diagram 15: Intent to Purchase in the Next 6 Months Malaysia Online Consumers (2014)

Source: Nielsen Global Survey of e-commerce, Q1 2014

Lelong.my is the online marketplace leader in Malaysia, clocking 5 million visits in November 2014,
with Lazada closing in, with 3.8 million visits during the same period. Groupon, eBay, and Zalora
are also particularly popular online merchants in Malaysia. These past few years, major international
players such as Zappos and Amazon have also shown interest in Malaysian consumers.

Diagram 16: Leading Online Retailers in Malaysia

Company Category
Lelong.my Fashion
Lazada Misc, Mostly consumer electronics
Groupong Misc, Lifestyle
Zalora Fashion
eBay Misc
Rakuten Misc
Qoo10 Misc
Lamido Misc
Yoube li Misc, Mostly consumer electronics
Mudah.my Misc
ShaShinKi Consumer electronics
Fashion Valet Fashion
ASOS Fashion
Shopbop.com Fashion
Book Depository Books
Source: DBS Vickers
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Malaysia has a number of traits that make online retail a viable sector high internet
At less than and smartphone penetration levels, heavy credit card usage, and a good transportation
1% share, the infrastructure in our view. However, the online retail segment has a relatively small
online retail footprint (less than 1% share).

segment has a According to A.T. Kearney, the main challenges to the growth of Malaysias e-commerce
relatively small sector have been cyber security issues and consumers preference to physically inspect the
footprint in goods.
Malaysia,
despite the In order to reduce online fraud, the government introduced specific regulations in its new
country having legislation in 2013. Though these were seen as positive for consumer protection, some
many traits industry observers highlighted the possibility of prohibitive costs for retailers.

favourable for On consumer behaviour, we believe these patterns are likely to change in the long term
its growth as online retailers develop ways to improve consumer experiences (product photography,
website usability, money-back guarantees, etc.) and as consumers become more familiar
with online shopping.

The Philippines Foreign Players Take the

Lead
The online retail market in the Philippines accounts for less than 3% of the countrys 100
million-strong population, according to the Philippine Retailers Association. Further, only
2.5 million credit cards are in use. Despite this, online retail recorded 11% growth in
2012, according to Euromonitor International.

It has been further revealed by Euromonitor that around 40% of local internet retailing is
fragmented and shared by small players in the market. Among the big players, Amazon
takes the lead, due to its trusted security and its extensive range of products.

Diagram 17: Top 5 Retail Sites in the Philippines in 2013

Site Unique Visitors (1000s)

Amazon Sites 1,094
Apple.com Worldwide sites 730
AVG.com 693
Lazada Sites 628
MULTIPLY.com 515

Source: ComScore, Inc. 2013

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Generally speaking, Amazon is mostly used to import goods, which is why electronics and
electrical goods lead the market share, followed by food and groceries.

Another point to note is that the Philippines is very popular for business process outsourcing,
with its workforce of more than 400,000 people. These workers are on duty at odd hours
and tend to order food and groceries from convenience stores with online operations such
as Philippine Seven (7-eleven in the Philippines). Traditional shopping malls are closed during
these times while such convenience stores operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Diagram 18: Major Online Retail Categories in the Philippines - Expected Sales
Figures for 2015 (US$ millions)

Source: DBS Vickers

Over 10 million migrant Filipinos work abroad, and that has created a new market for
buying online from overseas and delivering within the country. This trend has led to more
online retail sites opening in the Philippines to tap local markets. A case in point is Island
Rose, one of the largest flower retailers and wholesalers in the Philippines, which opened
an e-commerce site in 2000. This online retail shop allows consumers from all over the
world to purchase gifts and have them delivered to their loved ones anywhere in the
Philippines.

With the increase in popularity of online retail, SM Investments Corporation, owner of one
of the largest shopping malls in the country, has announced its scheduled commencement
of online operations.

The main challenge to online retail remains the reluctance of owning and using credit
cards due to trust and security issues.

In the Philippines, the main challenge to online retail

remains the reluctance of owning and using credit cards
DBS Asian Insights
SECTOR BRIEFING 13
24

Many online retailers have offered cash-on-delivery options to overcome this, even though
this is relatively costly. Further, the setting up and secure maintenance of an online facility
seems to be a big step for Filipino retailers. Our previous example, Island Rose, overcame
this challenge by using third party cloud software-as-a-service solutions from NetSuite
(based in California).

Online retailers also have to face high logistics charges to ship among islands. According
to Philippine Sevens CEO, it is cheaper to have distribution centres in each island than to
ship from a central location.

Diagram 19: List of E-commerce Retailers in Philippines

Site Category
Amazon Misc
Lazada Philippines Misc
Kimstore Consumer Electronics
Zalora Philippines Fashion
OLX Misc, P2P
Shop This Easy Fashion
Philippine Seven Misc
Ayos Dito Misc
Goods.ph Misc
Widget City Widget City
Metro Mall Misc
Keekay.ph Cosmetics
Source: iCD Research
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SECTOR BRIEFING 13
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Conclusion

A
sian retailers, especially retail platform operators in China, may be in store for
more threats from e-commerce. In Singapore too, we expect a gradual loss of
market share to online players as rising labour costs make traditional retailers
less competitive.

The potential threat from online sales is still low in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand,
but there is much potential for retailers who are using online as an additional channel to
increase sales. Retailers with relatively lower sales per square foot, such as department
stores, are likely to have their business models disrupted in the near future.

Retail segments that could see some tough competition from pure e-commerce operators
include handbag and luggage, cosmetics, home appliances, and food products. Retailers
selling lifestyle and luxury products (e.g. jewellery, luxury watches, global premium
brands), meanwhile, may be more resilient as competition from online merchants is much
less aggressive in these areas.
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 DBS Asian Insights
SECTOR BRIEFING 09
27

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 Living, Breathing Asia

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