Issue 50

The DITP has pioneered and promoted e-commerce for Thai SMEs since 2011. This year, Thaitrade.com received the prestigious WSIS 2016 Prize from the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for its continuous efforts.

E-commerce is growing. In 2015, the e-commerce market in Thailand was worth over US$58.4 billion. According to Accenture and AliResearch, Business to Customer (B2C) trade worldwide will be worth US$1 trillion by 2020 when it’s expected that over 900 million people will buy products and services online.

“Today, SMEs face numerous challenges in adapting themselves to doing business in this digital age,” says DITP Director General Malee Choklumlerd.

The DITP has promoted Thaitrade.com since 2011 to help SMEs keep up with online trade. One significant measure was Thaitrade.com’s Smart Online SMEs (S.O.S.) project, which won the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS Prize 2016) in the category of Capacity Building on May 3. The S.O.S. project consisted of a series of seminars held across Thailand on topics such as the use of photography and writing to make products more appealing to customers, one-on-one consultation sessions, and online marketing techniques using search engines.

“The most important factor that led to the S.O.S. Project winning the WSIS Prize was making SMEs aware of the importance of keeping up with consumer behaviour and new technology in the ever-changing digital landscape,” says Choklumlerd.

In addition, the DITP has encouraged successful SMEs to act as case studies to benefit others. “The success stories of experienced entrepreneurs give inspiration to those participating in our project. We’ve received a lot of letters from them thanking us for being a part of their success,” she adds.

S.O.S. has helped develop the online trading capability of 2,703 Thai companies. In surveys, SMEs state that the knowledge and skills gained from the seminars have enabled them to increase exports. Many have received their first export orders via Thaitrade.com.

From the outset, Thaitrade.com has offered to help SMEs in three areas: site engine optimization through the use of photographs and content; the use of success stories and banners on websites; and encouraging participation in activities to increase B2C trade. One such example is SOOK (Small Order OK), a complete e-commerce solution that enables buyers and sellers to trade anywhere and anytime. It’s due to be launched in August 2016.
“We also focus on building partnerships with international online service providers such as Google, Alibaba, Paypal and Amazon to create a network for Thai SMEs,” says Choklumlerd.
According to the DITP, Thaitrade.com has 18,358 shops selling over 240,825 products. Of the 18,533,299 visitors from 237 countries, 97,676 have placed firm orders. Food and beverages, clothing and beauty products are the most popular products, while most buyers come from India (14%), China (7%), Vietnam (4%), the US (3%) and Pakistan (2%).

Moreover, the DITP has held business matching activities for over 3,012 businesses generating over 1.9 billion baht (US$ 54 million) in trade since 2011.

With the continued support of the DITP, Thailand’s SMEs look set to capitalize on the e-commerce bonanza for many years to come.

Words by Pimsirinuch Borsub