Southeast Asia Social Commerce Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2025 - 2030)

Southeast Asia Social Commerce Market Trends and Insights

Rising smartphone and mobile-data penetration

Indonesia’s smartphone penetration climbed to 89% in 2024 as data prices fell 35%, widening rural reach and letting micro-sellers tap national demand through livestreams and short-form videos. Affordable 5G devices in Vietnam and Thailand boost adoption of data-heavy features such as AR try-ons that convert browsers to buyers in seconds. MSMEs leverage this infrastructure leap to bypass costly physical storefronts, pushing the Southeast Asia social commerce market deeper into tier-two cities and remote islands while cementing mobile-first behavior across income segments.^{[1]Cube, “Rising Influence of Social Commerce in Southeast Asia: Trends Shaping the Future”, cube.asia}

Integration of in-app checkout and secure payment rails

TikTok Shop’s tie-ups with local wallets in all six core markets trimmed cart abandonment by 40% versus off-platform redirects, proving that frictionless payments unlock impulse spending in beauty, fashion, and electronics. Shopee’s bank partnerships and buy-now-pay-later options raise ticket sizes among first-time shoppers who previously hesitated at upfront costs. Seamless cross-border settlement now let’s Vietnamese consumers pay in local currency for Thai skincare during livestreams, accelerating regional GMV convergence.

Growth of live-stream and short-video commerce

Live sessions convert at more than triple the rate of static listings, as shoppers pose real-time questions and watch demos before clicking “buy.” Beauty and apparel dominate airtime, but electronics brands pilot tech unboxings that entice Gen-Z audiences. In 2024, Skintific, a Vietnamese label, achieved notable sales growth by conducting daily streams with bilingual hosts. This strategy demonstrates how AI translation tools can enhance market accessibility without requiring additional staffing.^{[2]tmo group, “How Skintific dominates Southeast Asia's Beauty and Skincare eCommerce”, .tmogroup.asia}

High Gen-Z social-media engagement

Seventy-three percent of Gen-Z users in Vietnam and the Philippines finalize purchases without leaving the social platform, valuing peer validation and short-form reviews over traditional ads. This comfort with sharing hauls drives viral loops that slash customer-acquisition budgets for brands able to seed authentic content. Their expectations for gamified, personalized feeds push platforms to deploy AI that recommend bundles based on viewing history, thus lengthening session times and boosting lifetime value.

Fragmented last-mile logistics in archipelagic regions

Serving 17,000 Indonesian islands or 7,600 Philippine islands pushes delivery costs to 15% of order value versus 5% in cities, eroding margins on low-priced social commerce orders. Weak address systems and limited ferry schedules extend lead times to 7-10 days, dampening repeat purchases for perishables and fashion. LOCAD’s micro-fulfillment model shortens routes but covers only major metros, leaving vast rural pockets underserved until infrastructure catches up.^{[3] LOCAD Team, “LOCAD Expands Micro-Fulfillment Across SEA,” LOCAD, locad.io}

Tightening data-privacy and consumer-protection laws

Indonesia’s Regulation No. 31/2023 forces platforms to verify sellers and run local dispute centers, hiking compliance spend for midsize players.^{[4]Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, “New e-commerce regulation introduces new requirements for social commerce platforms and imported products in Indonesia”, hsfkramer.com}Singapore’s 2024 data-transfer rules compel encrypted cross-border flows, complicating centralized analytics that power AI recommendations. Extra content-moderation mandates in local languages demand scalable moderation tech, and the burden risks nudging smaller firms toward M&A exits, accelerating market consolidation.

Segment Analysis

By Product Type: Beauty’s Rapid Ascent Amid Apparel Leadership

Personal and Beauty Care is forecast to record a 32.11% CAGR, reflecting halal cosmetics demand and influencer-driven tutorials that thrive on visual feeds. Apparel nevertheless retained the largest 31.71% slice of the Southeast Asia social commerce market size in 2024, thanks to fast-fashion drops streamed nightly from Indonesian and Thai warehouses. Beauty sellers exploit AR shade-matching and live Q&A to raise conversion and basket sizes, while accessories and home décor gain momentum through lifestyle content. Health supplements pick up wellness-conscious consumers, yet perishability and customs hurdle slow Food and Beverages traction. Category winners deploy bespoke tech, such as virtual try-ons for lipstick or size-prediction algorithms for denim, proving that one-size-fits-all storefronts are losing relevance inside the Southeast Asia social commerce market. 

The pivot toward self-expression categories echoes rising disposable incomes and a shift from necessities toward aspirational spending. Sociolla’s 250% revenue jump after launching livestreams shows how niche, category-led platforms can outmaneuver broader marketplaces. Food sellers must cope with cold-chain deficits and border rules, while electronics balance high ASPs against lengthier decision cycles. Segment diversification compels platforms to curate category-specific experiences rather than merely listing SKUs, deepening user engagement and boosting retention metrics.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Device: Smartphones Cement Unrivaled Dominance

Smartphones generated 92.22% of revenue and advanced at 31.66% CAGR, confirming the mobile-centric DNA of the Southeast Asia social commerce market. Falling handset costs and expanding 5G allow HD streams and instant checkout, neutralizing historic desktop advantages. Desktop and laptop usage lingers for B2B ordering and high-value electronics where spec sheets matter, yet their share shrinks as mobile UX innovations accelerate. 

In-app wallets, push-alert campaigns, and camera-enabled visual search synergize with smartphone portability, letting users shop during commutes or in cafés. Camera-first interactions—scanning QR codes on live videos or uploading outfits for style matches—keep purchase loops inside apps. This always-on access positions smartphones as both point-of-inspiration and point-of-sale, closing the gap that once required switching to desktop for final payment.

By Sales Channel: Video Commerce Leads as Social Reselling Surges

Video Commerce owned 44.81% of 2024 revenue by merging entertainment with immediacy; timed vouchers and on-screen product links convert engagement to GMV in seconds. Social Reselling, however, races ahead with a 33.12% CAGR, riding trust-based recommendations in WhatsApp or Line groups where friends batch orders for discounts. Social Network-Led Commerce on Facebook and Instagram sustains growth by leveraging existing user graphs, while Group Buying scales rural savings for price-sensitive shoppers. 

The rise of Social Reselling signals decentralization: individuals become micro-entrepreneurs, and platforms shift to enablement—offering payment links, drop-shipping APIs, and coaching on content creation. Product Review and Discovery sites slot into earlier funnel stages, feeding traffic to livestreams and resell chats. To hedge channel risk, leading platforms now orchestrate omnichannel programs where a single SKU circulates through video, group-buy, and influencer storefronts.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

Geography Analysis

Indonesia contributed 39.29% of regional value in 2024, powered by 270 million residents and government-backed MSME digitalization grants. Jakarta hubs anchor same-day delivery pilots that replicate offline spontaneity while national regulation pushes verified-seller policies improving trust. TikTok Shop Indonesia became its second-largest global market in 2024, forcing local rivals to add live-commerce widgets and Bahasa content. Logistics upgrades, including toll-road extensions and container-port expansions, widen reach to secondary islands, sustaining the country’s leadership in the Southeast Asia social commerce market. 

Vietnam posted the fastest 32.47% CAGR outlook, reflecting 65% youth population and 85% smartphone adoption. State digital-economy programs and improved express-parcel networks shorten delivery times, enhancing conversions on trend-driven beauty and fashion streams. International investors such as AnyMind Group’s 2025 Vibula acquisition underscore confidence in Vietnam’s live-commerce talent pool and creator economy depth. 

Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore offer diverse advantages. Thailand attracts USD 8.8 billion in TikTok commitments that will establish fulfillment centers and creator academies. The Philippines leverages high English proficiency, producing regionally exported content while experimenting with cross-border affiliate payouts. Malaysia serves as a cross-border shipping hub into mainland Southeast Asia, and Singapore’s advanced fintech ecosystem enables instant settlement across currencies. Lesser-penetrated markets—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei, Timor-Leste—enter the strategic horizon as handset prices fall and 4G coverage widens, representing the next frontier for the Southeast Asia social commerce market.