• Burmese
Sunday, July 20, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News

From Shrimp to Fake Eyelashes, Social Media Sales Soar in Facebook-Friendly Thailand

Reuters by Reuters
July 2, 2019
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Anurak Saruethai (seated, left), a Thai fishmonger, records a video for Facebook, which he uses to sell fish products directly to customers. / Screengrab from Reuters TV

Anurak Saruethai (seated, left), a Thai fishmonger, records a video for Facebook, which he uses to sell fish products directly to customers. / Screengrab from Reuters TV

4.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SATUN, Thailand—The son of a Thai fisherman, Anurak Saruethai never really took to life at sea. But seafood has been good to him.

Hawking dried shrimp, squid and fish in nightly Facebook livestreams, Anurak, who is quick with a joke and adept at interacting with customers, can draw up to 300,000 viewers at a time.

He’s backed by a team who help respond to orders, answer questions on Facebook Messenger, monitor payments to his bank account and shout out tag lines off camera for comedic effect.

RelatedPosts

‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

July 11, 2025
953
Indonesian Influencer Given 7-Year Myanmar Prison Sentence

Indonesian Influencer Given 7-Year Myanmar Prison Sentence

July 3, 2025
1.3k
Social Media and Street Protests: Myanmar’s Pushback Against Chinese Influence

Social Media and Street Protests: Myanmar’s Pushback Against Chinese Influence

April 17, 2025
1.6k

The formula works so well, Anurak says he made 26 million baht (US$829,000) in sales in March alone.

“Facebook and Instagram give people an opportunity. If you do it right with good content, in just seven months you can make millions,” he told Reuters from the seaside village of Satun.

His success is emblematic of booming social media commerce in Thailand, where entrepreneurs sell products directly to customers via Facebook, Instagram and messaging apps like Japan’s Line Corp.

Propelled by upgrades to mobile banking apps, sales via social media in Thailand more than doubled to 334.2 billion baht ($10.9 billion) in 2017, according to the latest report from the country’s Electronic Transaction Development Agency.

Moreover, those sales accounted for 44 percent of e-commerce in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, jumping from 21 percent a year earlier. Since then, banks have dropped transfer fees, likely driving the market further.

The popularity of so-called social commerce in Thailand owes much to the relatively late arrival of big e-commerce firms, cultural shopping preferences and the wide use of Facebook and Instagram. Some 38 million people or 57 percent of the population access Facebook every day, according to the U.S. firm.

Its growth also highlights the global business opportunities for Facebook and its Instagram unit.

“Social commerce is a market to monitor because Facebook has moved more sharply in a commerce direction recently with the launch of many commerce friendly features,” said Alessandro Psicini, co-founder of Crea, which advises brands that want to boost their social media sales in Thailand.

Facebook said this month it wanted to expand into payments and launch its own coin. Instagram in March introduced a checkout button which allows users to shop without leaving the app, though that function is currently limited to a small number of brands and U.S. consumers.

Facebook and Instagram declined to comment on how they plan to make the most of social commerce opportunities.

Customers first

Within Asia, only Indonesia rivals Thailand in social commerce. There it accounts for about 40 percent of e-commerce but is worth a smaller $3 billion, says consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The market is less developed as many Indonesians do not have bank accounts and due to the challenges of delivering goods across the country’s archipelago.

In other parts of Asia, shopping on big e-commerce platforms like China’s Alibaba, Amazon.com’s Japan unit or Walmart’s Indian unit Flipkart is the norm, although selling via social media is on the rise in some countries.

Livestreaming by merchants has gained in popularity in China while in India, social commerce companies have emerged over the past year. Satish Meena, senior analyst at Forrester Research, says the firm’s preliminary estimates put India’s annual social selling revenue at $100-$150 million.

Completing a sale via social media can be cumbersome.

In Thailand, customers find products on Facebook or Instagram, while chats and payments usually take place on different apps. But for many Thais, the appeal of social media shopping is the direct communication with merchants.

Chonticha Srisawang, 35, who has her own brand of fake eyelashes and over 76,000 followers on her Instagram, prang_bohktoh, says customers became comfortable placing orders after she took the time to answer queries on chat app Line.

“The Thai market is very customer-centric,” said Vilaiporn Taweelappontong, partner at PwC Thailand, adding that Thai shoppers love to browse and share, which favors social media over big online shopping malls.

“Merchants do everything to ensure customers have a good experience. In the U.S. and Europe there is more standardization and there are fewer choices because the emphasis is on the back-end and things moving faster.”

The two biggest online malls in Thailand are now seeeking to win over social media merchants—who industry experts estimate number more than a hundred thousand. Both added livestreaming services last year.

Alibaba’s Lazada, which launched in Thailand in 2012, also started an invitation-only program in August to bring social media sellers with a broad customer base onto its site. Around 300 merchants have since joined.

Sea Ltd in March raised $1.5 billion, part of which will go towards educating merchants on how to best use its Shopee platform, which debuted in Thailand in 2015.

Some merchants, however, are not convinced.

Patchararak Thanasintrakul, who sells swimwear on Instagram account Swimsaic, is hesitant due to concerns about copycats and potential pressure to discount.

“We’ve been thinking about it. Lazada approached us, but we worry about brand image. Lazada likes to support discounts, but our brand has never done discounts,” she said.

A Lazada spokeswoman said the company does not compel its merchants to discount.

You may also like these stories:

Makers Market Focuses on Handmade Goods from Local Artisans

Thailand Needs Neighbors’ Help to Crack Down on Slavery at Sea: Activist

From Coronation to Commoners, Astrology Everywhere in Thailand

Your Thoughts …
Tags: social commerceSocial Media
Reuters

Reuters

...

Similar Picks:

Pro-Myanmar Junta Telegram Channels Prey on Public With Threats of Exposure, Extortion
Burma

Pro-Myanmar Junta Telegram Channels Prey on Public With Threats of Exposure, Extortion

by The Irrawaddy
November 21, 2023
4.1k

Linking everyday tasks like queueing for fuel with anti-junta activity, pro-regime Telegram channels threaten people with exposure and arrest, for...

Read moreDetails
Junta Arrests Son-in-Law of Ex-Myanmar Dictator for ‘Damaging State Peace and Stability’
Burma

Junta Arrests Son-in-Law of Ex-Myanmar Dictator for ‘Damaging State Peace and Stability’

by The Irrawaddy
October 25, 2024
2.5k

Nay Soe Maung is accused of ‘damaging state peace and stability’ after appearing to criticize the regime on Facebook.

Read moreDetails
Telegram: the Junta’s Platform for Amplifying Hate Speech in Myanmar
Women

Telegram: the Junta’s Platform for Amplifying Hate Speech in Myanmar

by The Irrawaddy
October 9, 2023
2.2k

Pro-junta channels unleash wave of hatred against women: ‘Those bitches must be suppressed.’

Read moreDetails
Social Media and Street Protests: Myanmar’s Pushback Against Chinese Influence
Guest Column

Social Media and Street Protests: Myanmar’s Pushback Against Chinese Influence

by Vaishali Basu Sharma
April 17, 2025
1.6k

Online hate speech, silent protests, and violent attacks highlight Myanmar’s growing anger at Beijing’s role in the country’s political and...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar ex-Information Minister Ye Htut Jailed for Incitement, Sedition
Burma

Myanmar ex-Information Minister Ye Htut Jailed for Incitement, Sedition

by AFP
November 30, 2023
1.6k

The former Thein Sein government official was sentenced to 10 years in prison under incitement laws for spreading ‘wrong information’...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta’s Internet Controls Expose Citizens to More Cyber Threats
Guest Column

Myanmar Junta’s Internet Controls Expose Citizens to More Cyber Threats

by Surachanee Sriyai
August 7, 2024
1.4k

Phishing links have spiked as the junta’s VPN ban pushes people toward alternatives that expose them to online security risks.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Andrew Leung, president of the Legislative Council, looks at damaged glass panels, a day after protesters broke into the council building, in Hong Kong, China July 2, 2019. / Reuters

Calm Returns to Hong Kong After Protests erupt Into Violence

Myanmar Now editor Ko Swe Win (middle) is seen with friends and supporters after charges against him were dropped by Maha Aung Myay Court in Mandalay Region on July 2, 2019. / De Hlaing Win / The Irrawaddy

Lawsuit Against Myanmar Now Editor Dropped After 2 Years

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

5 days ago
1.6k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

1 week ago
3.6k

Most Read

  • More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Nation Where Brave Hearts—and Martyrs—Dwell

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Conjuring an Election Illusion in War-Torn Shan; Raiding Offshore Gas to Stay Afloat; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.