by AUFA MARDHIAH / pic Muhd Amin Naharul

SOUTH-EAST Asia region is well positioned to capitalise on the export economy, according to eBay’s South-East Asia Small Online Business Trade Report.

South-East Asia region has close to 99% SMEs exports on eBay, 25 average number of destinations across the region, 68% SMEs export to more than 10 markets on average, 70% share coming from newcomers.

For Malaysia alone, the country recorded 97% share of eBay-enabled small business exporting, 30% average of international destination markets, 81% share of eBay-enabled small businesses exporting to more than 10 marketplaces, 81% share of eBay-enabled small businesses exporting to more than four continents and 60% share of eBay-enabled small business newcomers.

South-East Asia regional GM and India of eBay International Cross Border Trade country manager Vidmay Naini believes eBay to be the true partner to sellers — the only open marketplace that does not compete with sellers.

“We find South-East Asia to be a very exciting market for us — probably the fastest growing digital economy in the world. What happened in the last two years is that more than 40 million people have come online in the South-East Asia region and close to 400 million online users in the region,” he said in a media briefing yesterday.

“Of course, mobile and ecommerce is what fuels the growth. More than 70% of Internet users in this region are over 15 years old and the total number of online shoppers may reach up to 380 million in 2026 in the region. Also, most access to the internet is through mobile phones (70%), access is so easy and the Internet is enabling individuals to transact online,” he added.

He also believes that the South-East Asia region is given its logistical advantage, diverse talent pool, strengths of its economic sectors and wealth of unique inventory.

The top five categories that are doing well in the region are jewellery and watches, auto parts, home and garden, health and beauty, as well as collectibles. The top 10 export markets for eBay-enabled small businesses in the South-East Asia region are the US, Australia, UK, Germany, Canada, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea and Spain.

Meanwhile, the top five product categories exported by local sellers in eBay marketplace include auto parts, home and garden, health and beauty, cell phones and accessories, as well as collectibles.

The report covers six countries in the South-East Asia region — Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. To date, eBay recorded 1.6 billion listings in its marketplace, 142 million buyers online and 11.9 billion mobile commerce in the last quarter.