Intra-Asean trade flows between Malaysia and Singapore were the highest in the region, generating almost half of total online sales, according to the `Commerce 3.0: Enabling Asean Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) report issued by eBay. Moreover, commercial sellers in Malaysia have generated more than USD 10,000 in 2014, with Selangor being the highest, followed by Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor and Perak.
A separate report said that consumers in Asia-Pacific would spend more on online purchases than those in North America, making it the largest regional ecommerce market in the world. In 2015, business to consumer ecommerce sales are expected to reach USD 525.2 billion in the region, compared with USD 482.6 billion in North America.
Separately, the US-Asean Business Council, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and eBay have been working together to help upgrade Asean SMEs’ competitiveness. They have joint discussions to support regional integration efforts in conjunction with the 2015 Asean SME Showcase and Conference. P&G is also heading a public-private partnership to help Asean SMEs become more competitive, by establishing its Leadership College for SMEs in Malaysia.
US ambassador to Asean Nina Hachigian said the removal of non-tariff barriers would help Asean SMEs grow as regional and global companies. Meanwhile, eBay’s head of government relations for South-East Asia, Wee Choo Hua, said Asean had the opportunity for growth in Internet-enabled commerce.
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