A record-breaking 80 million items were bought online within 24 hours during Shopee’s 2019 12.12 Shopping Festival. This top Southeast Asia eCommerce platform had an impressive performance for the 11.11 Shopping Festival too, with 70 million items sold in 24 hours. 

ECommerce in Southeast Asia is thriving. Regional marketplace Lazada makes it easy for anyone to sign up and start selling, with 155,000 sellers across six countries now doing brisk business.

The world as we know it has temporarily stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries have implemented various preventive measures (from curfews and travel bans to total lockdowns) to lessen virus transmission and ease the pressure on healthcare systems. 

In Southeast Asia, eCommerce has opened up the regional marketplace to big and small players alike. It has opened up paths for solopreneurship, and given small businesses the chance to compete with large brands without spending on a brick-and-mortar shop in a prime location.

Most eCommerce entrepreneurs channel their efforts into getting sales. But what happens after customers place their orders?

Most eCommerce entrepreneurs make two big mistakes in the early stages of their business. First, they think they can DIY the entire process, and routinely choose and switch up who they’ll work with from product ordering to the actual parcel delivery.