Fast facts:

eCommerce in Asia

Asia is leading the way in global eCommerce and is home to the biggest eCommerce market in the world – China, of course. In fact, China accounts for 37% of the world’s global online sales. But as a whole region, the digital economy is set to add $1trillion to Asia’s GDP over the next 10 years*.

By 2025, the number of eCommerce users is estimated to increase to 3.1 billion people, with average revenue per user touted at £605.70.

With the eCommerce revenue in 2023 expected to grow at an annual rate of 11.90%, and post-pandemic shopping behaviour only accelerating towards online (vs offline), let’s look at where the region stands in the current eCommerce climate.

Biggest eCommerce market:

China with sales of $3.2 trillion in 2022

Statista, Globaldata.com

eCommerce in Asia:

Retail eCommerce Sales

$3800bn
(2022)

eCommerce Buyers

2.3bn
(2021)

eCommerce Growth Rate

11.90%
%

Statista

Fastest Growing eCommerce Markets

Japan

India

Singapore

Malaysia

Indonesia

Philippines

Thailand

Vietnam

eMarketer, 2021

Other key markets

South Korea

Japan

Indonesia

Malaysia

UAE

Population:

4.7 billion (Worldometer)

Internet users:

67.4% (Internetworldstats)

Median Household income:

$15,076 (Timedoctor)

Employment rate:

93.8% on average (theglobaleconomy)

Median age:

32 years (Worldometer)

handing parcels over from courier to customer

Employment rate:

94%

TheGlobalEconomy, 2020

Average income per adult

Singapore

$59,590

Hong Kong

$50,800

UAE

$43,370

Japan

$41,710

South Korea

$33,790

Worddata.info, 2019

Shopping Online – Key Product Categories

(ESW, Statista)

Top marketplaces

(WorldFirst, 2020)

Insider tips:

  • Chinese consumers love luxury branded goods and will look to Europe to source genuine brands
  • Sales of appliances and electronics are set to double in India by 2025 due to higher demand in rural areas and the rise of working from home (IBEF, 2021)
  • The Philippines is a largely young, mobile-first population with 65% of Filipinos using mobiles to shop online (Thinkwithgoogle, 2021)

Delivery preferences:

  • Asian consumers typically prefer a quality delivery service and will compromise on speed – they will happily pay for delivery in return for live tracking and insurance

GFS International transit times*

GFS International ExpressGFS International PlusGFS International Economy
Indonesia2-5 days6-11 days7-13 days
Japan2-5 days4-9 days5-11 days
Malaysia2-5 days5-10 days6-9 days
South Korea2-5 days5-10 days6-10 days

*Fastest transit time is GFS International Express Service, longest transit time is GFS International Economy.

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