68% of eBay-enabled SMEs export to 10+ markets

DDMiers | via PRNewswire | SINGAPORE — 68% of eBay-enabled SMEs export to 10+ markets | Southeast Asia’s eBay-enabled small companies sold in 214 overseas countries in 2020, boosting global retailers. eBay, a worldwide e-commerce pioneer, released a report on online businesses in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The “Southeast Asia Small Online Business Trade Report 2022” (“Report”) demonstrates how SMEs in these nations use eBay to sell to international markets every year, adding a broad-based and sustainable development engine to the region’s rapidly expanding economies.

The Global Influence of SEA’s SMEs

SMEs are the economic backbone of any country in Southeast Asia. In the 10 ASEAN Member States, micro, small, and medium-sized firms account for 89% to 99% of commercial establishments and 52% to 97% of employment (AMS). They contribute 30%-53% to each AMS’ GDP and 10%-30% to exports [1].

68% of eBay-enabled small firms exported to 10 or more international markets in the six countries studied. Regional eBay-enabled small businesses sold in 214 foreign markets in 2020.

eBay has established a thriving ecosystem – including payment solutions, shipping solutions, marketing tools, market information, and local employees – to help SME communities in Southeast Asia succeed on the worldwide stage through export prospects. eBay marketplace promotes economic growth, variety, and resilience in the region.

Enabling SEA SMEs to Sell to the World

eBay’s global marketplace offers Southeast Asian SMEs e-commerce export opportunities. While less than 20% of traditional businesses in each of the six markets highlighted in this Report export, all eBay-enabled small businesses in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam export, and more than 95% in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore use eBay to reach global consumers. These eBay-exporting SMEs serve consumers in an average of 25 worldwide marketplaces annually. eBay helps small businesses to become global retailers from day one and offers a varied and resilient growth runway.

“eBay’s primary focus in Southeast Asia is to enable SMEs to sell to the world – its marketplace offers 142 million active buyers across 3,000-plus product categories with market access to 190 countries. SMEs in the region have a wealth of inventory that global consumers want, and they need to differentiate and drive scale by exploring e-commerce export options. With this goal in mind, eBay is building a robust ecosystem, with its deep technology expertise and partnerships with key government stakeholders as well as logistics service providers, to enable SMEs to do just that,” said Vidmay Naini, Country Manager for Southeast Asia and India.

Southeast Asian SMEs export to the US, Australia, UK, Germany, and Canada on eBay. Jewelry & Watches, Auto Parts, Home & Garden, Health & Beauty, and Collectibles are the top 5 locally-sourced exports.

Exporting to overseas markets and globalizing a corporation requires navigating complex tax rules, maintaining intricate logistical arrangements, and discovering specialized methods of last-mile delivery.

“eBay is capitalizing on the combined depth of our in-market teams and the global scale of eBay’s marketplace to help SMEs grow their business and meet the increasingly complex demands of global markets and consumers. We are very happy to play an instrumental role in empowering and enabling our Southeast Asian SMEs to expand their international reach – and help SEA SMEs bring the region’s diverse retail offering to the world,” Vidmay added.

“SEA’s potential as an economic powerhouse is well-recognized the world over for its tech innovations and startups from health to fintech to education. However, the potential of retail exports has not been tapped into. That’s why we organized a joint programme entitled ‘Empowering SMEs: E-commerce Exports in Southeast Asia‘ to help increase awareness and bring together industry experts and government partners. In the next decade, SEA SMEs will become a rising tier of global retailers with broad international market access because of the tremendous advances in e-commerce and the increasing integration of end-to-end solutions, bringing job and economic opportunity to the region.” said Cheryl Chung, Programme Director, Executive Education Singapore Futures, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

eBay and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy have cooperated on an executive education program for industry professionals and government stakeholders across SEA about growing e-commerce export trends.

The Report can be downloaded here: https://www.ebaymainstreet.com/southeast-asia-small-online-business-trade-report.