Post on 29-May-2022
Embracing the Ecommerce Revolution in Asia and the Pacific
Jong Woo Kang Principal Economist Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department Asian Development Bank
Workshop on Environmental Readiness for E-commerce: Economic, legal and institutional factors Shanghai, PRC
Key messages E-commerce revolution in Asia and the Pacific presents
vast economic potential
E-commerce market in the region remains highly heterogeneous in (i) economic factors and conditions, (ii) legal and institutional environment and (iii) social acceptance
The emergence of new technologies will significantly impact the e-commerce landscape
Border procedures and regulatory burdens should improve to foster cross-border e-commerce
Developing an e-commerce ecosystem requires a holistic approach and concerted efforts by all stakeholders
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Evolution of E-commerce in Asia and the Pacific
3
Coverage of E-Commerce
4
E-commerce —Purchases and sales of
products (e.g., physical goods, digital products and services)
conducted over computer networks
—Comprises B2C, B2B, C2C, and B2G
B2B + B2C
—B2B and B2C are the two leading
segments in terms of size and relevance
B2C
Internet Retail
—Subset of B2C e-commerce that
excludes items such as auctions and online
reservations
—Data sources include EMarketer and Euromonitor International
B2B = business-to-business, B2C = business-to-consumer, B2G = business-to-government, C2C = consumer-to-consumer,
UNCTAD = United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Sources: Ecommerce Foundation (2016a), eMarketer (2017b), Euromonitor International (2018), and UNCTAD (2015).
Asia and the Pacific is the largest and fast growing e-commerce market
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Note: Market size refers to the total goods and services sold through internet retail market. See Box 1.1 for the
definition of internet retailing. Asia and the Pacific comprises of Australia; Azerbaijan; Hong Kong, China; India;
Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Malaysia; New Zealand ; the People’s Republic of China; the Philippines; Singapore; the
Republic of Korea; Taipei,China; Thailand; Uzbekistan; and Viet Nam.
Source: Kshetri (2018) using data from Euromonitor International. Passport database.
Comparison of Internet Retailing Market Size, 2017-2021 (forecast)
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
Asia and thePacific
Europe LatinAmerica
Middle Eastand North
Africa
NorthAmerica
%
$ b
illio
n
2021 forecast (left) 2017 (left)
Growth rate, 2021 versus 2017 (right) Overall growth rate, 2021 versus 2017 (right)
It is also the largest as % of GDP
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GDP = gross domestic product.
Note: Business-to-Consumer (B2C) e-commerce covers any contract for the sale of goods and/or services, fully
or partially concluded by a technique for distance communication. Values refer to the total of goods and
services sold through B2C transactions as a percentage of GDP.
Source: Ecommerce Foundation (2016).
0.7
0.8
2.6
3.1
4.5
0 1 2 3 4 5
Middle East and North Africa
Latin America
Europe
North America
Asia andthe Pacific
Global E-commerce (% of GDP)
Regional E-commerce, 2015 (% of GDP)
1.3 1.6
2.0
2.4
3.1
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Yet Central Asia lags behind
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Internet Retail Spending Per Capita—Central Asia, 2016 ($)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Azerbaijan Georgia Kazakhstan Pakistan Uzbekistan
Source: Kshetri (2018a) using data from Euromonitor International. Passport database.
Internet Retail and M-commerce Spending Per Capita
—East Asia, 2016 ($)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
HKG JPN KOR PRC TAP
M-commerce Internet retailing
HKG = Hong Kong, China; JPN = Japan; KOR = Republic of Korea; PRC = People’s Republic of China; TAP = Taipei,China. Note: See Box 1.1 for definitions of internet retailing and m-commerce. Source: Kshetri (2018a) using data from Euromonitor International. Passport database.
Analytical Framework
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Factors Affecting the Development of e-marketplace
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ICT = information and communications technology.
Source: ADB compilation based on Kshetri (2007a, 2018a), North (1996), Parto (2005), Scott (1995, 2001), and World Bank (2016a).
● Affordability and access
to ICTs
● Bandwidth availability
● Availability of online
payment options
● Delivery infrastructures
● Economies of scale
Economic Social Acceptance and Awareness
Firm level ● Confidence, risk
aversion, and inertia
● Awareness, knowledge
and understanding of
e-commerce opportunities
Consumer level ● Awareness and
knowledge of e-
commerce benefits
● General and computer
literacy
● English proficiency
● Trust in e-commerce
vendors and postal
services
● Perception of
foreign
products/vendors
Environmental
readiness
for e-commerce
E-marketplace
development
Legal and Institutional
Normative institutions ● Importance of personal
relationships in
business
● Roles played by
industry bodies and
trade/professional
associations
Economic Legal and
Instituti
onal
Social
Acceptance and
Awareness
Regulative institutions ● Legislative measures
related to
e-commerce
● Measures making e-
commerce affordable and
accessible
● Policy initiatives that
directly facilitate e-
commerce activities
● Public-private
partnership
programs
Economic
environment
that affects
accessibility
and viability
of
e-commerce
activities
Internalized
norms that
affect
e-commerce-
related
behaviors of
individuals
and
organizational
decision-
makers
Social and
political
environment
that plays
roles in the
evolution of
the
legitimacy
of e-
commerce-
related
activities
Legitimacy to
participate in
e-commerce
Individual
readiness
for e-commerce
Current Status and Challenges
10
ICT Infrastructure
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020406080
100120140160
Fixed-telephone
subscriptions
Mobile-cellular
telephonesubscriptions
Active mobile-broadband
subscriptions
Fixedbroadband
subscriptions
Householdswith a
computer
Householdswith internet
access at home
Individualsusing theinternet
Africa Arab states Asia and the Pacific CIS Europe The Americas
Source: International Telecommunication Union. Statistics. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
Key ICT Indicators by Region, 2016 (per 100 inhabitants)
Number of Internet Users—Central Asia, 2016 (% of population)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
AFG ARM AZE GEO KAZ KGZ PAK TAJ TKM
AFG = Afghanistan, ARM = Armenia, AZE = Azerbaijan, GEO = Georgia, KAZ = Kazakhstan, KGZ = Kyrgyz Republic, PAK = Pakistan, TAJ = Tajikistan, TKM = Turkmenistan. Source: International Telecommunication Union. ICT Facts and Figures 2017. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx (accessed 15 December 2017).
E-payment
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Card Payment Transactions—Selected Asian Economies, 2016
($ per capita)
Source: Kshetri (2018a) using data from Euromonitor International. Passport database.
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
AUS HKG KOR SIN
Credit card transactions Card payment transactions
0
4,000
8,000
12,000
16,000
20,000
AUS HKG KOR SIN
a: High spending economies
0
100
200
300
400
500
PHI INO VIE IND
b: Low spending economies
Delivery Infrastructure
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0 20 40 60 80 100
Tonga
Mongolia
Lao PDR
Philippines
Maldives
Malaysia
Sri Lanka
Uzbekistan
Japan
Population with Access to Home Mail Delivery—
Selected Asian Economies, 2015 (% of population)
Source: Universal Postal Union. http://www.upu.int/en/ressources/statistiques-postales/resultats-2015.html
Legislation
Status of E-commerce Legislation—Asia and the Pacific, as of December 2017 (Number of economies)
Legislation exists Draft legislation No legislation No data
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3 5
5
16
2
2
28
22
2
15 9
35
1
12
b. Consumer protection
c. Privacy and data protection d. Cybercrime
a. Electronic transactions
Sources: various international and local sources
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Uneven Opportunities: Gender Gap
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Gender Gap in Internet Access—Selected Asian Economies (% of males minus % of females)
-2 2 6 10 14 18 22
New Zealand (2012)Australia (2015)
Cambodia (2015)Thailand (2016)
Kazakhstan (2016)Singapore (2015)
Armenia (2015)Bangladesh (2013)
Malaysia (2016)Hong Kong, China (2015)
Japan (2015)Indonesia (2016)
Republic of Korea (2016)Azerbaijan (2016)
Pakistan (2016)Brunei Darussalam (2016)
Source: International Telecommunication Union. Gender ICT statistics. http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/
Pages/stat/default.aspx
Key Opportunities
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Economic Benefits and Costs of Using E-commerce
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Benefits
Costs
Boosts efficiency and increases gross
domestic product
Allows economies to increase
participation in global value chains
Increases labor productivity and
supports job creation,
entrepreneurship, innovation, and
creativity
Leads to energy savings and lower
carbon emissions
Advances inclusive growth (benefitting
developing economies, rural areas,
women and the elderly, among others)
Requires social and physical capital
investment
Could lead to transfer pricing and
erosion of tax revenue
Potential to widen economic disparity
Potential to distort competition
Source: ADB compilation based on Anvari and Norouzi (2016); Bram and Gorton (2017); Ca’ Zorzi (2000); Carnegie Melon University (2009);
Cockfield et al. (2013); Hinojosa (2017); Mueller and Shoenmaker (2007); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United
Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and World Trade Organization (2016); Palsson, Pattersson, and Hiselius (2017);
Savrul and Kılıç (2011); UNCTAD (2015, 2017b); and World Bank (2003, 2016b).
Enhancing Inclusiveness
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Rapid growth in internet and mobile phone access
Developments in e-payment
Improving logistics-related technologies and infrastructure to benefit the disadvantaged
E-commerce-enabling technologies in developing countries and LDCs
Improved access to advanced e-commerce-enabling technologies for SMEs
Emerging Technologies affecting E-Commerce Landscape
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Big Data Use in the People’s Republic of China to Boost Customer Retention and Spending
Collect data:
● Online shoppers
● Available products
● Purchasing habits of online shoppers
Use data:
● Identify customer groups
● Use machine learning to decide on product lines and promotions
Increase customer retention and spending:
● Segment customer groups
● Target offerings
Source: ADB based on Wang (2016)
1.3
0.6 0.4
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016E 2018E 2020E
Average Sensor Cost for the Internet of Things—Global ($ per unit)
Source: BI Intelligence (2014)
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Technology Examples of use Benefits of combining with 5G
IoT IoT can improve consumer experience, track
inventory in real-time and manage more
effectively (e.g., JD.com)
5G's faster data-transmission will make it easier to
transfer data created by IoT devices.
AI AI-enabled apps—such as Amazon and
Google assistant—can order products online,
track orders and perform other e-commerce
activities.
5G's faster data-transmission will allow quicker
access to additional information and help the AI
better understand the environment and context.
Blockchain Blockchain-based smart contracts can be
used by online vendors to automate order
fulfillment.
Blockchains have been used in supply chain
management systems and B2B e‐commerce
(e.g. the PRC’s JD.com).
5G can help feed information (e.g., from IoT
devices) required for a smart contract more
efficiently.
It can also provide better security.
AR/VR AR enabled apps allow a potential customer
to place real products in a virtual setting to
provide clear visualization of product use
(e.g., Lego and IKEA).
5G network’s higher bandwidth, reduced latency and greater uniformity (mobile connection’s consistency across locations) allows transmission
of complex worlds and sophisticated inputs that
require processing of huge amounts of data.
Emerging Technologies affecting E-Commerce Landscape
Source: ADB compilation based on Dave (2017), Harbet (2018), IDG (2018), and Xiao (2017).
Way Forward
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To unlock the potential of digital trade and e-commerce, it is imperative to take on the following measures:
Institute legal, regulatory and institutional reforms
Intensify regional efforts to modernize and harmonize regulations
Enhance affordability of and access to ICT
E-commerce boosts efficiency, enhances market access for businesses and consumers, and generates spillover effects
Improve logistics and delivery infrastructure
Broaden the e-payment availability and options
Fostering Cross-Border E-Commerce
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Global cross-border B2C e-commerce to grow at 27% from 2014 to 2020 to reach almost $1 trillion.
Various efforts underway to reduce complex border crossing
procedures and regulatory burdens
- National Single Window (NSW)—a one stop-shop to speed up customs
clearance - Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) system developed by
UNCTAD - New Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless
Trade in Asia and the Pacific - International customs rules for cross-border e-commerce being developed
by WCO
Securing tax revenues while minimizing taxation costs are
crucial
Creating a Virtuous Cycle in E-marketplace Development
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Source: ADB compilation based on Albers‐Miller (1999), Ang et al. (2001), Levi (1998), and Zucker (1986).
Consumers Engage in ethical and responsible actions
Government agencies and trade associations
Create institution-based trust Supplement government role
E-commerce vendors and businesses Create trust
• Characteristic-based trust • Process-based trust Innovate
Social Willingness
to Participate in
The E-marketplace
Thank you!
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