Imagine a Southeast Asian e-commerce seller who recognizes artificial intelligence (AI) as the future for boosting efficiency and reducing costs, yet feels overwhelmed by complex algorithms, high deployment costs, and employee resistance to new technology. This gap between awareness and implementation represents a common challenge facing online sellers across the region.
Report Overview
The "Bridging the AI Gap: Southeast Asia Online Sellers' Awareness and Application Trends" report, jointly published by leading e-commerce platform Lazada and global market research firm Kantar, provides comprehensive insights into this issue. The study surveyed 1,214 e-commerce sellers across six countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - analyzing AI adoption patterns, challenges, and opportunities.
The Awareness-Implementation Gap
Findings reveal that while 68% of Southeast Asian sellers claim familiarity with AI, actual application rates lag significantly. Sellers believe AI could be applied to 47% of their business processes, but only implement it in 37% of cases. This discrepancy stems from multiple factors including limited technical understanding, talent shortages, and concerns about implementation costs.
Mixed Perceptions of AI Value
The report highlights contradictory attitudes toward AI's benefits. While 89% acknowledge AI's productivity potential, 61% remain skeptical about its overall usefulness. Similarly, 93% believe in long-term cost savings, yet 64% consider AI implementation expensive and time-consuming. These conflicting views contribute to hesitation in adoption.
Skill Gaps and Tool Preferences
A striking 93% of sellers recognize the need for employee AI training, but 75% report staff preference for familiar traditional tools over new AI solutions. This resistance likely stems from fear of change, perceived learning curves, and uncertainty about AI effectiveness.
Regional Adoption Variations
AI implementation varies significantly across markets:
- Indonesia and Vietnam lead with 42% adoption rates
- Singapore and Thailand follow at 39%
- Malaysia and Philippines face greater infrastructure challenges
The study categorizes sellers into three groups:
- AI Adepts (24%): Implement AI in 80%+ of operations
- AI Aspirants (50%): Partial adoption with significant gaps
- AI Agnostics (26%): Primarily use manual processes
Platform Solutions and Future Directions
With 76% of sellers still in the aspirant or agnostic categories, demand exists for user-friendly AI tools (42%) and enhanced support services (41%). Lazada has responded by introducing an AI Implementation Guide tailored to different maturity levels and developing new features including:
- AI-powered product optimization for listings and images
- Automated multilingual translation capabilities
- An intelligent seller assistant for operational support
Currently, 67% of sellers express satisfaction with Lazada's existing AI tools. The platform plans additional generative AI features to further streamline operations and boost conversions.