Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
Thu Huong Le · · 6 min read

Shopee’s next big moneymaker?

Welcome to The Checkout! Delivered every Thursday via email and through the Tech in Asia website, this free newsletter breaks down the biggest stories and trends in ecommerce. If you’re not a subscriber, get access by registering here.

Hi there,

Today is 9.9 – another monthly mega sale event.

As a shopper, you’re probably bombarded with online ads from literally everywhere – not just Facebook and Google but also ecommerce platforms.

Shopee, for one, is finding that advertising could become its huge moneymaker. But why do brands want to advertise directly on ecommerce sites?

These platforms possess large amounts of data about you, the brands you prefer, and your buying patterns. Generally, shoppers who open an ecommerce app also have a higher intention to buy than those who are still searching on Google for different options.

Both Amazon and Alibaba have been growing their share of ad revenue in recent years, challenging the Google-Facebook duopoly.

In the case of Shopee, Sea Group says its ads business is still at a “very early stage.” But our analysis shows that if Shopee can just capture 8% of the digital ad spend in Southeast Asia, this would translate to about US$400 million in advertising revenue. And that doesn’t even count Shopee’s potential markets like India and Poland, where it’s reportedly expanding to.

But advertising can be a double-edged sword – too much of it will turn off consumers.

This week’s big story, written by our industry analyst Simon Huang, examines whether Sea Group has what it takes to build an advertising powerhouse.

— Huong


THE BIG STORY

Sea: The next advertising powerhouse?

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Shopee’s ads business is poised to drive Sea Group’s revenues even higher, but Garena has a role to play as well.


DEEP READ


TRENDING NEWS


STARTUP WATCH


Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

TIA Writer

Thu Huong Le

“It's not a faith in technology. It's faith in people.” Email me at huong@techinasia.com