Three in Four Southeast Asian ECommerce Sellers Require Additional Support in Their AI Adoption, Lazada Report Reveals
Lazada's research report on online sellers in Southeast Asia reveals that AI adoption is at 37% on average. The report highlights an implementation gap where sellers understand the importance of AI but struggle with deployment. Indonesia and Vietnam lead in AI adoption, while Singapore and Thailand follow closely behind. Lazada aims to bridge the knowledge and adoption gap by providing sellers with actionable insights and resources to integrate AI into their operations. The majority of sellers in Southeast Asia fall within the AI Aspirants and AI Agnostics categories, actively seeking more effective AI-powered solutions.
Singapore, April 8, 2025 - Lazada, a leading eCommerce platform in Southeast Asia, has published its research report on online sellers titled "Bridging the AI Gap: Online Seller Perceptions and Adoption Trends in Southeast Asia." The report, developed in collaboration with Kantar, surveyed 1,214 eCommerce sellers across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to examine AI adoption trends, challenges, and opportunities, shedding light on sellers' readiness to integrate AI into their operations.
Knowledge and Implementation Gap Among Online Sellers
The research reveals that online sellers in Southeast Asia show strong familiarity with AI, with nearly seven in 10 sellers (68%) indicating that they are aware of AI. Despite this, there is a gap between perceived and actual AI adoption, with sellers integrating AI into only 47% of their business operations, even though actual adoption stands at 37%. Sellers face challenges in assessing AI efficacy and its cost implications. While 89% acknowledge AI's role in boosting productivity, 61% remain skeptical about its usefulness. Additionally, 64% cite costliness and time-consuming implementation as barriers to adoption.
There is also an implementation gap, where sellers understand the importance of AI but struggle with effective deployment. Nearly all sellers (93%) agree on the importance of upskilling the workforce to use AI for increased productivity, yet 75% of sellers concede that their employees still prefer familiar tools over new AI solutions.
Variation in AI-Readiness Across Markets
Across the region, Indonesia and Vietnam lead with 42% AI adoption across business functions, followed closely by Singapore and Thailand at 39%. The report identifies three distinct seller archetypes – AI Adepts, AI Aspirants, and AI Agnostics, based on the level of AI adoption across different aspects of operations. Thailand has the highest share of AI Adepts, with 30% of sellers falling into this category. Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam also demonstrate strong AI implementation, while Malaysia and the Philippines face challenges related to internal buy-in and infrastructure limitations.
The majority of Southeast Asian sellers fall within the AI Aspirants and AI Agnostics categories, actively seeking more effective AI-powered solutions with high demand for AI tools and enhanced seller support.
Leveraging AI-Driven Solutions with Lazada
To support sellers in their AI adoption journey, Lazada is launching the Online Sellers Artificial Intelligence Readiness Playbook, providing strategic guidance based on sellers' AI maturity levels. Sellers are already leveraging key AI-driven solutions on Lazada's platform to enhance their efficiency. With strong satisfaction expressed by 67% of sellers in existing Lazada AI features, Lazada is releasing new Generative AI (GenAI) features designed to empower sellers and enhance their product listings, streamline operations, and boost customer conversions.
To learn more, sellers can download the Online Sellers Artificial Intelligence Readiness Playbook to understand how these solutions can offer a structured framework to integrate AI into their workflows effectively in the ever-evolving eCommerce landscape.
About the Research
Developed in partnership with Kantar, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of AI adoption trends, challenges, and opportunities for online sellers in Southeast Asia. The research surveyed eCommerce sellers across six countries in February 2025. This follows another research conducted in partnership with Kantar, which surveyed eCommerce users in the region in September 2024 to better understand AI awareness, trust, preferences, and consumer behavior.
About Lazada Group
Lazada Group is Southeast Asia's pioneer eCommerce platform, accelerating progress in multiple countries through commerce and technology. The platform connects millions of active users to actively-selling sellers every month, facilitating transactions via trusted payment channels and logistics networks.