Same Platforms, Different Markets: Why Your Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop Strategy Needs to Change Across Southeast Asia

Three Data Points to Put Expansion in Context

These observations answer different questions. They should not be combined into a single estimate of the market.

GMV means gross merchandise value. It measures transaction value under each source’s methodology; it is not a seller’s revenue or profit.

1. Regional Growth Does Not Tell You Where Your Brand Will Win

The opportunity is substantial. Momentum Works estimates that Southeast Asia’s platform e-commerce GMV reached US$157.6 billion in 2025, growing 22.8% year on year across the six core markets covered by its report. Indonesia remained the largest, accounting for 37% of regional platform GMV. [1]

These figures establish the scale of the opportunity. They do not establish which market is best for your particular brand.

A large market may offer more potential customers while requiring a more demanding fulfilment model. A smaller market may be commercially attractive if your product positioning, pricing and service capabilities fit it well.

Platform competition also changes by country and period. Cube estimates that Shopee and TikTok Shop each held 46% of combined physical-goods GMV across Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop in Thailand during H1 2026. These estimates describe those three platforms, not Thailand’s entire retail or e-commerce market. [2]

A regional platform ranking is a starting point for research, rather than a complete market-entry plan. Before allocating a budget, narrow the question:

• Which country and product category are we targeting?
• What price segment are we competing in?
• How do customers discover and evaluate products in that category?
• What would it cost us to acquire, fulfil and support an order?
• What advantage can we offer beyond a temporary discount?

Choose the market–category–platform combination, rather than choosing a platform in isolation.

2. Content Commerce Changes How You Sell—and What You Must Explain

Content-led selling is already a significant part of the region’s e-commerce activity. Momentum Works estimates that content commerce generated US$49.7 billion in GMV in 2025, representing 32% of platform e-commerce GMV, up from 20% in 2024. This is the report’s content-commerce measure; it should not be treated as TikTok Shop’s market share. [1]

For brands, this raises a question beyond whether to produce more videos: What must the content help customers understand before they buy?

A product demonstration might create interest without answering questions about compatibility, dimensions, included accessories, delivery or warranty coverage.

Consider a home appliance brand. Reusing a successful video may be efficient, but the next market’s product page still needs to explain the version being sold, relevant usage requirements and the support available after purchase.

Start with actual customer questions:

• What do buyers ask before placing an order?
• Which details are frequently misunderstood?
• What information appears in complaints or return requests?
• Are promotional statements consistent with the product listing?

Use those findings to improve content and agent guidance together. Translation makes the wording accessible. Clear, accurate information helps customers decide whether the product is right for them.

3. Order Volume and Order Value Create Different Operating Requirements

A high-growth market does not necessarily produce high-value orders. Google’s Indonesia findings from the e-Conomy SEA 2025 research reported 2.6 billion video-commerce transactions, up 90% year on year, with average order values of approximately US$4.50–US$6. These figures describe Indonesia’s video-commerce segment, not all Indonesian online shopping. [3]

If your business serves many relatively low-value orders, manual work per order deserves close attention. Repeated delivery enquiries, missing information and unnecessary handoffs can consume resources even when each individual request looks small.

For higher-value products, the service model may require more detailed advice, troubleshooting or warranty handling. The right question is: How much work does each order create, and does the margin support that work?

These are suggested management measures, not regional benchmarks. Establish your own baseline before setting improvement targets.

4. Localise the Delivery Promise Before Increasing Demand

Before launching campaigns in another country, test whether your operating arrangements can deliver the promise.

Map the journey from order placement and stock confirmation to dispatch, delivery, exceptions and returns. For each stage, identify the available information, responsible team and action required when something goes wrong.

• Where will orders be fulfilled?
• What supports the delivery estimate shown to customers?
• Who identifies a delayed or unsuccessful delivery?
• Can customer service access marketplace order information in Zendesk through an appropriate integration?
• Where are returns received and inspected?
• Who approves replacements or refunds?

Verify applicable platform rules and local requirements separately. Policies, service availability and contractual arrangements can change.

A useful preparation exercise is to walk through one normal order, one delivery exception and one return using your proposed process.

If the teams cannot explain how these situations will be handled, more advertising will not close that operational gap.

5. Define Who Owns the Customer When Several Teams Are Involved

Adding local-language customer service is valuable, but language coverage alone does not define how cases get resolved.

A missing-item complaint may require input from customer service, a warehouse and a finance team. The customer should not have to coordinate those teams.

Before expanding, agree on:

1. Required information: What must be recorded for each issue?
2. Case ownership: Who remains accountable for progress?
3. Internal action: Which team investigates or approves the next step?
4. Customer updates: Who communicates while the investigation continues?
5. Escalation: What happens when an action is overdue?
6. Completion: What evidence confirms that the issue is resolved?

A customer service platform can support these arrangements. For teams already using Zendesk, e-commerce customer service integration can bring supported marketplace conversations and order context into the workspace. The responsibilities must still be designed and agreed by the business.

6. Standardise the Foundation, Validate the Local Experience

You do not need to rebuild the entire operation whenever you enter another country. The goal is to create a common foundation while allowing justified differences.

For example, every missing-item case may require an order reference and an accountable owner. The warehouse involved, replacement process and expected handling time may differ.

This approach lets a brand compare performance across markets without forcing every team into an unsuitable process.

A Practical Checklist Before Entering Your Next Market

Bring marketing, e-commerce operations, fulfilment and customer service together to answer these questions:

• Market fit: What evidence supports demand for our category and price point?
• Platform fit: Why is this platform appropriate for our target customers?
• Content: Have we addressed the questions that could prevent a purchase?
• Fulfilment: Can we deliver the promises shown in campaigns and listings?
• After-sales: Are returns, replacements and approvals clearly assigned?
• Service: Can teams access the context needed to continue a customer’s case?
• Economics: Do we understand the variable costs and service effort behind growth?
• Measurement: What results would justify expansion, adjustment or withdrawal?

Where answers are uncertain, use a controlled pilot to test them before committing to a wider rollout.

Where Do Zendesk and CXBOX COMMERCE Fit?

Zendesk can provide the service workflow around a customer request. CXBOX COMMERCE extends Zendesk for e-commerce teams by bringing supported marketplace conversations and order information into the agent workspace.

That connection can help an agent understand which order a customer is asking about before coordinating the next action. CXBOX COMMERCE also supports cancellation and refund-request notification tickets, giving the team events to review and follow up through its ticket workflow.

A refund-request notification is not an automatic refund approval or payment. Business approvals and any execution in an order, warehouse or finance system must follow the agreed process. Available capabilities depend on the connected platform and account configuration.

When evaluating Zendesk marketplace integration with CXBOX COMMERCE, check whether the required platform, market, account type and workflow are supported. Confirm what information is visible, which actions are available and how exceptions are handled.

Frequently Asked Questions About E-commerce Expansion in Southeast Asia

Can one e-commerce strategy work across Southeast Asia?

A shared strategy can provide a foundation, but brands should validate execution by country. Product positioning, customer questions, fulfilment, returns and service arrangements may need adjustment. Reuse what is supported by evidence, and test assumptions before expanding spending.

Should a brand choose Shopee, Lazada or TikTok Shop first?

There is no universal first choice. Evaluate the target country, product category, customer discovery behaviour, fulfilment model and contribution economics. Platform GMV indicates scale; it does not predict your brand’s conversion rate or profitability.

Does content commerce mean TikTok Shop?

No. In the cited Momentum Works findings, content commerce is a commerce format rather than a single platform’s market share. Do not interpret its 32% share of platform GMV in 2025 as TikTok Shop’s share of the regional market.

How can a brand manage marketplace customer service in Zendesk?

Define the workflow first: required information, case ownership, internal actions, updates and escalation. Then assess an integration such as CXBOX COMMERCE for supported marketplace conversations and order context. Check platform-specific capabilities before finalising the solution.

Can CXBOX COMMERCE automatically approve refund requests?

The capability described here creates Zendesk notification tickets when supported refund-request events occur. It should not be interpreted as automatic refund approval or execution. Confirm approval responsibilities and any additional integration needed for the intended process.

Which metrics should a brand track beyond marketplace sales?

Track contribution after variable costs, contacts per 100 orders, repeat contacts, delivery exceptions, return reasons and cases waiting on another team. Define each measure consistently so country teams can compare results meaningfully. These are recommended management measures, not published regional benchmarks.

Build an Operation You Can Expand

Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop provide access to significant customer demand. Their presence across the region makes expansion look familiar. The work behind a successful order still needs to be validated market by market.

A sustainable expansion plan connects customer acquisition with accurate information, reliable fulfilment, clear case ownership and commercially viable service.

DEMETER ICT helps businesses address the customer operations side of that challenge, including multilingual support, workflows, knowledge and system integrations using Zendesk and CXBOX COMMERCE for e-commerce operations.

Explore our Zendesk solutions overview or learn about our Customer Experience Optimization services. If you are evaluating platform options, review Zendesk plans and pricing against your operating requirements.