Shopee sellers can sell products regionally without extra cost as part of tie-up with Enterprise Singapore
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(From left) Shopee Singapore director Chua Kel Jin, Shopee Singapore vice-president Ian Ho, Enterprise Singapore managing director Cindy Khoo and Enterprise Singapore assistant managing director for capabilities, urban systems and solutions Geoffrey Yeo at the official launch of the Shopee International Platform on Feb 7.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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SINGAPORE – A fledgling initiative from online shopping platform Shopee and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) to boost sales in Malaysia and Thailand has brought the sweet smell of success for candy seller Chelsea Chan.
Ms Chan, who has been selling her Candy Cottage products on the site since 2018, joined the Shopee International Platform (SIP) during its pilot phase in September 2024.
SIP enables local businesses to sell and promote their products on Shopee’s Malaysia and Thailand marketplaces without extra cost.
Around 8,000 sellers have joined the programme since Sept 30, 2024, racking up an eightfold increase in orders and gross merchandise value, a result that exceeded expectations.
Ms Chan was initially doubtful that customers from Malaysia and Thailand would buy her tasty treats but the programme helped boost Candy Cottage’s overall monthly sales by around 5 per cent.
She is certainly sold on the initiative now and also likes that Shopee helps with marketing efforts in Malaysia and Thailand and in staging live-stream sessions.
Ms Chan is looking forward to bringing in more products than the 300 or so Candy Cottage already sells, noting: “We realise that customers in Malaysia and Thailand are mainly looking at products from places such as Sweden and the UK, which are rarer to find.”
Ms Cindy Khoo, managing director at EnterpriseSG, said at SIP’s official launch on Feb 7: “We have seen our sellers expand their customer base, gain overseas market experience without committing additional resources, enjoy seamless cross-border logistics, customer service and payment solutions.
“Internationalisation is an important strategy for many local enterprises. Going overseas means opportunities to reach a much wider pool of customers and gain exposure to new and diverse trends to stay ahead of the fast-changing business landscape.”
Sellers who join the SIP can extend their existing Singapore storefront to Malaysia and Thailand while benefiting from the free cross-border logistics, marketing support and payment solutions.
The aim is to alleviate pain points for sellers such as navigating language barriers and figuring out customers’ preferred modes of payment in the region.
Product prices on overseas shops are calculated using Shopee’s internal system that takes into account item weights, currency conversion rates and international shipping fees.
However, a new product feature is in the works that will allow sellers to decide on pricing and offerings, starting with Malaysia.
The SIP programme will be expanded to include the Philippines in the second half of 2025.
Shopee Singapore director Chua Kel Jin said that the platform also assesses if all of a seller’s product range for its Singapore storefront is suitable in Malaysia or Thailand, while also highlighting Customs regulations in each country.
Mr Chua noted that the pilot phase of the SIP showed that Singapore’s premium pet products were one of the most popular categories in Malaysia and Thailand.
