Incentives, training, cross-border tools: How Shopee’s $50m investment offers S’pore SMEs opportunities to grow

For some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), venturing into e-commerce can feel daunting – competition is intense, logistics can be complex and marketing budgets are often limited.

To help address these challenges, e-commerce platform Shopee is continuing its efforts to support local entrepreneurs with an investment of more than $50 million over the next year. This support is aimed at helping sellers start strong, scale sustainably and expand across South-east Asia.

“As a home-grown platform, we are dedicated to supporting local sellers at every stage of growth,” explains Mr Chua Kel Jin, director of Shopee Singapore. “We’re inspired every time we see our sellers succeed and grow with us. This investment deepens our existing support ecosystem for our sellers.”

The renewed commitment covers a range of initiatives – from commercial incentives and training programmes to technology upgrades and a more connected fulfilment network – all designed to help businesses scale efficiently without heavy upfront costs.

“Our sellers’ success is deeply motivating for the Shopee team and a reminder of why we keep improving what we do, so more sellers can achieve the same growth, and build lasting businesses through e-commerce,” adds Mr Chua. 

Helping new sellers boost their market reach

Shopee continues to strengthen support for local entrepreneurs through a range of initiatives that help new sellers build visibility and grow their business on the platform. 

New sellers will be able to ease into their online journey with a commission fee waiver for their first 120 days. This means they will not need to pay the usual commission on completed orders during their first four months of business, helping to reduce operating costs at the point when many are still finding their footing. 

The e-commerce platform will also offer them a 30-day free trial of the Shopee Coin Cashback Programme, which usually requires a participation fee, and includes perks such as Shopee-sponsored cashback and discount vouchers, lower logistics fees and extra visibility. Together, these benefits help new entrepreneurs gain early traction while keeping initial expenses lower.

To help them further with gaining visibility, Shopee also offers initiatives such as the Affiliate Marketing Solutions, which connects sellers to a network of more than 180,000 affiliates and content creators – including publishers, influencers and social media personalities. 

These affiliates promote products across websites, social platforms and video channels using tracked links that direct potential buyers straight to the seller’s Shopee store.

This performance-based model allows sellers to pay only for successful conversions, helping them reach new audiences while managing marketing spend effectively.

An extension of this network is the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Programme, which allows content creators to feature Shopee products in their YouTube videos, Shorts and livestreams. Viewers can tap the tagged products and make purchases seamlessly without leaving YouTube, creating a smoother shopping experience that benefits both creators and sellers.

Enhancing fulfilment efficiency

Operational reliability is a cornerstone of business growth and Shopee continues to improve in its fulfilment ecosystem which spans local and overseas warehouses, seller operations and trusted third-party logistics partnerships. This keeps deliveries fast and dependable, supporting sellers at every stage of growth.

“Many sellers tell us that fulfilment is one of the toughest parts of running an online business,” says Mr Chua. “They often have to manage limited storage space, rising labour costs and the pressure to meet buyers’ expectations for speed and reliability.”

Fulfilled by Shopee (FBS) helps relieve these pressures by providing end-to-end warehousing, packing and delivery through Shopee Supported Logistics, a network of integrated third-party logistics partners. Sellers can choose flexible delivery options, such as parcel pick up services and parcel drop off points, as part of Shopee’s wider fulfilment ecosystem and complement the services managed by FBS.

With preferential first-year rates for new and existing sellers, the programme offers faster, more consistent fulfilment so sellers can focus on building their business.

“FBS handles warehousing, packing and last-mile delivery through Shopee’s integrated logistics network, giving sellers the assurance that their operations run smoothly while they focus on growing their business,” adds Mr Chua.

For eligible sellers who manage their own fulfilment, Shopee offers the Next-Day Delivery 2 Pick-Up initiative, which provides two scheduled parcel collections a day by third party logistics partners. This keeps parcel handovers steady and ensures that buyers can receive their orders by the next delivery day, improving operational efficiency and delivery consistency without complexity for sellers.

Mr Chua adds: “Consumers consistently cite delivery speed and reliability as key factors in their purchase decisions. By improving fulfilment efficiency, we’re enabling sellers to capture that demand and convert shopper intent into sales.”

Expanding through cross-border initiatives

As Singapore’s e-commerce landscape matures, many local businesses are turning to regional markets to fuel further growth, says Mr Chua. Cross-border expansion, however, often comes with hurdles such as logistics management, higher costs and limited familiarity with overseas consumers. 

To help sellers overcome these barriers, Shopee has developed two cross-border programmes: the Shopee International Platform (SIP) and the Singapore-to-Malaysia (SG–MY) Direct Selling Programme.

SIP allows local sellers to reach consumers in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines at no additional cost. Shopee manages payments, logistics and customer service on their behalf. 

Overseas storefronts are automatically created and synced with sellers’ Singapore listings, enabling them to serve international customers with the same ease as local ones. Sellers handle orders as usual, while Shopee manages the cross-border logistics.

The SG–MY Direct Selling Programme gives sellers who are ready for more control the option to manage a dedicated Shopee Malaysia storefront. This allows them to oversee product listings, pricing, campaigns and marketing strategies directly. 

The programme opens the door for Singapore sellers to operate in both markets simultaneously, supported by early-stage incentives such as ads vouchers and extra traffic exposure. Shopee will also waive its commission fees on cross-border orders for the first three months, helping sellers reduce their start-up costs.

“SIP makes it easy and cost-efficient for local sellers to reach new buyers, while the SG–MY Direct Selling Programme gives those ready to scale greater flexibility and control to expand their business in Malaysia,” adds Mr Chua.

Strengthening support with technology and community

Shopee has also leveraged technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to help sellers operate more efficiently. Tools such as Chat AI Assistant use automated AI-powered responses to handle buyer queries around the clock, offering instant replies and product recommendations. 

“This frees sellers to focus on higher-value tasks like marketing and strategic planning while ensuring buyers receive timely, consistent service,” explains Mr Chua. 

Complementing its technology tools is Shopee’s Seller Mentor Programme, which connects newer sellers with experienced mentors who share best practices, business strategies and practical advice. Through these peer learning sessions, sellers gain insights from others who have successfully built and scaled their businesses on the platform. 

“It’s part of our ongoing effort to nurture a community where knowledge and experience are shared freely,” says Mr Chua. 

“Whether it’s helping new sellers get started, supporting established businesses to work more efficiently, or creating pathways for regional expansion, Shopee remains committed to building the tools and infrastructure that empower local entrepreneurs to grow sustainably and compete with confidence in the digital economy,” he adds. 

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