Online shopping set to skyrocket

Signs that online businesses will be a big thing this year are everywhere. People are inquiring about cameras that can make products look good on websites. Postmen, whose careers have been in danger because of email, LINE and other social media tools are getting busy again. Those involved in making Internet payments more convenient are regularly coming up with applications or software that make consumers feel more safe. TV commercials are promoting online shopping as a cool, new lifestyle.

One essential factor is the speed, availability and stability of Thailand’s digital communications. Again, the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission has paid serious attention to operators and how much they can give to the state. For Thailand to really embrace online businesses, the consumer-oriented attitude needs to be consistent, persistent and non-compromising. It doesn’t matter how much money can be made off telecom licence bids if consumers are still required to pay over the odds for services.

Online businesses can only really get going until the environment is fully accommodating for consumers all over the country. Both sellers and buyers need a cheap, reliable system to conduct a transaction. Delivery is something that buyers and sellers will worry about, but when it comes to what happens online, they need all the support they can get. That support must come from the government, the NBTC and all the big-name telecom operators.

Online businesses can change the outlook of an economy. With the right help, poor people can have a chance to compete with big-name shops because the conventional essence of success in trades – location, location, location – will be pretty much taken out of the equation. People who have good products but can’t afford elegant shops on busy streets or expensive malls can then have their shot. If their products are good enough, prospective buyers can easily find them. 

Big businesses, of course, are starting or intensifying their own e-commerce. In fact, a lot of transactions are taking place online. People no longer go to banks for money transfers. Countless Facebook accounts are being used to promote and sell products. Teenagers are buying stuff easily found in stores or any market by filling their “carts” on websites.

The trend can become exponential in the near future. The arrival of the Asean Economic Community, a region-wide grand scheme to further facilitate inter-connected trade, immigration and cultural, social and education programmes, will highlight the importance of a great online capacity. It’s obvious that Asean nations with the best online infrastructure will have a very good head start.

Online businesses can fit Thailand like a glove. The country is a major tourist destination, it also boasts a large variety of cultural products and has a food industry with great potential. So far, only a few business operators have benefited from the country’s selling points. The game can change soon, provided that smaller players get the support they need.

But if normal telecom subscribers still have to pay several hundred baht for a fast and reliable Internet connection per month, it won’t be good enough, especially for poor people who want to try online businesses. And, as we all know, there are always extra charges that consumers can’t avoid if they are to get or accomplish what they want.

The NBTC and telecom operators must never forget that the frequencies that allow them to make so much money off are, constitutionally, national resources. That means those resources belong to all Thai people and must be used to help them achieve a better living. Whether posting LINE stickers or putting up exotic pictures on Facebook serves that constitutional purpose is debatable, but helping poor Thais ease into online businesses unquestionably does.