Live commerce to gain traction in 2026

In 2026, live commerce is expected to become more sophisticated, with a greater variety of content and influencers driving impulse buying through entertainment.

- SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK

The intense competition between Shopee and TikTok and the focus of Meta and YouTube Shopping on affiliate marketing will spur the growth of video commerce, according to a report.

Rafael Scislowski, country manager of Google Thailand, cited the “eConomy SEA 2025” report by Temasek, Bain and Google that noted video commerce is now the primary engine of e-commerce growth.

Video commerce in Thailand recorded the region’s fastest expansion at 22% year-on-year, while e-commerce value is projected to reach US$33 billion in 2025.

Thailand is the second-largest video commerce market in Southeast Asia, tallying a transaction volume of $1.3 billion.

The country is home to the region’s largest and fastest-growing population of video commerce vendors, surging by 175% annually to 850,000.

Pawat Ruangdejworachai, president and chief executive of MI Group marketing agency, said 2026 will be the year Thailand is truly driven by artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing.

Media is shifting to video as it becomes a new point of sale, pushing brands to adopt total-video strategies, he said.