Following the success of the event in the past three years, ASEAN will launch the 4th annual ASEAN Online Sale Day (AOSD), the largest online shopping event in Southeast Asia. The sale will run from August 8-22 and will bring together the best of ASEAN goods and services from across the region on a single e-commerce platform.

In 2020, more than 200 e-commerce businesses participated in the event, offering a large range of goods and services at promotional or heavily discounted rates through their e-commerce platforms, said an August 3 statement by the ASEAN secretariat.

“In 2021 and 2022, the event continued to grow, with more than 300 businesses participating across ASEAN each year,” it added.

This year, organisers expect strong interest among businesses and consumers, given the rise in e-commerce adoption in the region that was spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic.

AOSD hopes to further accelerate the regional trajectory towards digital platforms and encourage consumers and businesses to engage in e-commerce, given the role of digital integration as a key driver of ASEAN’s economic growth.

“The initiative also complements ASEAN member states’ ongoing efforts to encourage digitalisation among businesses,” said the statement.

“Finally, AOSD seeks to encourage regional digital trade and enhance stronger collaboration among stakeholders – government agencies, business associations and consumers – to explore new policy initiatives and advance innovative technologies in the promotion of cross-border e-commerce activities in ASEAN,” it noted.

In the context of the pandemic, e-commerce became a remarkably popular shopping tool. Governments in the regions all made efforts to create favourable conditions for businesses to go online during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the AOSD.

“The event is a good opportunity for enterprises across ASEAN to promote their products and increase their sales via e-commerce,” said a post by the organising committee.

The AOSD is the first online shopping event that will be conducted collectively on a region-wide scale. It has been held annually since 2020. The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on E-commerce (ACCEC) are coordinating the event.

“It aims to facilitate ASEAN member states to promote cross-border trade through e-commerce. Through this programme, enterprises across the bloc will be given strong opportunities to promote their domestic products and services to customers living in different nations,” said the committee.

For domestic transactions, reputable e-commerce businesses and platforms in ten ASEAN countries will also launch a series of special discount shopping programmes for domestic consumers.

For cross-border transactions, enterprises will coordinate to implement a cross-border online shopping platform among ASEAN countries.

Through the annual AOSD, bloc members hope to bring new and prestigious shopping experiences to consumers, send a positive message to consumers and businesses that ASEAN is ‘open for business’, and present ASEAN solidarity during the post-Covid 19 recovery period,” added the post.