--- title: Etaily’s Social Commerce Revolution Is Rewriting Retail Rules in Southeast Asia description: Etaily is an e-commerce enabler powering social commerce across Southeast Asia. How the platform helps brands sell on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2025-12-04T12:52:31.000Z updated: 2026-03-31T11:24:54.048Z canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/etaily-s-social-commerce-revolution-is-rewriting-retail-rules-in-southeast-asia image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/Etaily-Leadership-team-photo.webp categories: Startups content_type: Spotlight region: Philippines publication: Sovereign Magazine about: - type: Organization name: Etaily description: "Etaily is a digital-native retail platform for Southeast Asia. The company builds, operates, and scales consumer brands across the region. Etaily provides end-to-end e-commerce and retail support—including marketplace operations, D2C, social commerce, livestreaming, digital and affiliate marketing, studio production, and customer service. Find out more at https://etaily.com/ ." url: https://etaily.com/ sameAs: - https://www.facebook.com/etailyphil, https://www.instagram.com/etaily_official, https://www.linkedin.com/company/etaily/mycompany/ --- While traditional retailers struggle with declining foot traffic and stagnant online growth, Manila-based etaily doubled its gross sales in just 12 months. The secret isn’t better websites or flashier advertising: it’s the complete reimagining of shopping as entertainment. The digital-native retail platform built its entire business around livestreaming and social commerce, turning product discovery into interactive shows where consumers can chat, ask questions and buy directly from creators. Now, with a fresh $24 million investment led by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), etaily represents the vanguard of a retail shift that’s making Southeast Asia the global testing ground for commerce’s future. ## The Numbers Behind the Entertainment Economy The Philippines e-commerce market will reach $24-28 billion in 2024, expanding 25% year-on-year and claiming the title of world’s fastest-growing e-commerce market. Filipino consumers spend eight hours daily on mobile devices, and increasingly they’re not just browsing. They’re buying through social platforms that blend entertainment with shopping. [TikTok Shop dominates social commerce in Southeast Asia](https://marketingltb.com/blog/statistics/tiktok-shop-statistics/), accounting for over 90% of the platform’s global sales volume. In the Philippines, livestream commerce achieves conversion rates of 35% in fashion and 25% in beauty, dramatically outperforming traditional e-commerce’s typical 2-3% conversion rates. This phenomenon mirrors broader trends we’ve seen with [Gen-Z entrepreneurs driving multi-million dollar TikTok Shop success](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/social-commerce-revolution-gen-z-entrepreneurs-drive-multi-million-tiktok-shop-success) across the region. ‘For the last five years, we’ve focused on building etaily into a commerce powerhouse for global brands in Southeast Asia,’ says Alexander Friedhoff, etaily’s founder and CEO. ‘Now it is time to double down on the latest developments in Social Commerce and Livestreaming. With our massive focus on fully controlled livestream studios we will be able to offer asset-light operations.’ ## Professional Broadcasting Meets Mobile Commerce Etaily’s approach centres on ‘fully controlled livestream studios’: professional broadcasting setups where brands can host interactive shopping sessions. Think QVC meets Instagram Live, but optimised for mobile-first audiences who expect immediate gratification and social interaction. This entertainment-first approach reflects a broader shift where [real-time interactive television signals new opportunities](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/real-time-investment-tv-shows-signal-new-era-for-retail-trading) across various industries. Major international brands including Levi’s, L’Oreal, Skechers and Abbott use etaily’s platform to reach Southeast Asian consumers through these livestreamed experiences. The company processes orders across TikTok Shop, Shopee, Lazada and direct-to-consumer channels, handling everything from content creation to fulfilment. The success of [livestream shopping as an eCommerce revolution](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/is-livestream-shopping-the-new-ecommerce-revolution-social-commerce-app-ooooo-co-founder-sam-) demonstrates the viability of this interactive approach. The recent partnership with [WPP Media strengthens etaily’s retail and media capabilities](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidprosser/2025/12/04/how-etaily-is-riding-southeast-asias-ecommerce-wave/), combining commerce infrastructure with marketing expertise across the Philippines-Malaysia-Singapore cluster. ## Why Traditional Finance Is Paying Attention SMBC’s investment through its Asia Rising fund signals something significant: established financial institutions are backing the social commerce revolution rather than treating it as a fad. Katsufumi Uchida, SMBC’s Head of Asia Pacific Division, explains the rationale: ‘We are excited to contribute to the expansion of local commerce networks and to connect financial services with the evolving digital marketplace through partnerships such as with etaily.’ The company’s board now includes representatives from some of Southeast Asia’s most established business families: Ayala Corporation’s Mark Uy, the Gokongwei Group’s Brian Go, plus backing from the Magsaysay Family and the Po family behind Century Pacific Food Corporation. This institutional support suggests social commerce has moved beyond experimental phase into mainstream retail planning. Etaily’s trajectory (ranked third fastest-growing company in Asia-Pacific by Financial Times) demonstrates the commercial viability of this entertainment-first approach. The platform now supports over 80 consumer brands and has processed 40 million orders. ## Regional Expansion Blueprint Southeast Asia’s retail market is projected to reach $230 billion by 2026, with 140 million new consumers expected by 2030. [Mobile commerce adoption varies significantly](https://www.tmogroup.asia/insights/southeast-asia-ecommerce-market/) between markets: Singapore leads with mature e-commerce infrastructure and high smartphone penetration, Malaysia shows strong social media engagement, while the Philippines combines rapid mobile adoption with heavy social platform usage. Social commerce accounts for approximately 38% of e-commerce GMV in the Philippines and 30% in Malaysia, significantly higher than more mature markets. [Social commerce contributed around $42 billion](https://www.techedt.com/southeast-asia-drives-us42b-surge-in-social-commerce-adoption) to Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market by end of 2022, representing roughly 25% of all online sales across the region. This evolution represents part of [the future of e-commerce beyond traditional platforms](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-future-of-e-commerce-beyond-amazon-and-paypal), where social interaction drives purchasing decisions. What’s happening in Manila’s livestream studios today may be tomorrow’s retail reality across developed markets. [UK social commerce sales are expected to reach £9.1 billion in 2025](https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/12/unbox-research/), driven largely by Gen Z shoppers who use social networks as their primary discovery engine. The traditional retail model of browse, research, purchase is being compressed into a single, social experience where discovery happens through influencers and creators rather than search engines. **About Etaily** Etaily is a digital-native retail platform for Southeast Asia. The company builds, operates, and scales consumer brands across the region. Etaily provides end-to-end e-commerce and retail support—including marketplace operations, D2C, social commerce, livestreaming, digital and affiliate marketing, studio production, and customer service. Find out more at https://etaily.com/ . [Website](https://etaily.com/)