Where Is Thailand in the Development of E-Commerce?

The phenomenal growth of the Internet and e-commerce has changed the landscape of the economy and the way business is conducted. For developing countries like Thailand, e-commerce is the opportunity to improve its trade efficiency and facilitate its integration into the global economy. After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Thailand was left with massive debts and high bankruptcy rates. The Thai government has taken an active role in promoting e-commerce in response to the crisis. Thai companies that rushed into the game by copying foreign e-commerce business strategies/models mostly failed. One reason for the fail of e-commerce in Thailand was that strategies/models did not import well across disparate cultures. Nonetheless, Thai businesses are now successfully developing their own e-commerce business strategies that fit the needs of the Thai e-commerce business markets. Among them, Thaigems.com has become the world’s leading online seller of gems and jewelry with a 90% share of the online market for colored gemstones. Most researchers addressing e-commerce strategies investigate companies in developed countries. There are very few conducting research in developing countries like Thailand. This dissertation uses a case study approach to answer the basic research question: What e-commerce strategies are suitable to Thailand?