Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

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Big Boy
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Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Big Boy »

Personally, I order a lot of stuff online these days - something I'd wouldn't have dreamed of when I arrived 5 years ago. My reasons are 2 fold:

- there is a much greater variety online than you find in Hua Hin's shops.

- the shop keeper doesn't see the colour of my skin, and there's no little Farang add on - you see a price and you can take it or leave it i.e. no need to haggle. I don't play that game, so many shop keepers have lost my business when I hear their opening price.

Now, I thought it was just me, but I now have a friend who visits regularly adapting the same principals (with no encouragement from me). During his last visit, he asked me to order a couple of things for him online. He is currently in Cambodia, and he's doing the same thing there i.e. he's just contacted me asking if I wanted him to order extra to bring some back for me when he visits next month.

I was just wondering if we are oddballs, or whether more and more are turning to the Internet to order things.

If others are ordering more and more online, is it for the same reasons, or is something else drawing them away from supporting local trade?
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by oakdale160 »

Google--"shopping malls closing", in the US in particular but also in other countries the 2nd tier malls are closing. The ANCHOR stores, the big dept stores are in BIG trouble and without them the malls go downhill quickly. Talking of that it seems to me that MV is back to where it was before Big Blue opened and the word is many BB vendors are on their way out.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Gregjam »

I use Lazada a lot for the same reasons. Thailand has been very slow qdopting e-tailing and I am glad that it is catching up. I still have to get my nephew to order stuff from kaidee etc as my Thai is not up to a level where English is not available. For all Hua Hins sophistication it is difficult to get many things and Thailand is still expensive for more specialist items but it is slowly improving. My latest challenge is a derailleur hanger alignment tool for my mountain bike which I suspect I will order online for delivery when I am abroad to avoid being stung by customs.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by lomuamart »

I must admit that I don't buy things online but that's only because I just don't know how to do it.
Set up a Paypal account? Well I couldn't get past that stage years ago. I've just given up.
However, my wife regularly buys stuff off the net. It's a shame but she might have to actually educate me.
But yes, buying off the internet makes sense in so many ways, Just convenience, just for older people, just for people who don't have the time in their busy lives, just for everything. OK, maybe a few Baht more expensive but..
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the tim

Post by Bluesky »

Online shopping for us was something that was an everyday event for us well before coming to Thailand. Living in outback Australia placed limitations on our ability to 'duck down to the local mall' for something, so most of our smaller items were ordered online everything from women's clothing for the other half to technology based products I required at the time. On arrival in Thailand we were somewhat surprised how little use people made here of online shopping process. Whilst we now have a 'convienience factor' for local shopping we still tend to shop online for similar reasons outlined by BB with dual pricing, product quality and availability being the key drivers.
In saying this we did make the decision to purchase a 'Smart TV ' recently from a local supplier with good product knowledge and service backup. As it was an essential item for work it made more sense to do so in this instance. Having just returned from a trip to Oz the local malls certainly weren't as crowded as I remembered there.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Big Boy »

lomuamart wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:32 am Set up a Paypal account? Well I couldn't get past that stage years ago. I've just given up.
With the likes of Lazada, you just click the Cash on Delivery box, and pay the guy when the item arrives. That option is not always available. If not available, you can wander down to your local shop (7-11, Big C, Tesco etc) and pay over the counter. It's a doddle these days.

BTW, I've never managed to set up a Paypal account here in Thailand either :banghead:
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by caller »

I just pay for goods from Lazada via my Kbank account. And I still use amazon for music, books (and kindle) although I recently learnt of Fortune Tower in Bkk as a good pace to buy music, especially vinyl.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by huahin4ever »

I shop a lot online. Better prices, but the main reason is that I like to buy high-end items, and Hua Hin has a complete lack of this. To buy such items you need to go to BKK. I buy a lot in the US though since I work there and can bring the smaller items with me to avoid any tax on them in Thailand. And US prices for items such as electronics are hard to beat elsewhere. One example is the Western Digital external hard drives. They are made in Thailand, but the cost is approx 30-40% more in Thailand than US. Another example: I have asked in Blueport for the top model Sony noise cancelling headphones(MDR 1000X). These have been available on the market since October/November last year, but they still don't have them in BP!

Another thing which I really like about online shopping through Lazada in Thailand is the possibility to pay on delivery. this way I know I get something before I pay.

So there you go, online shopping are here to stay.

PS! I also many times look at items in the actual shops in BKK or US to get a feel for how they feel/works, but I purchase online (better price, and get it delivered).
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by hhfarang »

When I left there over 2 years ago there was very little you could order online... I did pizzas but that was about it. Here (in the U.S.) I rarely set foot in a store and I haven't been to a shopping mall in over a year. Everything can be bought online, even groceries. Even if I go to a store it us usually just to pick up something I ordered online and had delivered to the store (Home Depot, Walmart, etc.) for quick pickup at the customer service desk. All my "shopping" is done online which is great, I never have to browse through an actual store anymore. Walmart even has a new way to shop for groceries. You select everything online and they let you know electronically when it is ready. You select a pickup time and just drive up and they load everything in your car without you even getting out.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Bluesky »

I happened across this article recently regarding ecommerce growth in Thailand.

Excerpt
TOP ECOMMERCE AND APP SITES IN THAILAND

Who are Thailand’s biggest online players? Who has the deepest pockets? Find out by looking at their ecommerce site traffic and popularity of their apps in Google Play and the Apple Store. Ecommerce spending will grow over the next five years at 18.2% and the country’s ecommerce market is worth $58.4 billion (ETDA). Some of the top sites may surprise you.

full article and main players

http://ecommerceiq.asia/top-ecommerce-sites-thailand/
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Big Boy »

I'm not surprised to see Lazada leading the C2C chart. I compared a couple of the other players on things I have ordered recently, and they don't compare on either variety or price.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by barrys »

Big Boy wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2017 9:04 am Now, I thought it was just me, but I now have a friend who visits regularly adapting the same principals (with no encouragement from me). During his last visit, he asked me to order a couple of things for him online. He is currently in Cambodia, and he's doing the same thing there...
Hi BB, do you know where he orders from in Cambodia?
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by Big Boy »

This is what he was suggesting he might order for me, but I already some. Don't know if it will give you a clue.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by margaretcarnes »

I use online shopping quite a lot. It started a few years ago while living in a small town where there was no big supermarket, so online was great for home bulk deliveries - especially frozen food. Then stuff from Amazon which is great for music and books.
Overall there is simply much more choice online. Stores like Marks and Sparks, Boots and craft shops just can't stock full ranges. Delivery and pickup is also much easier now in the UK. Living in a flat with a tiny post box on an outside wall I tend to arrange to pick up parcels at my local Post Office and kid myself I'm keeping it in business.
The down side of course will continue to be the loss of High St stores, but there will always be a market for niche products and shoppers who want to try on - feel - see colours properly etc and of course pick out their own fresh food. And let's face it we were buying from places like Argos, Littlewoods and Avon long before we had home computers.
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Re: Online Ordering - a sign of the times?

Post by oakdale160 »

several yrs ago a very savvy friend of mine invested heavily in companies home delivery business.
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