Selling to Thailand? Here’s What Singapore SMEs Need to Know Before Going Cross-Border
Many Singapore SMEs eventually reach a point where local growth begins to slow. After building a loyal customer base at home, increasing sales often requires finding new markets rather than competing harder in the same one. For many businesses, expanding overseas sounds expensive because it is often associated with opening physical stores, renting warehouses, hiring local staff, and managing unfamiliar logistics.
Today, cross-border e-commerce has changed that equation. Businesses can now reach customers in neighbouring countries such as Thailand through digital channels while managing operations entirely from Singapore. For Singapore SMEs that have saturated the local market, cross-border e-commerce is often the most cost-effective path to growth. In fact, the ASEAN e-commerce market is projected to exceed US$230 billion by 2030, creating significant opportunities for businesses ready to expand beyond domestic demand.
Singapore businesses also benefit from a strong trust advantage when entering ASEAN markets like Thailand. Products originating from Singapore are often perceived as higher quality, more reliable, and better regulated. This perception gives Singapore SMEs a natural head start when competing in Thailand’s growing digital marketplace. Combined with Singapore’s strategic position, strong logistics connectivity, and extensive free trade agreements, SMEs are well placed to use the country as a launchpad for regional expansion. The key is not just entering Thailand, but entering it with the right pricing, positioning, and marketplace strategy that aligns with Thai consumer behaviour.
Why Thailand Is a Strategic Market for Singapore SMEs
Thailand has become one of the most attractive destinations for cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia. In March 2025, Singapore and Thailand reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening trade and investment, including cooperation in cross-border e-commerce and fintech. This reflects the close economic relationship between the two countries. Thailand was Singapore’s ninth-largest trading partner in 2024, with bilateral trade reaching $44.47 billion, creating an encouraging environment for SMEs looking to expand.
Thailand’s digital economy is also growing rapidly. The country is among Southeast Asia’s top three e-commerce markets, supported by approximately 43.5 million online shoppers. Its e-commerce market generated $22 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2023 and reached approximately $30 billion in 2025. Around 30% of Thailand’s e-commerce market comes from cross-border purchases, with nearly half of online shoppers regularly buying products from overseas. This demonstrates that Thai consumers are already comfortable purchasing international brands through digital platforms.
Choosing the right first market is one of the most important decisions when developing a cross-border strategy. Thailand offers an attractive balance of opportunity and accessibility for Singapore SMEs. According to Airwalex, in Thailand, logistics complexity is considered medium, marketplace onboarding is relatively straightforward, and the country’s VAT rate is 7%, with the reduced rate extended until 30 September 2026. Before entering any overseas market, businesses should evaluate five key factors:
- Demand for their product category
- Competition within the target marketplace
- Shipping cost and delivery time from Singapore
- Regulatory requirements and compliance
- Local payment preferences and infrastructure
Businesses that evaluate these factors early are often able to expand more smoothly while avoiding costly operational adjustments later.
Thailand has one of Southeast Asia’s most digitally connected populations. According to data, more than 92% of the population uses the internet, with millions of users actively engaging across LINE, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram every day. Consumers also spend significant time researching products, watching videos, and comparing options before making a purchase.
For Singapore SMEs, these digital habits highlight an important insight. Expanding into Thailand requires more than making products available online. Businesses also need localized content, effective social media marketing, and strong brand positioning to connect with Thai consumers where they spend their time.
How Laxla Helps You Enter Thailand with Confidence
Expanding into Thailand and other ASEAN markets is often seen as requiring a local office, warehouse space, hiring staff, and managing multiple logistics partners. However, modern cross-border e-commerce has made entering Thailand and the wider regional market much more accessible. What businesses need today is a coordinated strategy that combines branding, marketplace optimization, logistics, and fulfillment under one ecosystem tailored for Thailand’s fast-growing digital economy.
At Laxla, we help SMEs simplify that journey into Thailand and beyond. We support businesses by improving product presentation through repackaging and packaging redesign suited for Thai consumer preferences, creating optimized product listings for regional e-commerce platforms such as those used in Thailand’s online marketplaces, coordinating cross-border logistics and fulfillment into Thailand, and developing multi-channel marketing strategies that resonate with Thai shoppers. Instead of spending months building operational infrastructure, businesses can focus on improving their products while we help prepare them for success in Thailand’s competitive but high-opportunity market.
We also understand that every country behaves differently. A pricing strategy that performs well in Singapore may not achieve the same results in Thailand. Consumer preferences, purchasing power, promotions, and local shopping behavior all influence buying decisions. Our role is to help businesses adapt their brand positioning and market strategy so they can compete more effectively while building long-term brand recognition across ASEAN.
Ready to Take Your Brand Beyond Singapore?
Thailand represents one of the strongest growth opportunities for Singapore SMEs looking beyond a mature domestic market. With a rapidly expanding digital economy, millions of active online shoppers, and increasing cross-border purchasing behavior, businesses have an opportunity to reach entirely new customer segments without establishing a physical presence overseas.
Success, however, depends on more than simply making products available online. Businesses that understand local consumer behavior, optimize their branding, manage logistics efficiently, and create a consistent customer experience are more likely to achieve sustainable regional growth. Cross-border expansion is ultimately about building a brand that customers trust regardless of where they live.
At Laxla, we help SMEs transform regional expansion into a practical business strategy through branding, marketplace optimization, cross-border logistics coordination, fulfillment support, and regional marketing. If you’re ready to grow beyond Singapore and reach customers across Thailand and the rest of ASEAN, we’re here to help you take the next step with confidence.
