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The landscape of B2C e-commerce marketplaces in the Philippines
Get PDFThis country brief is part of an eleven-part series exploring the landscape of B2C e-commerce marketplaces in various East Asian economies. This series offers in-depth insights into the traffic trends for active e-commerce websites, national established and emerging key players, main characteristics of the marketplaces, ease of online selling, the degree of specialization in terms of products as well as the products characteristics. For more project information visit https://www.unescap.org/projects/b2c The Philippines shows a low internet penetration rate (56%) and a moderate proportion of its population purchases goods online (41%). In addition, the density of B2C marketplaces is particularly low with a total of 163 B2C marketplaces for a population of 115.6 million (7.5% of the total traffic in the region studied).
Over the period 2019-2022, traffic on the 163 B2C marketplaces has grown significantly, rising from 960 million visits to 1.7 billion visits. Among them, classified sites account for the largest proportion of marketplaces (51.5%) but online shopping malls capture most of the traffic (85.2%).
The e-commerce market in the Philippines is dominated by international companies (77%), including first and foremost the United States (29%). Of the total 163 marketplaces, there is an important geographical diversity given the 23 other countries with companies holding B2C marketplaces.
The e-commerce market is highly concentrated with the Top 10 websites capturing 92.8% of the total traffic. This Top 10 is led by online shopping malls, 5 in total, of which two Singaporean companies (Shopee and Lazada) account for 75.4% of the total traffic. Only one company from the Philippines appears in 6th position with 1.7% of the total traffic.
Regarding the ease of selling on these B2C marketplaces, only 43% of them allow foreign sellers to operate and 64% offer open registration to online sellers. Only 39% of these marketplaces are fully transactional and, as a corollary, 42% require trading fees to sell online.
The Philippines has a larger proportion of generic B2C marketplaces (62%) compared to specialized marketplaces (38%). Among the 62 specialized marketplaces, 29% specialize in fashion, accessories, and shoes (capturing 18% of the traffic) and 29% in automotive parts (51.5% of the traffic). The traffic dynamics also show that consumer preferences lean towards groceries (23% of the traffic). </p
Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) 2.0 : a guide
Get PDFESCAP-ECA-ECLAC Initiative on Digital Trade Regulatory Integration
The Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) Guide 2nd edition, prepared by ESCAP in close collaboration with ECA and ECLAC, serves as a handbook designed to assist policymakers and policy researchers in analysing digital trade regulations. The Guide provides essential explanations of the structure of the RDTII 2.0 framework, a multidimensional cross-economy index of digital trade regulatory integration utilized by ESCAP, ECA, and ECLAC for digital trade regulatory analysis. It introduces the indicators of digital trade policy environment used in the framework, discusses policy implications, and suggests related sources of information.
For more information and other related tools and publications, please visit the Initiative on Digital Trade Regulatory Integration .
Contents
Acknowledgements ....................... iii
Preface .......................................... iv
Abbreviations and acronyms ......................... viii
Chapter 1. Conceptual framework ......... 1
Background ........................... 2
Lowering regulatory compliance costs and enhancing interoperability as the basis for regional digital trade integration.................................... 2
The Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) 2.0: Indicating the regulatory costs of doing regional business digitally....................... 3
Chapter 2. RDTII 2.0 framework ................................ 6
Scoring methodology ............................... 7
Sources of regulatory measures .................. 9
Lack of regulatory measures ......................... 9
Chapter 3. RDTII 2.0 pillars ............................. 10
Pillar 1. Tariffs and trade defence ..................... 11
Pillar 2. Public procurement..................................... 15
Pillar 3. Foreign direct investment ........................... 21
Pillar 4. Intellectual property rights ......................................................... 26
Pillar 5. Telecommunications regulations and competition .................... 34
Pillar 6. Cross-border data policies ..................... 41
Pillar 7. Domestic data protection and privacy ........ 49
Pillar 8. Internet intermediary liability ................... 55
Pillar 9. Content access ......................................... 60
Pillar 10. Non-technical NTMs ............................. 65
Pillar 11. Standards and procedures .................. 69
Pillar 12. Online sales and transactions .......... 75
Chapter 4. Concluding remarks ................. 83
Annexes
Annex I. Step-by-step guide to create data for indicators 1.1 and 1.2 .. 85
Annex II. ITA I, ITA II and ITA III products ............ 91
References ......................................... 1032nd ed
Regional Digital Trade Integration Index (RDTII) 2.0 economy profile 2024 : Kazakhstan
No full textThis brief provides a concise summary of Kazakhstan’s digital trade policy profile, benchmarked against the regional average based on data from 21 Asia-Pacific economies included in the ESCAP-ECA-ECLAC Regional Digital Trade Integration Index, version 2 (RDTII 2.0).
It highlights that Kazakhstan is generally among the economies with high regulatory compliance costs for cross-border digital trade. Compared to the group average, based on data up to 2023, Kazakhstan’s digital trade policies related to tariffs and trade defence on ICT goods, online sales and transactions, and intellectual property rights are relatively enabling. However, compliance costs are relatively high concerning cross-border data policies, content access, and non-technical non-tariff measures (NTMs). Additionally, it highlights new policy measures, proposals related to digital trade, and Kazakhstan’s participation in trade negotiations involving digital trade.
For more information, please visit Initiative on Digital Trade Regulatory Integration
Compendium of technologies for air pollution control
Get PDFThe report, part of the project "Enhanced capabilities to adopt innovative technologies for city air pollution control in select countries of the Asia-Pacific," supported by the Korea ESCAP Cooperation Fund, focuses on three cities: Bangkok, Dhaka, and Gurugram.Supported by the Korea ESCAP Cooperation Fund
Investing in our common future : building a “Caring” society
Get PDFThe paper was developed in the context the Summit of
the Future (22–23 September 2024)Developed within the context of the Summit of the Future, the policy brief “Investing in Our Common Future: Building a 'Caring' Society” underscores the importance of valuing unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) and investing in the care economy for inclusive and sustainable development, economic resilience, and gender equality.
The analysis focuses on three key areas: (a) understanding the care economy and its impact on women's well-being and economic empowerment; (b) examining the economic rationale for investing in the care economy, highlighting its potential for providing economic returns, generating decent employment, and reducing gender disparities; and (c) introducing ESCAP's Model Framework for Action on the Care Economy, providing a practical approach for policymakers, development practitioners, and researchers in establishing comprehensive care systems. The brief calls on member States to improve data availability, enhance institutional capacities, and foster inter-sectoral coordination to establish effective care systems. It aligns its findings with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Summit of the Future
Challenges and prospects for Asia and the Pacific : a preliminary overview of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries
Get PDFThe Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs) have faced significant challenges in sustaining economic stability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and global economic trends. The pandemic reversed previous gains in poverty reduction, leading to widespread school closure and a long-term impact on student enrolment.
Concurrently, climate change has increasingly threatened livelihoods, health, and well-being. These countries have also grappled with escalating external debt and rising debt service obligations. The economic turmoil manifested in reduced export earnings, decreased private remittances, disrupted supply chains, and heightened inflation due to soaring import costs.
The graduation process from the LDC status in the Asia-Pacific region faces uncertainty due to the convergence of unprecedented economic crises and global challenges. Nevertheless, significant strides have been made since 2011, resulting in the graduation of Maldives, Samoa and Vanuatu by 2020. Bhutan successfully graduated in 2023. Looking ahead, Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Nepal are on track for graduation in 2026, with the Solomon Islands following in 2027. Cambodia reached its graduation threshold in 2021, while Kiribati and Tuvalu are set for reconsideration in 2024. The Committee for Development Policy (CDP) has deferred decisions on Myanmar and Timor-Leste to 2024. Under the DPoA period, a global ambitious target is to graduate an additional 15 LDCs by 2031.
This paper provides a preliminary overview of the status regarding the implementation of the DPoA in LDCs, based on data available as of the end of 2023. It assesses the progress made by the LDCs and their development partners towards achieving the goals and targets set forth in the DPoA, based on the latest available data and information. Additionally, the report identifies key challenges and obstacles that have hindered the effective implementation of the DPoA in these countries and proposes recommendations to address these obstacles and accelerate progress towards the successful realization of the DPoA’ s objectives.</p
