Lazada releases report on AI adoption among SEA e-commerce sellers

Lazada released a research report titled 'Bridging the AI Gap: Online Seller Perceptions and Adoption Trends in SEA,' which surveyed 1,214 e-commerce sellers across six Southeast Asian countries.

The study found that while 68% of sellers recognize AI's potential to boost productivity, nearly half remain skeptical about its overall usefulness due to concerns over implementation costs and complexity.

According to the report, cost is a major barrier for many small and medium-sized online sellers in Southeast Asia, with 64% citing initial investment and time-consuming nature as obstacles.

The research categorizes sellers into three archetypes based on AI adoption levels: 'AI Adepts' (24%), who have integrated AI across at least 80% of their operations; 'AI Aspirants' (50%), who partially integrate AI but face key function gaps; and 'AI Agnostics' (26%), who lag in adoption with most functions still reliant on manual processes.

In response, Lazada is launching the 'Online Sellers Artificial Intelligence Readiness Playbook,' designed to provide strategic guidance tailored to sellers' specific AI maturity levels, along with new GenAI features such as 'AI Smart Product Optimisation', 'AI-Powered Translations', and 'Lazzie Seller' for enhanced seller support.