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Digital platforms as everyday necessities in ASEAN
By. Ryu Han-seok IT columnist

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  Gojek, a prominent Indonesian digital service super-app.

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  Foodpanda provides many services, other than delivery, in the food and restaurant industries.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a boon for startups throughout ASEAN in that it accelerated the already fast-paced growth of the digital economy, which has drastically changed ASEAN people’s daily lives. According to a recent report by Facebook and the management consultancy Bain & Company, the pandemic gave rise to approximately 70 million new digital consumers in six ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

For a better idea of how digital platforms are transforming ASEAN, let’s take a look at a day in the life of A, a fictitious citizen. A, who lives in Singapore, has a video call on Zalo while eating breakfast with a friend who lives in Viet Nam. The main topic of conversation is what they will be doing this weekend on a trip through Viet Nam. While planning their trip, A and her friend reserve flight tickets, a rental car, and a hotel room through the Traveloka app.

After the video call with her friend, A calls a taxi via Gojek to get from her home to her office. A’s office is a space of her own that she obtained via JustCo, the office sharing platform. For startups that need to find a niche in the rough-and-tumble world of business solely with the quality of their ideas and technologies, the shared office is a money-saving option that gives the added benefit of being able to network with people who work in diverse sectors. A, who is developing an AI-based digital device, purchased the parts and tools she will need to create a test version from Moglix.

After work, A has dinner with food ordered through Foodpanda. Before turning in for the night, A buys Christmas presents for her family via Shopee.

A glimpse of an ordinary work day for A reveals how seamlessly the digital lifestyle has taken hold in many ASEAN countries. ASEAN, an economic community similar in format to the EU, has a median age of 28.9?the lowest in the world. The digital life is expanding rapidly in ASEAN based on the region’s many young consumers. The growing socioeconomic impact of platforms is expected to lead to even more active weighing of the pros and cons of expanding the platform-centric business environment.