It's 7 AM and you're out of milk. Five years ago, that meant a store run or no tea. Today? A few taps and it's at your door in 10 minutes. Welcome to the era of fast commerce.
This everyday convenience is just one signal of a much bigger story: APAC is setting the pace for global e-commerce. APAC’s retail landscape was reshaped by the rise of platforms like Temu, Shein, Taobao, Shopee, TikTok Shop and Lazada. NielsenIQ found that 62.6% of global e-commerce originates in APAC, making the region a trendsetter for the West. Social commerce, Quick commerce, Live commerce are some of the e-commerce trends that started in the East and have found adoption in Western Europe and the US.
E-Commerce in APAC
Global e-commerce sales hit USD 3.6 trillion in 2024 and are expected to approach USD 5 trillion by 2030. APAC drives much of this growth, led by China and South Korea, while India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are some of the fastest growing markets.
Nearly 70% of APAC consumers now shop on fast commerce platforms at least once a month which is a clear sign of the region's rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Why Consumers Can’t Resist Fast Commerce
To understand shopper behaviour in APAC, we surveyed 700 respondents in May 2025 across Australia, China, Indonesia and Thailand for our APAC Retail Navigator & Shopping Navigator 2025. 31% of the respondents shop on fast commerce sites weekly and 33% shop online at least twice a month.
That doesn’t come as a surprise, given that fast commerce offers them something that physical stores don’t:
- Low Prices: 67% respondents find fast commerce convenient, 62% shop for lower prices and 49% find deals that physical stores don’t offer.
- Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey found that ‘best price’ is the top reason consumers shop online.
- Impulse Purchases Fuelled by Social Media: Fast commerce thrives on spontaneity. 57% of purchases are driven by limited-time deals, while 56% by immediate needs and 55% by impulse browsing. Social media also plays a key role, influencing 39% of buyers through creators, haul videos and unboxing content.
- 1 in 3 shoppers admit that half or more of their purchases were unplanned. Impulse spending is the highest among Gen Z.
- Lean Carts Dominate Fast Commerce Sites: Nine in ten shoppers buy 1-5 items per order, with 3-5 items being the sweet spot.
- With 36% of consumers saying half or more of their purchases are unplanned, it’s clear that discovery fuels fast commerce sites.
- High Customer Satisfaction: 4 in 5 consumers say purchases are ‘above average’ or ‘excellent’ on price, value and quality.
- 64% consumers balance price and quality and 40% prioritise durability over trendiness when shopping on fast commerce sites.
Fast Commerce Adoption Varies Across Markets
Adoption and satisfaction vary across APAC:
- China: High penetration of fast commerce. Consumers buy 1-5 items per order.
- Indonesia: Deep habitual use of fast commerce. Consumers highly satisfied with price, value and quality of purchases.
- Australia: Lower satisfaction on product quality, shows an opportunity gap.
- India: Huge demand for quick commerce is driving a surge in hyperlocal warehousing. Dark stores are growing in Tier-2 cities like Jaipur, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Lucknow and Surat where there is a spike in short-term leases for 1,500 - 3,000 sq. ft. units. To meet this demand, local developers are converting underutilised properties into rentable dark stores.
However, what remains consistent across all these markets is the pursuit of an easy and convenient shopping experience and lower prices on everyday items. Here is where brands need to invest to make a mark.
Retail starts with the consumer and today's shoppers want it all: convenience, affordability and discovery. Brands need to keep up.
What this means for marketers
The rise of fast commerce offers opportunities for brands that adapt quickly:
- Design for discovery: Build discovery-rich environments using dynamic product feeds, trending tags and creator-led content to catch attention mid-scroll. 1 in 3 purchases are unplanned. 55% of purchases are triggered by browsing and 38% of shoppers are influenced by haul videos or influencer content.
- Use smart triggers to engineer impulse: Use flash sales, countdowns, limited quantities and ‘only for you’ offers to trigger action. Combine urgency mechanics with lean-cart bundles optimised for 1-3 item checkout.
- Optimise lean-cart experiences: In fast commerce, every second counts. With just 1 - 5 items per order, speed sells so think bite-sized info, 1-click actions and mobile-first formats.
- Localise strategies: Tailor content to each market's culture, generation and fast commerce maturity from China's deep adoption to Australia's slower uptake.
- Reframe value: Shift the highlight from ‘affordable’ to ‘smart buys,’ showing the benefits that customers get - high-utility, durability and high quality.
- Acknowledge the convenience-sustainability trade-off: Young shoppers want speed and sustainability. Show the impact of their choices, spotlight durable packaging and use social proof without slowing the user experience.
Download the APAC Retail Navigator 2025 to explore the full picture of how consumer behaviours are shaping the future of retail in the region.
