High adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) could unlock $131 billion annual value in Southeast Asia’s ecommerce ecosystem, according to a new report jointly released by Momentum Works and Lazada.
In a statement, the report projected Gen AI adoption in ecommerce in three different scenarios: high adoption, medium adoption and low adoption.
Under the high adoption scenario, the aggregate ecommerce GMV for Southeast Asia would reach $413 billion, or $131 billion higher than in the low adoption scenario.
This would bring the ecommerce penetration in the region to around 24 percent.
The report, entitled “Transforming ecommerce with AI: Sell smarter and shop better”, highlighted how generative AI is rapidly transforming the ecommerce landscape across Southeast Asia.
The additional gross merchandise value (GMV) could be fully unlocked through full AI integration across their ecommerce value chain—leveraging tools such as advanced personalization engines, dynamic pricing algorithms, predictive logistics, and AI-enhanced cross-border operations.
“Platforms like Lazada have gone beyond chatbots and content generation to embed AI in the full ecommerce experience, an intermediate step towards full AI-native ecommerce platforms ,
“Across the ecommerce ecosystem, we are seeing a widening gap between early adopters who are driving performance gains and those who risk being left behind,” said Jianggan Li, Chief Executive Officer of Momentum Works.
Driving this transformation is Alibaba Group, which has committed over $50 billion to advancing AI and cloud infrastructure globally.
As Alibaba’s Southeast Asian ecommerce arm, Lazada is leading the deployment of generative AI at scale—offering sellers a suite of tools that are already delivering real, measurable results.
The report also outlines a clear shift underway: ecommerce is quietly evolving from merely AI-assisted features (chatbots, customer service, content creation etc.) to fully AI-native platforms—where customer journeys are hyper-personalized, seller tools are automated, and platforms adapt dynamically in real time.
This shift is not in the distant future – part of it is already happening in Southeast Asia with platforms embedding more AI into interfaces with sellers, consumers and everyone else.
Sellers who adopt early and resolutely are not only gaining a competitive edge—they are actively shaping the next generation of ecommerce.
“We see tremendous potential for AI applications in the ecommerce space.
“The question is no longer if AI will transform ecommerce, but who will lead and capture the growth it unlocks,” said Freya Dong, Head of AI Products, Lazada Group.
The report also showed 91 percent of consumers already use AI for product discovery and 88 percent rely on it for purchase decisions.
In contrast, only 26 percent of sellers use AI across their operations.
Meanwhile, deeper adoption of AI helps sellers unlock better prices, which leads to better customer experience, and subsequently better conversion — fueling marketplace expansion and operational optimization.
This, in turn, enables more personalization, reinforcing the cycle of AI-led ecommerce growth.
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