Human trust still drives purchases in SEA’s $219b market as AI rises

Two in three consumers buy on creator recommendations.

Human trust remains central to purchase decisions in Southeast Asia even as generative AI gains ground in product discovery, according to a report by impact.com, Cube and Dentsu.

The E-commerce Influencer and Affiliate Marketing in Southeast Asia 2026 report found that consumers rated recommendations from family and friends 2.42 out of four for influence, ahead of online reviews at 2.36 and creators at 1.98.

Two-thirds of consumers, or 67%, said they had purchased a product specifically because a creator recommended it, highlighting the continued role of trusted voices in purchase decisions.

About 24% of Southeast Asian consumers use generative AI tools for shopping. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are emerging as a new product discovery channel across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The finding comes as Southeast Asia’s e-commerce sales are projected to rise nearly 15% year-on-year to $219b in 2026

The study, based on 2,400 consumers, said AI is emerging as a product discovery channel alongside established platforms.

Generative AI is also becoming more important during product research, with 28% of consumers using it at this stage, compared with 24% during discovery. Vietnam recorded the highest use of generative AI for product discovery at 34%, followed by Indonesia at 31%, whilst Singapore had the lowest at 14%.

Influencers remain a key research channel, cited by 51% of consumers. Amongst social media channels, YouTube generated the highest engagement with influencer content at 23%, followed by TikTok at 17% and Facebook at 15%.

The report said AI is adding another layer to the existing commerce ecosystem rather than replacing established channels. Consumers increasingly move between AI assistants, marketplaces, creators, publishers, retail media and brand-owned channels when making purchases.

Southeast Asia’s e-commerce sales are expected to nearly double from $219b in 2026 to around $410b by 2031. Indonesia and Thailand remain the region’s largest e-commerce markets, together accounting for 58% of sales, whilst marketplaces hold an average 72% share.

Influencer and affiliate marketing together are linked to an estimated 32% of Southeast Asia’s e-commerce sales, equivalent to around $70b in 2026.

Purchase completion also varies across markets. Singapore leads in the use of cashback and deal sites, at 69%, whilst Vietnam and Indonesia recorded the lowest adoption at 28% and 25%, respectively.

Amongst consumers who purchased through influencer or creator channels, in-video product tags were the most common conversion route at 56%, followed by links in descriptions or comments at 43% and stories at 41%.