Price wars force Thai brands into channel integration

Priceza says fragmented journeys make single-channel e-commerce unsustainable.

Thai brands are moving away from discount-led e-commerce as shoppers shift across TikTok, Google, creators, marketplaces, owned sites and loyalty programmes before making a purchase, according to Thanawat Malabuppha of Priceza.

The issue is no longer whether brands should sell through marketplaces, social commerce or brands. Thanawat said each channel now plays a different role, forcing companies to link them rather than manage them in separate teams. Marketplaces remain important for scale and transaction volume, whilst social and creator commerce support discovery and engagement. Brand.com is needed for customer relationships, loyalty and first-party data.

“Today customer journeys are becoming more and more fragmented and ecosystem-driven, so consumers may discover a product on TikTok, compare prices on Google, read reviews from creators, purchase on a marketplace, and later engage with the brand offline or through the loyalty program,” Thanawat said.

He added that brands no longer fully control the customer journey, making single-channel optimisation less effective.

The shift has become more urgent as price competition turns less sustainable across Southeast Asia. Shoppers can compare prices instantly, whilst cross-border competition is putting more pressure on margins. Brands that fail to connect their channels risk losing pricing power, customer data and repeat purchases.

Thanawat said companies must define the job of each channel: marketplaces for scale, social and creator commerce for discovery, and brand.com for loyalty and first-party data.

“The challenge is that many organisations still manage these channels separately, but sustainable growth comes from integrating all of them together,” he said.

To move beyond price wars, brands need to compete on trust, fast fulfilment, service, creator advocacy, loyalty programmes and brand communities. Thanawat said collaboration with creators, affiliate platforms and partners will become more important in building customer equity. Price cuts may win transactions, but channel integration builds repeat customers.