Did you know that there are 54.50 million internet users in Thailand? Yeah, that’s an impressive number. It represents 77.8% of the overall population, an increase of 108,000 (+0.2%) from 2021 to 2022.
Asian markets are emerging, and we really think that brand owners must be aware of the impact of social media in that market. The Thai social media landscape is attractive, and businesses should clearly understand how to take advantage of different platforms when leading paid campaigns or when building any content strategy.
We are sure that like us, you are super intrigued to know which social media platforms were preferred by these many users and if they buy via social media.
The good news is… We’ve decided to break everything down for you in this article! 🔥
Some fun stats to begin with 👇
Number of social media users in Thailand between 2017 and 2020 with a projection until 2026.
Source : Statista 2022
As you can see, social media users are growing more and more in Thailand.
Now let’s look at the top 3 social media channels in Thailand.
1 – Facebook
Facebook is a social networking app which allows you to connect and share online with your family and friends. Initially designed for students, Facebook was established in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg when he was enrolled at Harvard University. Today, Facebook is one of the biggest social networks in the world, with over a billion users around the world.
Thailand is one of Facebook’s most successful markets, with Bangkok nicknamed the «Facebook capital», by being the world’s largest city with the highest degree of Facebook connectivity.
Source : Yougov -August 2022
Maybe this top position is surprising to you, especially if you know the American market very well and the huge place TikTok is now taking there, but it’s not the case – for now, at least – in Thailand! Facebook is still THE social media per excellence, but Gen Z tends to move towards YouTube more than Facebook in the future.
Interesting stuff to look at 👇
- In January 2022, based on Meta advertising resources for partners, ads on Facebook Messenger in Thailand reached 35.70 million users!
- Among those who were surveyed in Thailand that use stories in Facebook app: 86% acknowledge that brands that use stories are an excellent way for them to learn more about new products/services and 74% said they are making more online purchases because of these stories (1)
- Video content achieves the highest level of engagement on Facebook, followed by photo-based publications.
- Among Thais who engage in e-commerce via social networks or messaging platforms, 65% do so through Facebook products. (2)
2 – Youtube
YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform headquartered in San Bruno, California, founded by three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim– in February 2005.
Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion, from which it operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries.
We’ve put YT in second place, but as you can see in the chart above, we can say without a doubt that YT is almost equal to FB in terms of social media use. Updates to Google’s advertising resources indicate that YouTube had 42.80 million users in Thailand in early 2022.
YT is clearly one of the most popular online entertainment platforms in Thailand with a penetration rate of 94%.
YouTube’s advertising audience reach in this country is 42.8 million, which means an ad may potentially reach 61.1% of Thailand’s entire population. 😮 Yeah, it’s CRAZY!
💡 Interesting fact: Gen Z clearly prefers watching videos instead of reading. That’s why YouTube is really one of their favorite social media and that can explain also that TikTok is slowly becoming their favorite search engine.
3 – LINE
LINE is an instant messaging and call application. Developed by South Korea’s Naver Corporation, it was first introduced to Japanese consumers in 2011 and after that, Thai population has adopted it.
More than its ability to provide an alternative means of communication, LINE won the love of the public with its very interactive character-themed stickers.
LINE is THE champion of Thailand’s messaging apps since then and way more popular than WhatsApp.
The famous “stickers” are really the successful factor and the main reason why it is so widespread in Thailand. They are a perfect way to express feelings, and Thais adore them. They even spend money on new sets of sticker albums.
One cool feature of LINE is that you can make free calls and voice messages, like WhatsApp but way cooler
Because we love you, dear business owners, here are a few other things that we believe you should absolutely know.
- According to a report made by Price Waterhouse Cooper, Thailand has become the global leader in the use of social media and its application to online shopping. (3)
- Brands that are shooting for success in Thailand’s eCommerce, must increase ad spend in Q4 because it is the peak online shopping event in Thailand. (4)
- Online Thai companies expect to roll out new technologies such as artificial intelligence and even voice assistance systems to open a whole new world for online sales experience.
- You should anticipate and initiate innovative social e-commerce experiences in countries such as Thailand, where people are adaptable and open to trying new mobile commerce experiences.
Sources :
1 – Facebook IQ : https://www.facebook.com/iq/insights-to-go/86-86-of-people-who-use-stories-across-the-facebooks-family-of-apps-surveyed-in-thailand-said-brands-using-stories-is-a-great-way-to-get-to-know-new-products-or-services-stories-are-defined-as-photos-and-videos-temporarily-viewed-or-shared-for-24-hours-on-social-media/
2 – Facebook IQ: https://www.facebook.com/iq/insights-to-go/65-among-people-in-thailand-who-engage-in-c-commerce-via-social-or-messaging-platforms-65-do-so-on-facebook-products/
3 -https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2019/05/07/thailand-world-no1-social-media-online-payments-thai-women-retail-business/
4- https://medium.com/janio-asia/when-do-thailands-top-e-commerce-shopping-events-take-place-ff16a55fc4b9
Published on November 1, 2022 – by Pathamaporn Khwanming (Milk) – Director of Operations (Bangkok Office)
