The Thai Digital Platform Trade Association (TDPA) has defended rising marketplace commission fees and platform business practices amid mounting complaints from online merchants over higher charges, growing competition from imported goods and concerns over platform dominance.The association is a trade group founded in February of this year by major operators Grab, Lazada, Line Man Wongnai and Shopee.
It issued a detailed statement on Facebook aimed at countering what it described as misconceptions surrounding Thailand’s e-commerce and marketplace industry.
The move comes as sellers increasingly criticise fee hikes introduced this year by major e-commerce operators, while calling for stricter regulatory scrutiny of digital platforms.
The Thai E-Commerce Association, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and online sellers affected by digital platform trading structures submitted a petition to the House of Representatives on May 14 regarding what they described as a “growing crisis” on e-commerce platforms.
The TDPA said early-stage promotional campaigns such as discount coupons, free shipping subsidies and fee waivers were not designed to eliminate competitors, but were necessary investments to build Thailand’s online commerce system and shift consumer behaviour.
