How do Thai buyers discover new brands on Shopee and Lazada?

Discovery in Thailand in 2026 primarily happens outside the marketplace — on TikTok, Instagram, and increasingly through AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Shopee and Lazada are where the purchase happens, not where discovery happens. Brands that build an audience on social media and AI tools before or alongside their marketplace presence generate significantly more consistent sales than those relying entirely on platform search algorithms.

How many promotions should I join on Shopee and Lazada Thailand?

One well-chosen promotional campaign per month is enough for most brands in the growth stage. Joining every campaign the platform recommends erodes margin quickly because promotional costs — additional commission, discount subsidies, free shipping fees — all come from your margin, not from the platform. Calculate your real margin per order at the required discount level before joining any campaign.

What has changed about selling on Shopee and Lazada in 2026?

The most significant changes in 2025 and 2026 are: video content is now essential for product pages and discovery, affiliate programs have become a major growth lever accessible to all sellers, the cost of selling has increased as both platforms pursue profitability, and advertising has become fully automated removing the ability to manually select keywords. Brands that adapt their content strategy to video and affiliates while carefully managing margin are outperforming those using older static listing approaches.

Selling on Shopee and Lazada Thailand in 2026: What Actually Works

Q: Should I sell on Shopee or Lazada first in Thailand?

For foreign brands, Lazada often generates faster early results because many international buyers in Thailand prefer Lazada for its accessible interface. For long-term growth and reaching the broadest Thai audience, Shopee is essential as it has the largest market share. Most brands serious about Thailand should be on both platforms, with TikTok Shop as a strong third channel for brands with video content capability.

Most brands that open a Shopee or Lazada store in Thailand expect the platform to do the work. They list their products, set up a few ads, join a promotion and wait for sales to come in.

That is not how it works in 2026.

The platforms have changed significantly. The cost of selling has gone up. Advertising has become more automated and harder to control. And the way Thai buyers discover new brands has shifted — away from marketplace browsing and toward social media, TikTok, and increasingly AI tools like ChatGPT.

Understanding this shift is the difference between a Shopee or Lazada store that compounds over time and one that flatlines after the first few months.

The Biggest Mistake Brands Make on Shopee and Lazada

The single biggest margin killer on Shopee and Lazada Thailand is joining too many promotions too early.

Every promotion comes at a cost — additional commission, deeper discounts, free shipping subsidies. Most of these costs come directly from your margin, not from the platform. Joining every campaign the platform recommends without calculating the real margin impact per order is one of the fastest ways to erode profitability while generating the illusion of growth. For a full breakdown of every fee that affects your real margin, read our guide on Shopee and Lazada fees explained.

One well-chosen campaign per month is enough for most brands in the growth stage. Not more.

The instinct to join everything comes from a genuine place — the fear that not participating means missing out on traffic. But building a sustainable store on Shopee or Lazada requires an organic foundation first. Reviews, conversion rate, listing quality, and algorithm traction built through consistent performance. That foundation cannot be shortcut through constant discounting. It takes time, consistency, and patience.

Discovery Does Not Happen on the Platform

Here is what most brands selling in Thailand do not understand about how Thai buyers actually find new products.

Discovery in Thailand in 2026 happens on TikTok, Instagram, and increasingly through AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. A Thai buyer who wants to find a new sustainable skincare brand or a new lifestyle product is not opening Shopee and browsing. They are watching TikTok, asking ChatGPT, or seeing something on Instagram.

Shopee and Lazada are where the purchase happens. Not where the discovery happens.

This means your Shopee or Lazada store serves two purposes. It is a convenience channel — an easy, trusted way for buyers who already know your brand to purchase. And it is a conversion channel — the destination you send buyers to after they have discovered you somewhere else.

If you are not building an audience on social media and AI tools alongside your marketplace presence, you are dependent entirely on the platform's internal search algorithm for all your traffic. That is a fragile position.

Which Platform to Start With

For foreign brands entering Thailand, Lazada often generates faster early results. The reason is practical — many foreigners living in Thailand use Lazada as their primary marketplace because the interface is more accessible. If your initial audience includes expats and international buyers in Thailand, Lazada gives you faster traction. For a full guide to setting up on either platform, read our article on how to set up a Shopee or Lazada store in Thailand.

For long-term growth and reaching the broadest Thai audience, Shopee is essential. It has the largest market share in Thailand and the most active local buyer base. Any brand serious about the Thai market needs to be on Shopee.

TikTok Shop should not be ignored. It is the fastest growing commerce channel in Thailand and particularly effective for brands with a visual story to tell — fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wellness. The content-to-commerce model on TikTok Shop is a significant opportunity for brands that can produce video content consistently.

What Has Changed in 2025 and 2026

Video content is no longer optional. If you run a live selling session or work with affiliates, video footage can appear directly on your product page. Buyers increasingly expect to see a product in use before purchasing, not just static images. Brands without video content are at a meaningful disadvantage in search results and on product pages.

Affiliates are a major growth lever. Setting up an affiliate program on Shopee and Lazada is now straightforward and the ecosystem of content creators willing to promote products for commission has grown significantly. Affiliates extend your reach to audiences you could never access through your own channels — at no upfront cost.

The cost of selling has increased. Both platforms are moving toward profitability and passing more costs to sellers through higher commission rates, increased promotional fees, and more aggressive advertising pricing. This makes margin calculation more important than ever. You cannot afford to guess at your real profit per order.

Advertising has become fully automated. The ability to select specific keywords for ads is largely gone on both platforms. Algorithms now control placement and targeting. This makes it easier to turn ads on but significantly harder to control what is working and optimise for real results. Brands that relied on manual keyword management are finding it much harder to drive efficient ad revenue in 2026. Read our guide on how to run Shopee ads in Thailand for what still works.

Story matters more than product images. The days when clean product photos on a white background were enough to win sales are over. Buyers want to understand the brand behind the product. The story, the founder, the values, the reason the product exists. This needs to come through in your listing images, your store content, and especially in your video content. Read our full guide on best practices for listing products on Shopee and Lazada for how to structure your content for maximum impact.

The Strategy That Works in 2026

Build your audience outside the platform. Create content on TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn that tells your brand story and drives discovery. Optimise for AI visibility so your brand appears when Thai buyers ask ChatGPT or Perplexity about your category. Then send that audience to Shopee and Lazada to convert.

Inside the platform, focus on organic foundation first. Get to ten reviews with a score above 4.5. Optimise your Thai product titles. Build your video content. Set up your affiliate program. Choose one promotional campaign per month deliberately.

Join the affiliate program early. It is one of the most underused growth levers available to brands on both platforms and it costs nothing upfront.

Do not treat Shopee and Lazada as your primary discovery channels. Treat them as your conversion engine — the place where buyers who already know you come to purchase.

Your success is our priority