Why Online Shopping in Thailand Feels Easier Than in Indonesia

Online shopping in Thailand genuinely surprised me, especially the payment experience.

Using QR payments on e-commerce here feels incredibly seamless. I don’t need to input a virtual account number or manually type a bank account for transfers. It’s as simple as paying for street food: scan the QR code, confirm, and done. No copying and pasting numbers, no worrying about entering the wrong digits, just a smooth checkout flow.

Especially since Thailand receives the cross-border QR, the payments remove so many small frictions. I want to share this experience because, as a tourist, this feature was really helpful.

I don’t fully know how the online shopping culture works in other countries. But coming from Indonesia, this stood out to me. Most big e-commerce platforms still don’t offer QR payments as a default option.

In Indonesia, QR payments (QRIS) become popular during the COVID-19 era, mainly to minimize contact when handling cash. Since then, QRIS has grown fast, especially among millennials and Gen Z, myself included.

I really appreciate apps and platforms that adapt QRIS as a payment option. I hope Indonesian e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Tokopedia will soon add QR payments as a standard option. As of writing this post, Lazada Indonesia has already implemented it.

Good job, Lazada Indonesia!

—
If you need a +1 on something you’re building, I’m in.