• 
• 

Published on December 1, 2007

The event, which was hosted by E-Commerce magazine at Siam Paragon shopping mall, will end tomorrow. It offers 44 seminar topics and showcases online services from banks to cellular operators.

One exhibitor and managing director of the ready-made homepage-provider readyplanet.com, Songyot Kanthamanon, said e-commerce owners had to know their products and supply sources well and also offer the best-quality products in order to ensure their success.

"Jumping into e-commerce is easy, but to build wealth and success is a different matter," he added.

Readyplanet.com is exploring business in China with an eye to setting up an office there. He said Thai e-commerce homepages should also feature Chinese language to attract Chinese customers.

Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras, who presided over the opening, said online transactions were on a growth trend along with the around 10 million Internet subscribers in Thailand. The value of online transactions last year stood at Bt220 billion.

The financial firms have also displayed their online financial packages, including contactless payments via mobile devices for MasterCard.

Eileen Wee, the company's vice president and country manager for Thailand, said the service was now available in 15 countries and discussions were being held with partners in Thailand to introduce it.

Total Access Communication is showing its high-speed data card for laptop-users to connect to the Internet.

It is also offering a promotional campaign for those who purchase its Bt12,900 data card, giving them free Internet connections via its high-speed network for one year.

Roy Agustinus Gunara, head of consumer banking at Bank of Ayudhya, said online banking services and electronic-payment service channels had a growth trend, given their convenience.

He said overall online transaction numbers would grow faster if more consumers could easily access the Internet. Of around 10 million Internet subscribers in Thailand, only around one million are broadband-users.

"Increasingly, busy customers want to be able to switch from their work to checking their bank accounts or carrying out their financial errands on the same screen, said Art Wichiencharoen, senior vice president of Kasikornbank.

The bank has witnessed transaction value of around Bt5 billion via its online-payment channels this year.

Art said growth was fuelled largely by the tourism sector, with most transactions coming from aboard for air tickets and hotel bookings in Thailand.

Business Reporters

 The Nation