Asia is the world's largest e-commerce marketplace and continues to grow rapidly. Some countries lead. Others need to catch up. An efficient e-commerce marketplace requires information and communication technology infrastructure—including internet access, speed, and affordability—along with logistics, an effective legal and institutional framework, and social acceptance and awareness. This report reviews the opportunities and challenges in developing business-to-consumer e-commerce in the region. It also examines how Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies—blockchains, the internet of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and 5G wireless networks, among others—will transform the industry and unlock its dynamic potential. It also offers policy recommendations to help lower barriers to e-commerce development.

This report analyzes e-commerce in Asia and the Pacific, assesses its environmental impact, and explains why providing adequate internet, online payments, and last-mile logistics is key to creating a sustainable and inclusive digital marketplace. Noting the region makes up the largest share of the world’s online retail market, it tracks the impact of the pandemic and emphasizes the need to level the playing field for small businesses. It outlines ways for companies to measure their carbon footprint, highlights the potential risk of anti-competitive behavior, and explains the need to improve digital taxation policies in line with e-commerce’s rapid growth.

Technological advances -particularly in the areas of information and communication, transport, and electronic commerce and payment - have spurred international trade. Internet and mobile phones have greatly facilitated international trade and led to new business models. The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, the frontier technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchains, robotics, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things can reshape international trade. This report supports policy makers and the general public to better understand the interplay between technology and trade in a context of Asia-Pacific region. It also provides policy recommendations.

Digital trade promotion has been a long-standing priority for CAREC member countries, as part of their integration into global value chains and economic diversification. This study examines the legal environment on electronic transactions as well as the opportunities and challenges in expanding electronic commerce in the CAREC region. It makes a case for modernization and harmonization of laws of CAREC countries leveraging on international instruments and best practices for electronic commerce transactions. Adequate legislation to protect personal privacy and consumers’ rights and combat cybercrime is also crucial. Finally, institutions must be built with trust, within and among countries and through regional cooperation.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the large majority of businesses both globally and in Asia and the Pacific. Despite their undeniable importance, the literature on SMEs in general, and agrifood SMEs in particular, is relatively limited. One specific area that deserves deeper consideration is the extent of digital engagement of agrifood SMEs along the agrifood value chain, from farm to retail and food services, in countries in Asia and the Pacific. The goal of this publication is to understand the current status of digitalization of agri-SMEs in Asia and the Pacific, what this process looks like and how to improve it. A value-chain approach was adopted to evaluate the digital maturity of all types of agri-SMEs across previously siloed categories – from farm to fork, and in the core and the extended value chain. The report analyses the benefits of digital transformation for agri-SMEs and the challenges they face in this process. Next, the report outlines practical and actionable measures that governments and other stakeholders may undertake to help agrifood SMEs stay ahead in the digital age. Special attention is given to the creation of a digital environment that enables agri-SMEs to increase the efficiency of their operations and allow them to grow. This is particularly important given that many agri-SMEs are located in rural agricultural areas, (where more than half of the population in Asia and the Pacific still resides), but where the environment is less favourable to digital transformation.

In the world of internet, wide adoption of computing devices dramatically reduces storage costs with easy access to huge amount of data, thus posing benefits and challenges to e-business amongst organizations.This unique compendium covers current status and practices of e-business among organizations, their challenges and future directions. It also includes studies of different perspectives and markets of e-business.The must-have volume will be a good reference text for professionals and organizations who are updating their e-business knowledge/skills and planning their e-business initiatives.

Aid for trade has an important role to play in supporting Asia and the Pacific’s recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, especially for the region’s lower-middle-income and least developed countries. Aid for trade can help by supporting forward-looking trade and digital policies that reduce vulnerability, strengthen resilience, and foster economic growth. This report looks at how aid for trade should be modernized so it reflects new economic and trade realities including the risk of global value chains disruptions, preference erosion, the emergence of new digital technologies, and the rising need for regional cooperation.