If you’re expanding your business into Southeast Asia (SEA), you might be overlooking a critical challenge to success. While you're focused on product-market fit and marketing strategies, there's another problem that can silently kill your sales — getting your customers through checkout successfully.
Cart abandonment is a common issue eCommerce merchants face. One reason that shoppers disappear between "Add to Cart" and "Order Confirmed" is payment friction — missing payment methods, security concerns, and complex checkout flows. They become a barrier in a market where three in five people shop online, and over 60% of all payments are digital.
SEA is a unique market with diverse payment methods and regional variations. But this complexity is your opportunity. The region's eCommerce market is projected to reach USD 325 billion by 2028 — ripe for merchants who understand local payment behaviours. By mastering the top three payment trends influencing Southeast Asian commerce, you can turn checkout frictions into business growth.
Long gone are the days when bank transfers in SEA took days to clear. Real-time payments (RTP) are now the backbone of everyday transactions in the region. These systems move money instantly from one bank account to another, 24/7, with funds available in seconds.
Southeast Asian economies have widely adopted domestic RTP systems, with regional RTP transaction values forecast to reach $11 trillion by 2028. Indonesia's BI-FAST connects over 135 banks and payment providers and is projected to be the largest RTP network of value in SEA by 2028. Similarly, the Philippines and Singapore have identified RTPs as key economic growth drivers. Networks like Vietnam's NAPAS are increasingly expanding acceptance. The Project Nexus initiative also supports a unified RTP network across the region.
RTPs solve several critical problems for your business.
They reduce payment frictions and transaction declines. By offering "Pay by Bank" or local instant transfer options, you let customers pay through their familiar channels rather than relying exclusively on cards.
They eliminate cash flow delays. Instead of waiting four to seven days for settlement, merchants receive funds almost immediately. Consumers also benefit from the systems, as they increasingly expect a "pay now, confirm now" experience. This preference reflects a change in how Southeast Asian consumers perceive the payment process.
Most importantly, they build trust. People perceive government-backed payment systems as more secure than foreign alternatives. Offering local RTPs shows customers that you understand their preferences and concerns.
Visit any shopping mall in Jakarta or Bangkok, and you'll notice an interesting pattern: nearly every store, both online and physical, displays Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options at checkout. This isn't just a payment method — it has become an expectation.
BNPL lets customers purchase immediately but pay in instalments over time, often interest-free. The adoption trend is staggering, particularly among young populations who see BNPL as a flexible alternative to traditional credit. The Asia-Pacific BNPL market is projected to reach $358.6 billion by 2030. BNPL payments are growing 14.5% annually to hit $211.7 billion in 2025, up from $181.3 billion in 2024.
What's fascinating is how BNPL develops differently across countries. In Indonesia, platform-based BNPL dominates the market, while bank-offered BNPL draws in customers in Singapore. In Thailand, brand-offered BNPL helps build customer loyalty and drive repeat purchases.
So if you're struggling with cart abandonment in SEA, BNPL might be your missing tool. It solves this problem by easing payment pressure at the moment of decision. When customers can distribute payments over time, they're more likely to complete their purchase rather than abandoning their cart due to immediate cost concerns.
Customers become more willing to purchase higher-priced items when the payment is distributed over time. BNPL leads to larger transaction sizes and improved revenue per customer. It also reduces chargeback concerns, particularly with platform- and bank-backed options that provide merchant protection.
If you still think of eCommerce as desktop websites, you're missing out on the action in SEA. In this region, consumers conduct their digital lives — including shopping — primarily on mobile devices.
Asia Pacific is now the leader in mobile commerce, with a market share of over 38.7% in 2024. This mobile-first behaviour has created demand for in-app payments. Instead of bouncing between mobile browsers and payment pages, in-app payments allow purchases directly inside mobile applications.
Moreover, “super apps” like Grab and Gojek have become part of the mobile shopping experience. These platforms bundle multiple services — rides, food delivery, payments, and shopping — in a single application.
SEA's mobile-first behaviour extends to digital wallets, which now account for 53% of global eCommerce payments. They’re integrated into super apps, like GrabPay and GoPay, or running independently, like DANA in Indonesia, Touch 'n Go in Malaysia, and TrueMoney in Thailand. These wallets share a key feature: they embed payments in daily life through shopping rewards, loyalty programmes and lifestyle services.
For merchants, super apps solve one of their biggest headaches: integration complexity. Rather than struggling to connect with multiple payment systems across different markets (a challenge cited by 51% of merchants in SEA), you can reach consumers through a single integration point.
To win in SEA, you need more than a list of payment methods. You need a partner that understands how local habits, regulations, and infrastructure fit together. That’s the gap Antom is built to fill. As a payments platform focused on Asia, Antom combines technology and deep local knowledge to help you adapt to regional payment preferences without rebuilding your system from scratch.
Instead of signing separate contracts with multiple providers, you can partner with Antom to support hundreds of locally preferred options in one integration. Antom currently supports 300+ payment methods in 100+ currencies.
Rather than guessing which payment rails, wallets, or instalment options to put together in each market, you can lean on Antom’s regional expertise and payment solutions for global businesses selling to Asia to localise payments at scale.
These top three trends reveal a massive transition in consumer behaviour and expectations. Across Southeast Asia, shoppers now expect payment experiences that are instant, flexible, and mobile-optimised. This is no longer a nice-to-have — it has become the standard for doing business in the region.
Remember the checkout friction that stifles your sales? The merchants who win in Southeast Asia are those who embrace payment diversity as their key to success. By consolidating RTPs, BNPLs, and mobile-optimised checkouts into your payment strategy, you transform that friction point into growth — meeting consumers exactly where they pay.
If you’re ready to simplify this complexity and localise payment methods, Antom can help you get there. Contact Antom to explore your options.