With its $1 billion buy of online retailer Lazada, Alibaba has signaled Southeast Asia as a regional e-commerce battleground – with 600 million people, and no shortage of logistical headaches.
The region has the potential to help global retailers offset slowing growth momentum in their core markets, but it comes with complex regulatory, logistical and language barriers. Internet connections can be slow and the vast archipelago landscape can prove daunting to even hardened logistics experts.
