As Southeast Asia eCommerce merchants set benchmarks in a booming industry, their efforts are about to be celebrated with the launch of annual awards.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, online shopping aggregator iPrice Group has launched the iPrice eCommerce Merchant Awards (iEMA) 2016 in partnership with eTail Asia, a service for eCommerce professionals, and Trusted Company, a review platform for eCommerce businesses in emerging markets.
The first awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the annual eTail Asia conference at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on March 8 next. The inaugural iEMA 2016 will feature country and regional winners in two categories – Most Popular eCommerce Merchant of the Year and Highest-Quality eCommerce Merchant of the Year. Merchants do not have to submit entries as all qualifying merchants are automatically enlisted.
“Based on studies by Google and Temasek, the Southeast Asian eCommerce market is expected to see exponential growth from US$6 billion to about US$90 billion in 2025,” says iPrice Group CEO David Chmelar.
“With new players in the eCommerce industry coming up every left, right and centre, it is imperative we highlight excellence in the sector in hopes to further inspire and encourage both existing and upcoming merchants to excel further in Southeast Asia.”
Consumer choice
Finalists and winners for the awards will be chosen by consumers via the iEMA 2016 microsite. People can vote only once, with January 31 the deadline.
Meanwhile, in an effort to also recognise special initiatives by eCommerce merchants that might have escaped attention, a third category has been set up to highlight efforts by businesses that have undertaken projects to support a social or non-profit organisation. This will be judged by a panel of experts from the eCommerce sector with only one overall regional winner being chosen. The judging panel comprises Chmelar, Asia Venture Group CEO/founder Tim Marbach, Worldwide Business Research GM Danny Levy, Trusted Company co-founder/MD Frederick Krass, Google Vietnam head of marketing Anh Nguyen and 500 Startups managing partner Khailee Ng.
Submissions for this award are being accepted from for both consumers and eCommerce merchants through the iEMA 2016 website.
Voting is being accepted at the iEMA 2016 microsites for Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
iPrice Group is a Southeast Asian metasearch engine that enables shoppers to find products, compare prices and save. It seamlessly connects them to hundreds of eCommerce merchants in the region.
