Southeast Asia’s small businesses need stronger digital capabilities and better access to regional markets to tap more than 680 million consumers and help ASEAN achieve its ambition of becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy, ASEAN Foundation executive director Dr. Piti Srisangnam said.
Linking micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, Srisangnam said the region’s economic resilience will depend partly on how effectively small businesses overcome barriers to technology adoption, cross-border trade and market access.
“Our MSMEs cannot remain isolated bamboo stalks operating in silos,” he said. “They require an interconnected digital network.”
He identified gaps in digital skills, fragmented e-commerce regulations and customs procedures, and limited marketing budgets as major obstacles preventing small enterprises from expanding beyond their domestic markets.
Although internet access has improved, many merchants still lack the expertise to use data analytics, livestream selling and digital inventory management to compete effectively, he said.
The ASEAN Foundation’s SOAR Together program, developed with TikTok Shop, seeks to close these gaps through practical digital training, regulatory compliance guidance, livestream campaigns and regional business networks. Top-performing participants can also receive up to USD3,000 in advertising and promotional credits.
Srisangnam said short-form videos, livestreams and creator recommendations offer small businesses relatively affordable ways to showcase their products, demonstrate craftsmanship and reach customers without committing large sums to traditional advertising.
In the Philippines, he cited one participating company that generated more than P800,000 in new offline business, while another recorded over P50,000 in sales from its first TikTok Live sessions.
The initiative gives particular attention to women-led enterprises, young entrepreneurs, rural producers and persons with disabilities, groups that often face greater difficulties accessing technology, financing and wider markets.
Srisangnam said partnerships between regional institutions and technology platforms can help turn ASEAN’s vision of a resilient, innovative and people-centered economy into tangible opportunities for smaller businesses.
Beyond helping individual merchants sell more, the broader goal is to connect enterprises across borders, distribute the benefits of digital commerce more widely and make MSMEs stronger contributors to regional economic growth.
