Transforming Ecommerce with AI

Generative AI is no longer a “nice-to-have” - it’s fast becoming the underlying infrastructure of ecommerce. As consumers face overwhelming choice and rising expectations, and sellers juggle increasingly complex operations, AI is emerging as the critical lever that helps platforms and merchants deliver relevance, efficiency, and growth at scale.

Transforming Ecommerce with AI: Sell Smarter, Shop Better is a decision-support report, jointly produced by Momentum Works and Lazada, designed to help leaders understand how AI is changing ecommerce fundamentals - from consumer behaviour and seller productivity to platform economics and cross-border scalability.

Based on ecosystem-level research and real-world platform deployments, the report examines where AI is already delivering measurable impact today, and what it will take for sellers and platforms to capture the next wave of value.

Momentum Works estimates that high AI adoption could unlock up to US$131 billion in incremental annual ecommerce GMV in Southeast Asia by 2030, driven by improved supply–demand matching, operational efficiency gains, and a fundamentally better shopping experience.

While consumers are rapidly embracing AI-enabled shopping journeys, many sellers remain uncertain how to act - caught between near-term investment decisions and longer-term upside.

This report is designed to close that gap.

What’s covered in this report:

• A clear, end-to-end view of how Gen AI is reshaping ecommerce mechanics
• A quantified assessment of the US$131B AI opportunity in Southeast Asia
• How Alibaba is driving AI innovation through cloud and platform-level investments
• A detailed look at Lazada’s AI capabilities already deployed at scale
• A practical, execution-focused playbook to help sellers become more AI-native

This report is designed for decision-makers including:

• Brands and sellers looking to increase conversion while reducing operational load
• Ecommerce leaders building AI-native commercial and operating strategies
• Platform and ecosystem teams tracking how AI is reshaping consumer behaviour
• Investors and stakeholders assessing the next growth drivers in Southeast Asia ecommerce

How leaders use this report:

• To identify where AI is already delivering ROI in ecommerce
• To prioritise AI investments with clear conversion and efficiency impact
• To pressure-test seller and platform strategies in an AI-driven environment
• To prepare teams and operating models for the next phase of ecommerce growth

Download Transforming Ecommerce with AI: Sell Smarter, Shop Better to understand how AI is becoming the foundation of ecommerce in Southeast Asia - and what it takes for platforms and sellers to stay competitive as the market shifts.