Five partner brands of eCommerce platform Shopee hit at least $100 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2021, while Shopee Mall saw an eightfold increase in the number of users shopping online at least once a month during the year, according to a Tech Wire Asia report Friday (Jan. 14).

Shopee will also start to use artificial intelligence to recommend more personalized entertainment content and deals based on shopping behavior and user interests, the report says.

Shopee launched the Regional Champion Brands Programme in 2020 and worked with its brand partners to co-create regional campaigns. Shopee will continue to support the 20 brand partners onboarded in 2021 with priority access to new initiatives and campaigns.

Shopee COO Terence Pang said at the recent Shopee Brand Summit that as retail becomes hyper-digital and shopping online becomes integral to people’s lives, there is plenty of room for growth in Southeast Asia. Shopee and its brand partners will continue to expand and enhance Shopee Mall to serve more customers.

The Shopee Mall eCommerce platform is planning to “boost its efforts across key growth drivers to widen its reach, as well as strengthen engagement with users on the platform” by increasing brand awareness through broader marketing, driving higher business performance through new solutions and  elevating brand experiences through increased engagement tools, the report says.

The Bain & Company e-Conomy SEA report has projected Southeast Asia to have a GMV of almost $1 trillion by 2030.

Shopee, the leading eCommerce retailer in the region, saw a GMV of $35.4 billion in 2020. The company has enjoyed a robust expansion in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic with an 80% increase in its visitor volume.

Its parent company, Sea, pushed into a space once dominated by companies like Grab. Lazada, in turn, began working with Grab to help it boost its eCommerce focus, using its services for customer and driver networks and pointing users to Grab’s food delivery service.