Bangkok’s sprawling open-air Chatuchak market is a shadow of its former self. Coronavirus has emptied its thousands of tiny stalls and quieted its hundreds of narrow passageways, which usually teem with tourists sweating in the soupy heat. Some locals still venture there for essentials, but the famed shopping complex, which normally sells everything from rattan place mats to street fashion, is largely deserted.
Yet many mom and pop retailers, robbed of their market income, haven’t given up. Instead, they’ve turned to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to hawk their wares. So many small vendors have embraced buying, selling, and haggling online that Thailand is now Southeast Asia’s largest market for so-called social commerce transactions, according to Line Corp., maker of the popular eponymous messaging app. Everything from home-baked brownies to lemongrass-scented cleaning products can be found on Thailand’s virtual shelves. Some fishermen are even selling their daily catch from the Andaman Sea. A similar trend is unfolding in Indonesia and the Philippines, where outdoor markets and street vendors are also common and traditional retail has been upended by Covid-19.
