Efficient Ignition, Best-Sellers Sold Out? What Growth Signals Is Shopee's 'Content Field' Unleashing?

In 2026, the growth logic of cross-border e-commerce is being reshaped.

As consumer decision-making paths become increasingly diverse, the content field is emerging as a new engine redefining the connection between people, products, and the marketplace.

In Southeast Asia and Latin America, consumer decisions are shifting from static product detail pages to short videos and live streams. As noted by Singapore's top influencer QueenJ, the content ecosystem represented by Shopee Live has achieved 'what you see is what you get'—consumers watch and buy simultaneously, drastically shortening the trust chain from product discovery to purchase, allowing shopping impulses to be instantly fulfilled.

Under this trend, sellers well-versed in traffic dynamics have already seized the initiative through co-creation with influencers and live stream traffic attraction. Meanwhile, sellers still on the fence are realizing that missing out on content e-commerce means missing the next big opportunity.

It is at this juncture that Shopee held its annual traffic summit, themed 'Intelligently Connect with Influencers, Achieve Growth,' collaborating with local top influencers and sellers to decode the new formula for growth.

Facing this undeniable new trend, two core questions demand answers: Why has content e-commerce in Southeast Asia and Latin America become an unignorable 'new trend'? Between the influencer ecosystem and commercial monetization, what kind of 'highway' has Shopee paved for sellers?

01

When Content Becomes the Entry Point, How Can Sellers Seize the Growth Poles in Emerging Markets?

The logic of traditional shelf-based e-commerce is 'people searching for products.' Content e-commerce completely flips this logic, turning it into 'products finding people'—goods proactively appear in consumers' line of sight, completing the closed loop from discovery to purchase the moment interest is ignited.

In this sense, live streaming and short videos are no longer just 'icing on the cake' for brand marketing but represent entirely new growth poles.

'Many people love live shopping because it allows for real-time interaction and communication, quickly building trust,' said the popular Filipino artist and multi-category influencer Dianne Medina and her husband, describing the unique value of live streams.

In QueenJ's view, 'Live streaming is not just a tool for short-term product promotion, nor is it merely about attracting consumers with low prices.' She emphasizes that brands should view content as a long-term asset, not a one-time traffic consumable. 'Live streams and short videos can evolve into a part of a brand's long-term operations, becoming a lever for continuous reach, brand awareness building, and new customer acquisition.'

Indeed, the content field is becoming a crucial leverage point for Shopee sellers to drive growth.

Take last year's 12.12 mega-sale as an example: on the day of the sale, cross-border live stream duration exceeded 50 million hours, and short video views reached 140 million. Behind this peak traffic flow is the collective migration of user attention and a continuous influx of real revenue.

Many brands that bet early have 'tasted the crab': the digital drawing brand XPPen, driven by a dual strategy of 'high-quality content + influencers,' saw its live stream and short video metrics surge by 31 times and 12 times, respectively, on the sale day. Anta similarly unleashed content momentum, with its live stream and short video channels driving order volumes up by 23 times and 12 times, respectively.

Even greater potential is emerging from the 'super live streams' created by top influencers.

'During the 5.5 and 6.6 sales, a single dedicated live stream generated over $1.4 million in GMV,' QueenJ revealed.

Thailand's top influencer Arteereview is aiming even higher. This content creator with 3.5 million followers stated, 'We have already achieved single live stream sales exceeding $1.5 million on Shopee Live. The next step is to break the $3.5 million mark.'

Wealth creation through content is becoming an increasingly common story within Shopee's content ecosystem. The protagonists include both mega-influencers with millions of followers and newcomers trying their hand.

The experience of a Brazilian seller is quite representative. Since starting store live streams last year, he found that content consistently brings an unexpected surge of orders during every even-numbered day promotion.

'Several times I underestimated the 'power' of content-driven sales and almost sold out,' he remarked. This dual-engine model of 'shelves securing the baseline, content driving incremental growth' is becoming the industry standard.

So, how can sellers fully grasp this wave of opportunity? According to multiple interviewees, it involves both the 'tactics' and the 'principles.'

First, the 'tactics': Finding the right people is the foundation of any collaboration.

Malaysian fashion influencer Neonco analyzed: New sellers should prioritize collaborating with local influencers who have already established deep trust—such as those focused on specific niche markets like Muslim fashion. If the budget is limited, it's better to start with high-value, clear-return top or mid-tier influencers.

'Focus on your own niche, gradually expanding exposure from top to mid and lower-tier influencers. As popularity rises, it will naturally create a siphon effect attracting more influencers,' she pointed out.

On the 'principles' level, it's about stable collaboration and long-termism.

'Focusing on ROI and sales is necessary; at the same time, influencers also expect communication with the Marketing Team,' Neonco admitted. Collaboration goes beyond commercial terms; it requires exploring brand philosophy and how both parties' styles align.

'Give creators sufficient creative freedom and try to avoid excessive intervention in content creation and live stream formats,' she said.

'Let them do their thing!' a seller echoed the sentiment: 'Influencers understand the local 'content taste' better; some seemingly simple talking-head videos can go viral. What merchants need is active co-creation and ensuring logistical support doesn't falter.'

02

Crossing the 'Ramp-Up Period,' Seizing the Golden Window for Content E-commerce

Entering content e-commerce in 2026 still presents vast opportunities, especially in emerging markets like Southeast Asia and Latin America. These regions are in a critical ramp-up period transitioning from 'trying it out' to 'daily habit,' with the model of consumers discovering and purchasing goods through content fields gradually maturing.

Rakuten Insight data shows that in 2025, the proportion of 'frequent social media shoppers' in Southeast Asia's five major markets all exceeded 40%, with Vietnam and Thailand nearing 70%, demonstrating strong growth potential.

In Latin America, GVR data indicates that the local live streaming e-commerce market size is projected to reach $3.87 billion in 2024. By 2033, this figure is expected to grow to $32.08 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 27.2%.

Currently, over 70% of Shopee's orders come from touchpoints outside traditional search channels, and nearly 70% of users watch live streams or short videos. Financial reports show that orders from live streams and short videos surged by 50% year-over-year in the first quarter.

Alongside changing penetration rates is the evolution of consumer behavior. 'In the past, people generally believed content and shopping were distinct realms, requiring jumping back and forth between content platforms and shelf platforms for discovery and purchase. Now, audiences are accustomed to the two being integrated. When a purchase entry point appears within content, they aren't surprised; instead, they find it convenient,' Arteereview observed, noting that this seamless integration is reshaping consumer psychology.

Other influencers have detected subtle shifts from the perspective of content preferences: 'Previously, audiences tended to prefer straightforward content, like product prices, flash sale discounts, then directly making a purchase. But over the past year, user demand for high-quality content has gradually increased—needing detailed explanations, soft product placements, and a step-by-step approach, which also raises the bar for creators.'

Essentially, consumers are no longer satisfied with just 'cheap'; they crave more immersive, more trustworthy shopping narratives.

'The challenge for many brands isn't the product itself, but localized communication,' QueenJ pinpointed. 'Consumers brought by Shopee's affiliate marketing often have higher conversion and repurchase rates. Therefore, if merchants seek a cold start in emerging markets, they should actively consider establishing long-term partnerships with influencers.'

'Content e-commerce is still in its early stages; now is the perfect time to enter'—multiple influencers offered similar judgments. Especially for new merchants, the 'products finding people' model gives goods the chance to proactively reach potential consumers, using content to spark interest and create demand. For new products without established brand recognition, this approach often brings more exposure and trial opportunities.

03

Connecting Influencers and the Content Ecosystem, Unleashing Full-Funnel Growth Potential

In reality, Shopee is systematically paving the 'highway' for content e-commerce through its affiliate ecosystem and various incentives, systematically lowering the entry barrier for sellers.

On the traffic foundation, Shopee holds over half of the e-commerce market share in Southeast Asia, ranks first in both user time spent and monthly active users among shopping apps in Brazil, and boasts over 10 million high-value VIP members.

In expanding the content ecosystem, Shopee is weaving a network of 'allies' with both breadth and depth. In the first quarter, orders driven by YouTube doubled year-over-year. Its collaboration with Meta is also progressing rapidly—with Facebook as a primary platform, affiliate marketing partners have exceeded 4.5 million, a nearly 30% increase quarter-over-quarter.

At the influencer level, the platform provides solid support for content-driven sales through resource injections like influencer coupons and efficient responses from customer service teams.

An influencer deeply felt this: 'The platform's price protection mechanism makes influencer promotions more competitive compared to other platforms. Its support measures for traffic attraction from external platforms like Facebook also draw a large number of users.'

For sellers, a more direct benefit is the one-stop support and generous incentives from the platform. From practical tools like the short video upload assistant, operation manuals, and KOL & MCN resource libraries, to combined benefits like commission subsidies, ad credits, coupons, cash rebates, and traffic packages, Shopee uses real money to backstop sellers' content experimentation, continuously lowering the entry barrier.

From discovery to purchase, content is deeply influencing consumer shopping decisions. Facing this trend, Shopee continuously refines its content ecosystem, marketing tools, and influencer resource system to help sellers more efficiently reach target consumers.

'Whoever can leverage influencers and create good content can break free from low-quality competition, forge a new path, and overtake competitors in the Southeast Asian and Latin American markets,' a veteran influencer told Ebrun bluntly. 'Content e-commerce is not a multiple-choice question; it's a required one.'

As content becomes the new infrastructure for transactions, the long-term growth of cross-border e-commerce is essentially a competition about 'who can more deeply understand and integrate into local life.'

Ebrun continues to track and report on this development. To learn more about information related to this article, please scan the QR code to follow the author on WeChat.