Nearly 90% of internet users in Southeast Asia will access the internet via a smartphone this year, making mobile both ubiquitous and indispensable for the region’s flourishing digital economy.

Southeast Asia emerges as a mobile-first consumer economy: Online food delivery, grocery sales, and digital payments to benefit as internet accessibility expands in the region.

The number of internet users in Southeast Asia will grow 3.1% year over year in 2022, making it the second fastest growing region in the world.

In Southeast Asia, total media ad spending snapped back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 and will continue rising strongly this year. The growth in digital ad spending, though tamer in 2022, will again outpace that of the overall ad market.

On today's episode, we discuss the social media regulations coming this year, whether virtual try-on will ever take off, how not to interrupt the consumer, whether shipping is the new ecommerce frontier, Formula One racing's newfound US popularity, an unpopular opinion about in-store shopping, some facts about sea creatures, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and analyst Bill Fisher.

Mineral arms race dives deep: The future of clean energy and ocean ecosystems hangs in the balance of the UN’s closed-door decision-making on deep-sea mining. Yet there are greener trajectories.

Ecommerce sales in Southeast Asia will total $89.67 billion in 2022, an increase of $15.31 billion over last year.

Total retail sales in Southeast Asia grew 2.5% in 2021.

The Philippines and India will lead the world in retail ecommerce sales growth this year, with respective increases of 25.9% and 25.5%. Countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia will make up most of the top 10 list, while the last spot will go to the US, the only advanced economy to slide into the rankings, with 15.9% growth.

As they return to the roads, skies, and seas, many travelers are also revisiting how to get the most mileage out of their credit cards.