# Performance Evaluation — SEA Variant

> Region: Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore)
> Currency: USD (cross-border) or local (VND, THB, IDR, PHP, MYR, SGD)
> Locale notes: Mobile-first, super-app dominant, low CPM (cheapest globally), e-commerce platforms major (Shopee, Lazada, Tokopedia), live commerce huge.

---

## SEA-specific benchmarks (2025–2026)

### Paid ads benchmarks

| Metric | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | Your data |
|--------|------|---------|------|-----------|-----------|
| **Meta — CPM** | >$5 | $1–$3 | $0.50–$1 | <$0.50 | [#] |
| **Meta — CPC** | >$0.50 | $0.10–$0.30 | $0.05–$0.10 | <$0.05 | [#] |
| **Meta — CPL** | >$8 | $3–$8 | $1.50–$3 | <$1.50 | [#] |
| **Meta — CTR** | <1% | 1–2.5% | 2.5–5% | >5% | [#]% |
| **Meta — CPA (e-com)** | >$15 | $7–$15 | $3–$7 | <$3 | [#] |
| **Google Search — CPC** | >$2.50 | $0.30–$1.50 | $0.10–$0.30 | <$0.10 | [#] |
| **Google Search — CTR** | <2% | 2–5% | 5–10% | >10% | [#]% |
| **Google Display — CPM** | >$2 | $0.50–$1.50 | $0.20–$0.50 | <$0.20 | [#] |
| **TikTok Ads — CPM** | >$3 | $1–$2 | $0.30–$1 | <$0.30 | [#] |
| **TikTok Ads — CPC** | >$0.40 | $0.10–$0.25 | $0.05–$0.10 | <$0.05 | [#] |
| **TikTok Ads — CTR** | <0.7% | 0.7–1.8% | 1.8–4% | >4% | [#]% |
| **Shopee Ads — CPC** | >$0.40 | $0.10–$0.25 | $0.05–$0.10 | <$0.05 | [#] |
| **Lazada Ads — CPC** | >$0.50 | $0.15–$0.30 | $0.05–$0.15 | <$0.05 | [#] |
| **LINE Ads (TH/JP) — CPM** | >$8 | $2–$6 | $1–$2 | <$1 | [#] |

### Funnel conversion

| Step | Average | Good | Your data |
|------|---------|------|-----------|
| Impression → Click | 1.5–3% | 4%+ | [#]% |
| Click → Lead/Inbox | 15–25% | 30%+ | [#]% |
| Inbox → Lead qualified | 50–60% | 70%+ | [#]% |
| Lead → Booking | 50–60% | 70%+ | [#]% |
| Booking → Customer | 30–40% | 50%+ | [#]% |
| Customer → Repeat (90d) | 20–35% | 45%+ | [#]% |
| E-com platform: Click → Purchase (Shopee/Lazada) | 1–3% | 5%+ | [#]% |

### Email + organic + messaging

| Metric | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | Your data |
|--------|------|---------|------|-----------|-----------|
| Email open rate | <12% | 15–22% | 22–32% | >32% | [#]% |
| Email click-through | <0.8% | 1–2.5% | 2.5–5% | >5% | [#]% |
| Zalo OA read rate (VN) | <40% | 50–65% | 65–80% | >80% | [#]% |
| LINE OA broadcast read (TH) | <30% | 40–55% | 55–70% | >70% | [#]% |
| WhatsApp Business broadcast | <40% | 50–70% | 70–85% | >85% | [#]% |
| TikTok engagement rate | <3% | 4–7% | 7–12% | >12% | [#]% |
| Facebook engagement rate | <1% | 2–4% | 4–7% | >7% | [#]% |

### Industry-specific CAC / AOV (SEA)

| Industry | Typical CAC | Typical AOV | Healthy LTV:CAC |
|----------|------------|-------------|-----------------|
| Beauty / Spa (VN, TH, ID) | $3–$15 | $15–$80 | 3:1+ |
| F&B delivery | $1–$5 | $5–$25 | 4:1+ |
| Education / coaching | $5–$30 | $50–$500 | 4:1+ |
| Fashion e-com (Shopee/Lazada) | $1–$8 | $10–$60 | 3:1+ |
| FMCG / household | $0.50–$3 | $8–$40 | 3:1+ |
| Real estate | $30–$200 | $30K–$300K | 5:1+ |
| SaaS (regional SMB) | $50–$300 | $500–$5K | 5:1+ |
| Health / supplements | $5–$30 | $30–$200 | 3:1+ |

---

## Common pitfalls — SEA market

| Pitfall | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---------|--------------|-----|
| **Mobile-only customers** | Desktop landing pages fail | Mobile-first design, fast load (<2s) |
| **Inbox-driven sales (Messenger/Zalo/LINE)** | No website checkout = harder tracking | Integrate inbox CRM, track via UTM + manual tagging |
| **Live commerce blind spots** | TikTok Live + Facebook Live drives sales but no pixel | Track live-show specific landing pages or codes |
| **Shopee/Lazada walled garden** | Hard to attribute external ads to platform sales | Use platform-internal ads + voucher codes |
| **High refund/cancel rate (cash on delivery)** | 15-30% COD orders cancel | Pre-payment discount, voucher upfront |
| **Influencer KOL costs rising** | Top KOLs charge US-tier rates now | Mid-tier and micro-KOLs (better ROAS) |
| **Tet/Songkran/Lebaran spikes** | CPM up 30-60%, supply disruptions | Pre-load Q4, ration during peak |
| **Fragmented payment systems** | E-wallets vary by country (Momo VN, GrabPay, GoPay ID) | Multi-payment gateway |
| **Ad fatigue fast** | High frequency tolerated less | New creative every 5-7 days |
| **Counterfeit/grey market** | Brand image risks | Trademark in each country, takedown SOPs |

---

## Regional case study — SEA Beauty (Vietnam Spa)

**Brand:** Mid-tier spa chain, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. AOV $35. Service-based, inbox-driven.

**Symptoms:**
- CPL rising from $1.20 to $3.50
- Inbox-to-booking 35% (target 55%)
- ROAS 1.4x (target 3x)

**5-Whys:**
| Round | Why? | Answer |
|-------|------|--------|
| 1 | CPL up? | Frequency 5.8 on 1 main creative |
| 2 | High frequency? | Only 1 creative for 21 days |
| 3 | Why 1 creative? | UGC pipeline broken — no new content |
| 4 | UGC broken? | KOL contract expired, no new partnerships |
| 5 | No new partnerships? | No SOP for monthly KOL refresh |

**Action plan (48h):**
1. Pause main ad set (frequency too high)
2. Reactivate 3 micro-KOLs immediately ($50-150 each)
3. Quick UGC: shoot 5 testimonial videos with current customers
4. Hire content lead (full-time) for monthly KOL refresh

**Result (4 weeks):**
- CPL → $1.40
- Inbox-to-booking → 58% (added scripted follow-up)
- ROAS → 3.2x

---

## Dropshipping context — SEA

SEA is THE birthplace of modern dropshipping. Different dynamics:

| Factor | Impact | Tactics |
|--------|--------|---------|
| Cheap CPM = low entry cost | Easy to test products | Test 5-10 products simultaneously |
| Cash on delivery (COD) | High order count, but 20-30% cancel | Pre-payment discount or voucher |
| Shopee/Lazada ecosystem | Most SEA buys happen on platforms | Run both DTC + platform |
| TikTok Shop integration | Native TikTok purchase = high conversion | TikTok Shop affiliate program |
| Local supplier sourcing (CN border) | Faster than US dropshipping | 1688/Taobao agents, faster ship |
| Rural/peri-urban delivery | Shipping fees disproportionate | Free shipping over threshold |

**SEA dropshipping ROAS targets:**

| Margin | BE-ROAS | Healthy ROAS | Scale ROAS |
|--------|---------|--------------|------------|
| 30% | 3.33x | 4.0x | 5.5x+ |
| 40% | 2.5x | 3.2x | 4.5x+ |
| 50% | 2.0x | 2.5x | 3.5x+ |
| 60% | 1.67x | 2.2x | 3.0x+ |

> Note: SEA margins are HIGHER than US/EU because CPM is so low. 50% margin common for white-label products.

---

## SEA-specific compliance flags

| Area | Rule | Impact on ads |
|------|------|---------------|
| Vietnam — Decree 13 (data) | Personal data localized | EU-style consent + Vietnam server hosting for sensitive data |
| Thailand — PDPA | Consent + processing limits | Updated consent banners |
| Indonesia — UU PDP | Similar to GDPR (effective 2024) | Update consent flow |
| Philippines — Data Privacy Act | Opt-in for marketing | Double opt-in standard |
| Singapore — PDPA | Strict, with DNC registry | Check DNC before SMS/calls |
| Malaysia — PDPA | Specific consent required | Update collection forms |
| Cosmetics / supplements (VN MOH) | Approval required | No "treats" or "cures" claims |
| Live commerce (VN, TH) | Tax reporting on sales | Use compliant platforms (TikTok Shop, Shopee Live) |
| KOL endorsement (VN) | Disclosure recommended | Use #qc or "tài trợ" (sponsored) |

---

## SEA-specific channel mix recommendations

For most SEA brands:

| Channel | Recommended split | Why |
|---------|------------------|-----|
| Meta (FB+IG) | 30-50% | Still dominant for service businesses |
| TikTok (Ads + Shop) | 25-45% | Highest engagement, especially TH, VN, ID |
| Shopee/Lazada/Tokopedia ads | 15-30% | E-commerce volume here |
| Zalo OA (VN only) | 5-15% | Dominant messaging in Vietnam |
| LINE OA (TH only) | 10-25% | Dominant messaging in Thailand |
| WhatsApp Business (regional) | 5-15% | Customer service backbone |
| Google (Search + YouTube) | 10-20% | Lower priority than Meta/TikTok |
| Email | 3-8% | Lower priority — messaging wins |

---

## Quality checklist — SEA variant

Before delivering SEA performance evaluation:

- [ ] Currency clarified (USD or local — VND, THB, IDR, PHP, MYR, SGD)
- [ ] Mobile-first design verified (90%+ traffic mobile)
- [ ] Inbox-to-booking conversion tracked (Messenger/Zalo/LINE/WhatsApp)
- [ ] If COD: cancel rate factored
- [ ] If platform sales: Shopee/Lazada/Tokopedia metrics included
- [ ] If live commerce: separate tracking for TikTok Live / Facebook Live
- [ ] KOL spend ROI tracked separately from paid ads
- [ ] Tet/Songkran/Lebaran seasonality factored
- [ ] Country-specific compliance verified (VN Decree 13, TH PDPA, etc.)
- [ ] If dropshipping: Shopee/Lazada vs DTC split decided
- [ ] Local payment methods supported (Momo, GrabPay, GoPay, etc.)

---

## Cross-reference

- Full SKILL.md router: `../SKILL.md`
- Other regions: `01-us.md`, `02-eu.md`, `04-latam.md`
- Reverse KPI calculation: `../../10-reverse-kpi-global/variants/03-sea.md`
- Channel setup: `../../11-channel-setup-global/variants/03-sea.md`
