# Reverse KPI — SEA Variant

> Region: Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore)
> Currency: USD (cross-border) or local (VND, THB, IDR, PHP, MYR, SGD)
> Locale: Cheapest CPM globally, mobile-first, inbox-driven sales, super-app + e-commerce platforms (Shopee/Lazada/Tokopedia).

---

## SEA-specific benchmarks for reverse KPI

### Average deal size (AOV) — local examples

| Industry | B2C AOV typical (USD) | Local examples |
|----------|----------------------|----------------|
| Beauty/Spa service | $20–$80 | VND 500K–2M, THB 700–2,800 |
| F&B delivery | $5–$25 | VND 120K–600K, IDR 80K–400K |
| DTC fashion (e-com) | $15–$60 | VND 350K–1.4M, THB 500–2,000 |
| DTC supplements | $20–$80 | VND 500K–2M |
| Education / coaching | $50–$500 | VND 1.2M–12M, THB 1,800–18K |
| FMCG | $5–$30 | Local prices |
| Real estate | $30K–$300K | VND 700M–7B |
| SaaS regional | $500–$5K | USD-priced typical |

### Currency reference (rough rates for planning, 2025–2026)

> Always check live rates; use these as planning estimates only.

| Currency | Per 1 USD |
|----------|-----------|
| VND (Vietnam) | ~25,000 |
| THB (Thailand) | ~35 |
| IDR (Indonesia) | ~16,000 |
| PHP (Philippines) | ~58 |
| MYR (Malaysia) | ~4.7 |
| SGD (Singapore) | ~1.35 |

### Conversion rates by industry (SEA)

| Industry | CTR | Click → Inbox | Inbox → Lead | Lead → Booking | Booking → Customer |
|----------|-----|---------------|--------------|----------------|--------------------|
| Beauty/Spa | 1.5–3% | 18–30% | 55–70% | 55–70% | 45–60% |
| F&B | 1.5–3% | 25–40% | — | — | 40–55% (Lead→Order) |
| DTC fashion | 1.2–2.8% | — | — | — | 1.5–3.5% (Visitor→Order) |
| Education | 1.3–2.8% | 15–25% | 50–60% | — | 8–18% (Lead→Enroll) |
| Real estate | 1.0–2.0% | 10–18% | 35–45% | 12–20% | 8–18% |
| SaaS regional | 0.8–2.0% | 8–16% | — | — | 12–22% (Trial→Paid) |

### CPM / CPL / CAC (SEA 2025–2026)

| Channel | CPM (USD) | CPL (USD) | CAC range (USD) |
|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
| Meta — service business | $1–$3 | $1.50–$5 | $5–$25 |
| Meta — e-commerce | $1–$3 | $1–$3 | $3–$15 |
| TikTok Ads | $1–$2 | $1–$3 | $3–$15 |
| Google Search | (CPC $0.30–$1.50) | $3–$15 | $10–$40 |
| Shopee/Lazada Ads | (CPC $0.05–$0.25) | — | $2–$12 |
| Zalo OA broadcast | ~$0.01/msg | $0.50–$2 | $3–$15 |
| LINE OA (TH) | ~$0.05/msg | $1–$3 | $5–$25 |

> SEA CPMs are 5-15x cheaper than US — but conversion rates and AOV are also lower. Net CAC is competitive.

---

## Example 1 — Reverse calc: Vietnam Spa, $8K/month revenue target

**Inputs:**
- AOV: $35 (≈ VND 875K)
- Industry: Beauty/Spa service
- Channels: Meta + TikTok + Zalo OA
- Funnel: Inbox-driven (Messenger/Zalo)

**Reverse calculation (Base scenario):**

| Step | Pessimistic | Base | Optimistic |
|------|-------------|------|------------|
| Revenue target | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| AOV | $35 | $35 | $35 |
| **Customers needed** | **229** | **229** | **229** |
| Booking → Customer | 40% | 50% | 60% |
| **Bookings needed** | **572** | **458** | **381** |
| Lead → Booking | 50% | 60% | 68% |
| **Leads needed** | **1,144** | **763** | **560** |
| Inbox → Lead | 50% | 60% | 70% |
| **Inboxes needed** | **2,288** | **1,272** | **800** |
| CPI (Cost per Inbox / CPMess) | $2.50 | $1.50 | $0.90 |
| **Ad budget** | **$5,720** | **$1,908** | **$720** |
| **ROAS** | **1.4x** | **4.2x** | **11.1x** |

**Read:**
- Pessimistic: $5.7K spend → ROAS 1.4x → tight margin
- Base: $1.9K → ROAS 4.2x → healthy for service business
- Optimistic: $720 → ROAS 11x → only achievable with strong UGC/KOL

**Plan with $1.9K base. SEA CPMs allow much smaller budgets than US/EU for same revenue.**

---

## Example 2 — Forward calc: Thailand DTC Fashion, $5K/mo budget

**Inputs:**
- AOV: $25 (≈ THB 875)
- Industry: DTC fashion via Shopee + own website
- Channels: TikTok + Meta + Shopee Ads

**Forward calculation:**

| Step | Pessimistic | Base | Optimistic |
|------|-------------|------|------------|
| Budget | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| CPM (TikTok-heavy) | $1.80 | $1.20 | $0.80 |
| **Impressions** | **2.78M** | **4.17M** | **6.25M** |
| CTR | 1.0% | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| **Clicks** | **27,778** | **62,500** | **137,500** |
| Visitor → Order | 1.5% | 2.5% | 3.5% |
| **Orders** | **417** | **1,563** | **4,813** |
| AOV | $25 | $25 | $25 |
| **Revenue** | **$10,425** | **$39,063** | **$120,313** |
| **ROAS** | **2.1x** | **7.8x** | **24.1x** |

**Read:**
- Base case ROAS 7.8x is realistic for SEA DTC due to ultra-low CPM
- Optimistic 24x is achievable on viral TikTok Shop product
- SEA DTC margins often 50%+ allow lower ROAS thresholds

---

## SEA-specific cost considerations

| Cost line | Typical % of revenue | Notes |
|-----------|---------------------|-------|
| Ad spend | 12–25% | Lower than US/EU due to cheap CPM |
| COGS (white-label) | 20–35% | Often lower than US — direct CN sourcing |
| Shipping (domestic) | 3–8% | Subsidized via Shopee/Lazada often |
| Payment processing | 1.5–3% | Local e-wallets cheaper (Momo, GrabPay) |
| Returns / cancellations (COD) | 15–30% | Cash-on-delivery cancel rate is the big one |
| Platform fees (Shopee/Lazada) | 4–8% | Plus ad fees |
| KOL / UGC | 5–15% | Influencer-heavy market |
| Software / tools | 1–4% | Pancake, Ahachat, Harafunnel cheaper than US ESPs |

---

## SEA-specific seasonality

| Period | CPM impact | Action |
|--------|-----------|--------|
| Tet (Vietnam, Jan/Feb) | +30–50% | Massive spending pre-Tet; pause during week of |
| Songkran (Thailand, Apr) | +20–30% | Holiday spending peak |
| Lebaran/Eid (Indonesia, Malaysia, varies) | +30–50% | THE biggest sales period |
| Single's Day (11.11) | +40–80% | Auction peak, plan 6 weeks ahead |
| Black Friday | +20–40% | Less impact than US/EU but rising |
| 12.12 / 11.11 / 10.10 / 9.9 | +30–60% (each) | Shopee/Lazada platform sales |
| Mid-year (Jun-Aug) | -10–15% | Quieter, cheaper for testing |

---

## SEA-specific examples by industry

### F&B delivery in Vietnam ($8 AOV)

```
Goal: 1,000 orders/week
CPL $0.80, Lead→Order 35%
Required leads/week: 1,000 / 0.35 = 2,857
Weekly budget: 2,857 × $0.80 = $2,286
Monthly: $9,144
```

### Education in Thailand ($300 ACV)

```
Goal: 30 enrollments/month
CPL $4, Lead→Enroll 10%
Required leads: 300
Monthly budget: 300 × $4 = $1,200 (Meta+TikTok)
+ Free webinar funnel: $500/mo content
Total: $1,700/mo to land $9,000 revenue
ROAS: 5.3x
```

### DTC supplements (Indonesia) — Shopee + own website

```
AOV $40, Margin 50%
Goal: $20K/month
Orders: 500
Channel split: 60% Shopee, 40% own site
Shopee CAC ~$5, own-site CAC ~$10
Blended monthly budget: $4,000
ROAS: 5x
```

---

## SEA inbox/messaging-specific calc

For service businesses (spa, education, real estate) where sales happen via inbox:

```
Inbox → Lead conversion: function of (response speed × script quality)
- <5min response: +20% conversion
- Scripted answers: +15% conversion
- WhatsApp/Zalo voice messages: +10% conversion vs text only

Lead → Booking: function of (follow-up frequency × incentive)
- Same-day follow-up: +25%
- 3-touch sequence: +30%
- Limited-time offer: +15%
```

---

## Quality checklist — SEA variant

- [ ] Currency confirmed (USD or local — VND, THB, IDR, PHP, MYR, SGD)
- [ ] AOV in user's reporting currency
- [ ] If service business: inbox-to-booking metric included
- [ ] If COD: cancellation rate factored
- [ ] If e-com: platform vs DTC split clear
- [ ] If KOL/UGC: separate budget line
- [ ] Tet/Songkran/Lebaran seasonality factored
- [ ] If Vietnam: Zalo OA cost included
- [ ] If Thailand: LINE OA cost included
- [ ] Local payment methods integrated (Momo, GrabPay, GoPay)
- [ ] Mobile-first design verified

---

## Cross-reference

- Full SKILL.md router: `../SKILL.md`
- Other regions: `01-us.md`, `02-eu.md`, `04-latam.md`
- Performance eval: `../../03-performance-eval-global/variants/03-sea.md`
- Channel setup: `../../11-channel-setup-global/variants/03-sea.md`
