Internet coverage has been increasing rapidly in SouthEast Asia in this on-going Digital age. Singapore, with a population of 5.5 million as of 2015, has 4 millions Internet users. In the same year, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and The Philippines are all considered major countries in terms of Internet coverage, with tens of millions Internet users each. And it is expected that those numbers will increase from 25% to 120% in the coming year 2016 [1].

Consequently, websites are increasingly frequently referred to as an easily accessible representation of each organization. Business partners, consumers and the public often visit websites to get the first impression and a quick judgement of the organizations they are considering to work with. 81% of consumers go online to check for more information before heading out to the store, according to a study [2] in 2013.

Organizations in developed countries have already caught up with the situation and shifted focus on their website as strategic branding moves. Major Publishers, Institutes, Universities and companies in those countries have been changing their websites regularly to get their online identity up-to-date.

References
[1] e27’s statistics
[2] GE Capital Retail Bank’s study