Google Thailand Aiming To Get 3 Million Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises Online

[webfact]

Google aiming to get 3 million SMEs online

ASINA PORNWASIN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Google Thailand next year will focus on helping 3 million small and medium-sized enterprises get online. Currently, only 10 per cent of the Kingdom's SMEs have adopted online business.

This is a similar proportion to those in Malaysia and Indonesia, while 30 per cent of Singapore's SMEs are online.

Ariya Banomyong, country head of Google Thailand, said SMEs were the backbone of the country's economy. These companies are facing the forces of technology and consumer behaviour. The big trend is SoLoMo (social, local, mobile media), expected to force businesses to have a presence on Internet.

"Thailand can have a similar proportion [to Singapore], with 30 per cent of SMEs going online," Ariya said, noting the success of Google's Go Online scheme this year.

There now are 24 million Internet users in Thailand, while 28 per cent of the population, or about 18 million people, use smart phones. This shows the importance of SMEs going online.

"'Go Online, in this context, means business must have a presence online by having websites. It is not about e-commerce. Business cannot avoid online. Online is the trend. If businesses do not adjust to be online, they will not survive. Eighty per cent of consumers seek information on the Internet on products or services they might like to purchase," he said.

Besides its search-engine platform, Google has three main business units: Google AdWords via computer and mobile phone; Google Display Network, covering 90 per cent of total Internet traffic in Thailand; and Google Admob (on iOS and Android) advertising in mobile applications.

He noted that going online, especially with enhanced availability of third-generation wireless broadband, would be more important for SMEs as the Asean Economic Community comes into effect in just over two years.

"Partnership is the key success factor for helping Google drive Google AdWords services," Ariya said.

Google has four premium SME partners: ReadyPlanet, Webnatics, NBC and TopSpace. Ready Planet, a 12-year-old website and online service provider, has been a key partner for three years.

Songyot Kanthamanon, chief executive officer of ReadyPlanet, said the partnership allowed it to assist Thai SMEs. "Now, we have 10,000 websites on our service," he said.

The beauty of Google AdWords is that businesses can start with the minimum cost and then set their own budgets and get quick feedback.

"During the three years, SMEs increased usage of Google AdWords by 100 per cent," Songyot said.

ReadyPlanet has increased its revenue from providing the AdWords service by more than 40 per cent over three years. Next year, the company aims to increase revenue from providing AdWords by more than 50 per cent both through the growing number of companies using it and how much they spend.

"We have nine Google AdWords certified professionals to help our customers go online efficiently. About 10-20 per cent of our 10,000 customers are now using Google AdWords," Songyot said. Half of ReadyPlanet's revenue comes from its do-it-yourself website platform, 40 per cent from Google AdWords, and 10 per cent from its training service.

-- The Nation 2012-11-06

[asiawatcher]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

[davejones]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Edited November 6, 2012 by davejones

[belg]

how many farmers in singapore? how many street vendors in singapore ? how many low or no education labor in singapore?

apples and oranges

[Havco]

Okay, Google like any business has an opportunity to grow a region/market. Not everything has to be in English to work/be successful. And it is apples and oranges simply for the fact room for growth.

[snowgard]

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai.

The most of they don't want do business online because they don't know how!!! This I can tell for sure!!! I mean look the most thai websites who want to sell something. 90% of it don't show prices. If you ask 10 companies for a price or a quotation (e-mail in english and thai) you can be happy if you got a answer from 2. So what they want in internet. Websites who don't show a price never see me again. Same as real shops.

[jcw]

When purchasing something online, how does the trust factor and likely hood of being ripped off between a vendor in Thailand who doesn't have any idea of what a warranty is and is located in the land of scams compared to Singapore where the law is upheld ?

Of those 18 million smart phones, how many are fakes? Likely 90%

Most Thai companies have an online presence, it's called face book. Google is trying to claw back Facebooks dominance in the Thai market.

Personally, I can't wait for Facebook to go the way of myspace...........

.

[965purity]

How, pray tell, do they formulate the ambitious goal of helping 3 million SMEs get online when the records of Thailand's own Department of Business Development only shows a little over 1 million businesses (including corporations and liquidated and defunct companies and partnerships) registered all-time?

Should we postulate that the missing 2 million are less formal undertakings? I suppose we're just benighted foreigners for not seeing the immediate benefit of Google's might to roadside fruit stands; certainly I need online assistance to pick out the best watermelons. And certainly those smartphone toting farm country villagers need the help finding their way to the som tam shack one soi over.

[PaulHamon]

Maybe the could hurry up and open up Google Checkout for Thailand then, that woudl help. They'll let you spend money with Google Wallet but will not let Thai business collect money via Google Checkout. Very painful for SME in Thailand wanting to sell goods and services online to the world.

[davejones]

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai.

The most of they don't want do business online because they don't know how!!! This I can tell for sure!!! I mean look the most thai websites who want to sell something. 90% of it don't show prices. If you ask 10 companies for a price or a quotation (e-mail in english and thai) you can be happy if you got a answer from 2. So what they want in internet. Websites who don't show a price never see me again. Same as real shops.

But this is the whole point. It's about getting people online. The same could be said about the USA and UK years ago. Everyone has to start somewhere. Because they don't know now doesn't mean they can't learn. I know quite a few people that are getting websites for their businesses. This will grow in the future. If we left everything up to the likes of you we'd all be living in the dark ages.

[davejones]

How, pray tell, do they formulate the ambitious goal of helping 3 million SMEs get online when the records of Thailand's own Department of Business Development only shows a little over 1 million businesses (including corporations and liquidated and defunct companies and partnerships) registered all-time?

Should we postulate that the missing 2 million are less formal undertakings? I suppose we're just benighted foreigners for not seeing the immediate benefit of Google's might to roadside fruit stands; certainly I need online assistance to pick out the best watermelons. And certainly those smartphone toting farm country villagers need the help finding their way to the som tam shack one soi over.

I'm pretty sure that Google has much better information to base their estimates on than you do. I think people like you miss the point completely and don't really understand what the internet and social media is all about. You obviously don't have a business and probably wouldn't have any idea how to run one. So leave it to the people that so know. Getting more businesses online will be great for Thailand's economy. There are many companies out there that I would probably buy from even if they had the simplest of websites that enabled me to find them. The same is true for millions of other people. Many small businesses that aren't online are really missing out on these opportunities.

[pmem]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Then why are the Chinese hastily learning English?

[Colabamumbai]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

And when I ask Thai people what they do on the computer the answer is always "play game."

[davejones]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

And when I ask Thai people what they do on the computer the answer is always "play game."

Says more about the Thai people you know. But lots of people in USA also play games. That doesn't mean that companies shouldn't have a website.

[davejones]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Then why are the Chinese hastily learning English?

I assume there are a variety of reason that they want to learn English. Likewise, lots of English-speaking people are learning Chinese. If you deal with Chinese companies, then speaking the language can give you a huge advantage. I'm not saying that Thai people shouldn't learn English. It just seems that many English-speaking posters on here would like Thais to learn English just because the posters are too lazy to learn Thai. The Thais that need to learn English do learn it. The ones that work for Thai companies dealing with Thai consumers have no real need to learn English.

[DavoTheGun]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Then why are the Chinese hastily learning English?

I assume there are a variety of reason that they want to learn English. Likewise, lots of English-speaking people are learning Chinese. If you deal with Chinese companies, then speaking the language can give you a huge advantage. I'm not saying that Thai people shouldn't learn English. It just seems that many English-speaking posters on here would like Thais to learn English just because the posters are too lazy to learn Thai. The Thais that need to learn English do learn it. The ones that work for Thai companies dealing with Thai consumers have no real need to learn English.

Absolute nonsense, English has become the universal language for doing business, even the Chinese recognize that! I think that if the Thai's are to progress< as I believe they should, English must be taught in the Public Schools. Burma teaches English, as does Vietnam, don't know about Laos or Cambodia.

[davejones]

Absolute nonsense, English has become the universal language for doing business, even the Chinese recognize that! I think that if the Thai's are to progress< as I believe they should, English must be taught in the Public Schools. Burma teaches English, as does Vietnam, don't know about Laos or Cambodia.

The people that get the best deals at Chinese factories are people that can speak Chinese. That's a fact. Yes, the Chines in those situations tend to learn English, but not all of them. Those Western buyers who make the effort to learn Chinese are way ahead of the people that stick to English. English is the language of business, but it still means you'll miss some good deals if you stick to just that. Wherever it is in the world, make an effort to learn the local language and you'll have a much better experience in all respects, even if the locals can speak English. English speakers who don't bother are excluded from many things, including some great business deals. But they'll never know what they are missing.

[backtonormal]

Maybe the could hurry up and open up Google Checkout for Thailand then, that woudl help. They'll let you spend money with Google Wallet but will not let Thai business collect money via Google Checkout. Very painful for SME in Thailand wanting to sell goods and services online to the world.

Most Thais can use a system called www.thaiepay.com Even farangs can use it. Once they have checkout your website

Edited November 6, 2012 by backtonormal

[KRS1]

I hate Google and their obligatory annual search algorythm changes.

I wish someone would crash their system and destroy them.

[osiboy]

When purchasing something online, how does the trust factor and likely hood of being ripped off between a vendor in Thailand who doesn't have any idea of what a warranty is and is located in the land of scams compared to Singapore where the law is upheld ?

Of those 18 million smart phones, how many are fakes? Likely 90%

Most Thai companies have an online presence, it's called face book. Google is trying to claw back Facebooks dominance in the Thai market.

Personally, I can't wait for Facebook to go the way of myspace...........

.

they all give info to big brother anyway, including google who are prob the worst out of them all,., hope they all flop / fail but cant see it happening

[IsaanUSA]

I wish they would get more business on their Google maps. It's pretty good now, but more is always better. Google maps is so convenient, in my opinion.

[Colabamumbai]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

And when I ask Thai people what they do on the computer the answer is always "play game."

Says more about the Thai people you know. But lots of people in USA also play games. That doesn't mean that companies shouldn't have a website.

I did not suggest that they should not have websites, but in quoting th above poster, who is going to man these websites, they need qualified English speakers if they intend to market to the world, after all isn't English the main language for business worldwide, or is it Thai? Can they read or write English, can they reply the same day, can they answer the customers questions in English in a timely manner. I have dealt with a number of Thai websites and some do have qualified English speakers and do reply within one day, but those are the minority, when searcing products here in Thailand for what would be foreign clients who contact me directly because I am a Native English speaker and can speak Thai, the would be buyers are afraid or do not want to go to the Thai websites, only my experiences.

[davejones]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

And when I ask Thai people what they do on the computer the answer is always "play game."

Says more about the Thai people you know. But lots of people in USA also play games. That doesn't mean that companies shouldn't have a website.

I did not suggest that they should not have websites, but in quoting th above poster, who is going to man these websites, they need qualified English speakers if they intend to market to the world, after all isn't English the main language for business worldwide, or is it Thai? Can they read or write English, can they reply the same day, can they answer the customers questions in English in a timely manner. I have dealt with a number of Thai websites and some do have qualified English speakers and do reply within one day, but those are the minority, when searcing products here in Thailand for what would be foreign clients who contact me directly because I am a Native English speaker and can speak Thai, the would be buyers are afraid or do not want to go to the Thai websites, only my experiences.

Most Thai businesses cater to Thai people, so they don't have any need to cater to English speaking people. And they also don't have any need to market to the whole world. What is this fixation so many posters on here have with Thai people learning English. I also think it would be good if they learnt English, but they certainly don;t need it to build Thai websites.

[Amras]

Maybe the could hurry up and open up Google Checkout for Thailand then, that woudl help. They'll let you spend money with Google Wallet but will not let Thai business collect money via Google Checkout. Very painful for SME in Thailand wanting to sell goods and services online to the world.

You can't even use Google Checkout in Australia, or anywhere outside the US/UK. So it's going to be a long time before it comes to Thailand. There are other options, but not a lot. Paypal is obviously the universally available one, but I only use it where it's needed (catch 22 with Paypal). There is a online gateway based in Malaysia that is connected with the SCB which you can use.

But true, options are limited...but that's because the market need to grow. There needs to be the demand.

I hate Google and their obligatory annual search algorythm changes.

I wish someone would crash their system and destroy them.

It's needed to stop/hinder people gaming the system by 'cheating' with their SEO. Google updates the algorithms to enhance the quality of information for the searcher, which is trying to get it to be better and of higher quality. I see nothing wrong with that....and neither do most people...except those who were 'gaming' the system and got hit and then complained. None of my website have been adversely affected, because we do everything the right way.

[Bagwan]

Another 3 million on an already creaking Internet? Yeah, that'll work.

[davejones]

Another 3 million on an already creaking Internet? Yeah, that'll work.

That's exactly what people in the USA and UK used to say. I remember reading many articles about how the internet was doomed because there wasn't enough capacity. Don't you realise that the internet can be expanded and speeded up. Reseachers have already managed to down load the equivalent of 40 movies in 1 second. They are now working on commercialising it. Nor so long ago in the UK we only had 56Kb dial up. Things change. Luckily you aren't in charge otherwise everyone would just give up.

[Ferangled]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Then why are the Chinese hastily learning English?

Many seem to miss the point that China excel as manufacturers and suppliers but not as consumers. Perhaps if you are selling cheap rice but then again the Thais prefer to sit on that and let it rot... that and I believe the Chinese have a few paddy fields of their own.

Unfortunately the vast majority of the Chinese have virtually no disposable income and as a result don't make an ideal consumer market. They are learning English to help reach their target consumers - the US and Europeans.

That said those touting high-end luxury wares would do well to focus on the wealthy Chinese who have a real taste for Beemers and Bentleys, Prada & Gucci etc but unfortunately high-end luxury brands and Thailand don't sit too well together; perhaps better to learn the slightly wider spoken English tongue to appeal to a wider international market?

I'm not really sure what the marketing advantages are, being able to communicate in Mandarin to billions of people with no interest in your products or money to buy them with...

[davejones]

But can the SME's read or write English? That may be a major factor, and doing business globally - hardly likely it will be of interest in global business if in Thai. The internet is global as is business and the translation programmes are not very good at all. Thailand public schools do not teach English, that seem to be reserved for International or schools that have a 'cost' attached. Sad state of affairs but it keeps the population in the controlling hands of those who wish to manipulate the masses.

They will be doing business locally, so will be communicating in Thai. The internet is local as well as global. If a Thai person wants info on a Thai restaurant, then they will expect it to be in Thai not English.

As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese.

Then why are the Chinese hastily learning English?

Many seem to miss the point that China excel as manufacturers and suppliers but not as consumers. Perhaps if you are selling cheap rice but then again the Thais prefer to sit on that and let it rot... that and I believe the Chinese have a few paddy fields of their own.

Unfortunately the vast majority of the Chinese have virtually no disposable income and as a result don't make an ideal consumer market. They are learning English to help reach their target consumers - the US and Europeans.

That said those touting high-end luxury wares would do well to focus on the wealthy Chinese who have a real taste for Beemers and Bentleys, Prada & Gucci etc but unfortunately high-end luxury brands and Thailand don't sit too well together; perhaps better to learn the slightly wider spoken English tongue to appeal to a wider international market?

I'm not really sure what the marketing advantages are, being able to communicate in Mandarin to billions of people with no interest in your products or money to buy them with...

You seem to be making the assumption that the only Chinese you can sell to are rich consumers. What about all the Chinese businesses that need to buy all sorts of things. Thailand does well in auto manufacturing and other engineering. There is plenty of scope in just that sector to do a huge amount of business with China. I don't think you realise how much trade actually takes places between these countries already. You seem very short-sighted, as are many others. But that is ok, as others are willing to make the effort, and it is them that will reap the rewards.

Also there is opportunity for Thais to work in China and other Asian counties. I know a Thai pharmacist who works in China and earns multiples of what he could earn here. Being able to speak Chinese was crucial to him getting the job.

Too many (like you) have an overly simplistic view of the business world. It's not all about selling to consumers; that is only a small part of it.

Edited November 7, 2012 by davejones

[Ferangled]

You seem to be making the assumption that the only Chinese you can sell to are rich consumers. What about all the Chinese businesses that need to buy all sorts of things. Thailand does well in auto manufacturing and other engineering. There is plenty of scope in just that sector to do a huge amount of business with China. I don't think you realise how much trade actually takes places between these countries already. You seem very short-sighted, as are many others. But that is ok, as others are willing to make the effort, and it is them that will reap the rewards.

Also there is opportunity for Thais to work in China and other Asian counties. I know a Thai pharmacist who works in China and earns multiples of what he could earn here. Being able to speak Chinese was crucial to him getting the job.

Too many (like you) have an overly simplistic view of the business world. It's not all about selling to consumers; that is only a small part of it.

Sorry but I think the overly simplistic view was already made obvious by this comment... "As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese."

I really wish there was a flourishing middle class of Chinese eager to buy products and engage in business with foreigners, unfortunately the reality is slightly different. You also seem to miss the fact that "Chinese" as a language is actually made up of various different languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu and Min to name a few. Quite a simplistic generalisation no? Should they be learning all 4 major languages to succeed in China or perhaps by learning the one common language currently used in international trade with China (namely English) they'd be better positioned?

Yes Chinese is in use by c.1/5th of the World's population but the vast majority of these people reside in China alone. As a global language for business English is a much wider spoken language and globally recognised as the common ground language. English is spoken daily between millions of people as a 2nd language that forms a common form of communication. Mandarin is not. Neither is Cantonese. Neither is Wu or Min or even "Standard Chinese".

Auto manufacture in Thailand & SMEs? Right-o, the Japanese giants like Toyota are actually small business enterprises eh?! I'm glad your pharmacist friend is doing well in China, there are always exceptions to the rule. Most I know that have set up concerns in China have only horror stories to tell.

Yes, there is money to be made in China but mainly via big corporations not SMEs and I'm sorry but suggesting that "chinese" is preferable as a 2nd language to English in Thailand is madness. Most Thais that will ever do business in China are from Thai-Chinese families that already have a foot in the door and already have Chinese as a 2nd language.

IMHO SMEs in Thailand would do better to focus on English proficiency as a route to communicating with a GLOBAL market, not solely China. That would be a very short-sighted approach and quite a simplistic summary of the situation don't you think?!

[DavoTheGun]

You seem to be making the assumption that the only Chinese you can sell to are rich consumers. What about all the Chinese businesses that need to buy all sorts of things. Thailand does well in auto manufacturing and other engineering. There is plenty of scope in just that sector to do a huge amount of business with China. I don't think you realise how much trade actually takes places between these countries already. You seem very short-sighted, as are many others. But that is ok, as others are willing to make the effort, and it is them that will reap the rewards.

Also there is opportunity for Thais to work in China and other Asian counties. I know a Thai pharmacist who works in China and earns multiples of what he could earn here. Being able to speak Chinese was crucial to him getting the job.

Too many (like you) have an overly simplistic view of the business world. It's not all about selling to consumers; that is only a small part of it.

Sorry but I think the overly simplistic view was already made obvious by this comment... "As for not learning English - Thais would do better to learn Chinese."

I really wish there was a flourishing middle class of Chinese eager to buy products and engage in business with foreigners, unfortunately the reality is slightly different. You also seem to miss the fact that "Chinese" as a language is actually made up of various different languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu and Min to name a few. Quite a simplistic generalisation no? Should they be learning all 4 major languages to succeed in China or perhaps by learning the one common language currently used in international trade with China (namely English) they'd be better positioned?

Yes Chinese is in use by c.1/5th of the World's population but the vast majority of these people reside in China alone. As a global language for business English is a much wider spoken language and globally recognised as the common ground language. English is spoken daily between millions of people as a 2nd language that forms a common form of communication. Mandarin is not. Neither is Cantonese. Neither is Wu or Min or even "Standard Chinese".

Auto manufacture in Thailand & SMEs? Right-o, the Japanese giants like Toyota are actually small business enterprises eh?! I'm glad your pharmacist friend is doing well in China, there are always exceptions to the rule. Most I know that have set up concerns in China have only horror stories to tell.

Yes, there is money to be made in China but mainly via big corporations not SMEs and I'm sorry but suggesting that "chinese" is preferable as a 2nd language to English in Thailand is madness. Most Thais that will ever do business in China are from Thai-Chinese families that already have a foot in the door and already have Chinese as a 2nd language.

IMHO SMEs in Thailand would do better to focus on English proficiency as a route to communicating with a GLOBAL market, not solely China. That would be a very short-sighted approach and quite a simplistic summary of the situation don't you think?!

You are right on the money, English is the common language for business, and the Thai are very slow in understanding this,to have a Website, Facebook in Thai is a total waste of effort the percentage of Thai's who have the money, or in fact have access to the internet is very low, The School Kids who have access are not consumers, yet!