We have now reached the beautiful Thailand. The country has a population of around 70 million people and around 30,000 temples, which comes up to about 3 domains per single temple! But let’s talk about hosting now.
Infrastructure and Domainity
Internet penetration there is quite good at 90% with 5G being everywhere, ensuring nice and easy internet access, especially in urban areas, however, outside top 10 world providers connections can be unstable sometimes. Despite Thailand’s big population there is only less than 100,000 domains. .th domains are costly, complicated to get and only allowed for exceptions such as some government institutions, but most popular domains still remain .in.th, .co.th, .gov.th at the price of around 20 euros per year. .com is also very popular as global brands are on demand due to good pricing.
Language Considerations
Thai is the primary language, but depending on the region there are large Russian or Chinese communities. Outside tourist hotspots, English proficiency is limited and that can pose a challenge when dealing with local hosting companies. Support services are 24/7, but they mainly operate in the local language and may not be able to communicate in English.
Hosting Solutions
Prices for services across the country are below average and when it comes to hosting, it is 2 times cheaper in Thailand than in Europe at the yearly cost of just around 25 euros, which usually covers essential features such as control panels and basic support.
Local Preferences
Thai people have high standards for customer service which is driven by their cultural emphasis on hospitality in many areas of life, and hosting is not an exception. Local hosting providers are masters at balancing quality with affordable prices, making their services attractive to many businesses.
Website builder popularity there is also rapidly growing and features like multi-user editing capabilities are appealing to agencies that need collaborative tools.
Payment Practices
In Thailand, cash is king, as some would say and it remains the main payment method. While PayPal, bank transfers, credit cards are also used, they are not too common. Cash is preferred due to the high transaction fees associated with card payments and cash withdrawal operations, which can be up to 5%. 2C2P and Opn QR code payments are popular among locals.
Lessons Learned
Lifehack #1: Real data can differ from previous tests’ results.
About half a year ago we did a test by creating a fake button on our website to sell emails to see if there was market demand and there was, people started clicking on it and trying to buy a feature that didn’t exist yet. Fast forward to now, email selling feature has been implemented and the result differs from that of the initial test.
Lifehack #2: Collaboration feature — Create Website Together.
Agencies appreciate the opportunity of several people being able to edit a website at the same time. Site.pro collaboration feature allows designers to work together with customers.
Final Thoughts
Hosting in Thailand presents a blend of affordability, decent internet infrastructure, and some unique cultural aspects. Of course, there are challenges, such as language barriers and less developed online payment systems, but the benefits of low cost hosting and excellent customer service make Thailand an attractive option for any business as long as you understand the country’s nuances.
