Demand for smartphones in Thailand is soaring, according to a new report by market research firm GfK Asia. Almost 3 million smartphones were sold in just the first four months of this year. Demand is particularly strong in Isaan, where sales have more than tripled in the last year. Thailand is now the second largest Southeast Asian market for smartphones after Indonesia, and GfK expects the country to experience at least 70% sales growth in 2014. However, the report states that despite the growth in smartphone usage, there has not been much of an increase in e-commerce or in online news. Rather, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are gaining in popularity.
Quartz