Thailand’s newly launched Cultural Cyber Mall is now showcasing the country’s cultural products online and allows consumers to purchase goods.
Initially, the government said the project will focus on products from the southern border provinces Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala. In the website’s pilot versions, the products are available in 3D animation so product features can be viewed from every angle and provide an enhanced shopping experience.
The government said customers can find more than 300 items online, separated into seven groups: art and cultural products, home furnishings, food and beverages, agricultural products and medicine, jewelry, garments, and other commodities.
The project is a collaboration among several entities, including the Ministry of Culture, Krung Thai Bank, Thailand Post Company, and Prince of Songkhla University, a university in southern Thailand, as well as the College of Arts, Media, and Technology, Chiang Mai University.
Permanent Secretary for Culture Somchai Seanglai said the Ministry will serve as the core agency in implementing the project in support of the government’s vision to provide a new distribution channel through which local people can present their products via a convenient e-commerce website.
The project has been cited as cooperative efforts by various agencies to help improve the southern situation through the use of cultural capital to create economic value. According to the website’s visitor data, the site is also gaining popularity among customers. At the end of 2012, the website will launch its New Year gift basket campaign, which will be available between November 2012 and January 2013.