There are many barriers. So far, most e-commerce sites are in English. A small market. While U.S. consumers are familiar with catalog shopping and buying goods over the telephone with a credit card, Asians aren't. Worries about Net security are exacerbated by the fact that many Asian governments have yet to pass laws to secure online credit card transactions.
Merchants can struggle to get online, too.
Telecom costs in Asia can be high. Because of security concerns, most local Hong Kong banks don't allow Net banking and won't give online retailers merchant accounts unless they also have physical stores. Then there is a fear of failure, which keeps the entrepreneurial spirit in check. In the Silicon Valley, it is OK to fail and learn. Still, a few e-commerce retailers are making a go of it in Asia.