The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged most businesses across the globe, but the consequent lockdown measures have also served as a catalyst for online marketplaces to gain wider acceptance. Consumers who were cooped up in their homes—some of whom were mall rats during prepandemic times—had no choice but to turn to digital platforms for their retail therapy.
Lazada is among those that have seen a much more thriving marketplace during this pandemic.
As joblessness surged while the domestic economy fell to its deepest recession in history, Southeast Asia’s leading online selling platform Lazada paved the way for many small and medium enterprises to pivot to the digital space.
Founded in 2012, Lazada Group has established a presence in six Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—connecting this vast and diverse region through its technology, logistics and payments capabilities. In 2016, it became the regional flagship of the Alibaba Group. By 2030, its goal is to serve 300 million customers.
During its ninth anniversary celebration this year, Lazada paid tribute not only to front-line essential workers who have tirelessly worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to individuals in its seller community who have, “in their own ways, demonstrated resilience and touched the lives of people around them.”
TRIZIE Fiber is a wellness product company founded in Thailand, exclusively sold by luxury lifestyle retailer BFF Bangkok. TRIZIE Fiber was incepted when founder Darla’s former college professor introduced her to the owner of BFF Bangkok, Porsajika Thongsuk, who wanted to bring TRIZIE to the Philippines. Teaming up with former college acquaintances and mentors, Darla launched TRIZIE on Lazada in Oct. 2020.
“Lazada was our top choice because it’s the first and largest e-commerce platform in the country. With its scale, network, and credibility, Lazada helped kick-start our brand successfully with their reach, credentials, and payment options. The platform enabled our customers to easily discover our pilot products, and the new items we subsequently launched, like our new wellness accessories. It solved a lot of first-time shopping barriers for shoppers, too—like credibility of the quality, payment options and pickup options,” Bautista said.
Darla attributes her firm’s success during Lazada’s 11.11 sale with the seller support provided by this online platform. She noted how the Lazada team had been consistently reaching out to ensure that businesses were poised for growth, making the platform an ideal partner for both aspiring and budding entrepreneurs.
“We’ve overdelivered revenue expectations month-on-month since our launch last year, and we’ve consistently been landing a spot as one of the top 10 LazMall health brands!” Bautista said.
Meryll Dy, owner of Mighty Baby PH, has been distributing products in established retail stores in the Philippines since 2014. However, she saw a rising need to strengthen her online brand presence and widen her network to reach more potential customers across the country. This led to Meryll’s decision to start selling on Lazada in 2014. She and her team were one of the first few sellers on Lazada. Today, her brand is one of Lazada’s top 15 brands under the mom and baby category.
“For the first few years with Lazada, we were not very active in joining campaigns, and the look of our online store was pretty ordinary. We hired more manpower two years ago to focus on just Lazada, and also spruce our store up to make it more aesthetically pleasing for our customers. Our sales have grown exponentially since.”
“Revenue from traditional brick-and mortar-stores dipped the past couple of months due to the pandemic, but we are very happy that we have Lazada to back us up as a partner that will help us grow our business. They have completely changed the online shopping scene in the Philippines,” said Dy.
Baylon used to work for a small digital marketing agency that provided services for several e-commerce businesses across the globe selling on Amazon, E-Bay and Shopify. Eventually, she left her 9 to 5 job to start her own business. She had a vision of creating organic beauty products that are chemical-free, safe and affordable. Thus was how Greenika was born and the brand was onboarded onto Lazada in Oct. 2018.
Almost three years since joining Lazada, Greenika now has over 100,000 followers, with two shops that make a sizeable monthly revenue. “I’m extremely grateful for Lazada because selling on the platform has enabled me to make money to pay off all of my bank loans and debts, and now has given me the opportunity to purchase properties I’ve always dreamt of providing for my family. I wouldn’t have been able to reach all these milestones if it wasn’t for Lazada. Lazada University has been an essential tool enabling me to learn how to build a stronger presence on the platform, and gain traffic for our page and products. This is why we have seen tremendous improvement month after month,” Baylon said.
As starting a business from the ground up may seem very daunting at first, Lazada offers a multitude of tools, educational modules and excellent seller services to guide them throughout the process.
Putting customers first should be top-of-mind for any aspiring business owner, Baylon said.
“As we celebrate Lazada’s ninth anniversary this month, we want to also thank our sellers and partners for their support and trust in Lazada as they forge ahead in their digital transformation journeys. We hope to continue to inspire even more local entrepreneurs in their e-commerce journeys, and support them to grow and build a stronger digital economy in the Philippines,”
-Carlos Barrera, Lazada Philippines chief operating officer.
