Tag: E-commerce

Singapore – Singapore-headquartered e-commerce platform Shopee retains its leadership as the most-visited e-commerce site in the Southeast Asia region in 2020, followed by similarly Singapore-born e-commerce Lazada, the newest report from e-commerce aggregator iPrice showed.

In the latest report that is in partnership with SimilarWeb and Appsflyer, Shopee topped the ranks, garnering on average 281,385,626 visits on the platform. In 2019, similarly earning the top spot Shopee had a total combined regional traffic of 2,061,511,094 on the platform.

Lazada is the second most-visited e-commerce platform, with a total average visit of 137,154,967 in 2020, where in 2019, it recorded total regional traffic of 1,843,848,694, likewise trailing Shopee. 

Meanwhile, Indonesia e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and Bukalapak ranked third and fourth respectively, each of them garnering on average 88,889,000 and 35,728,425 platform visits respectively, compared to their total visits of 906,032,258 and 646,348,016 in 2019 respectively.

Thegiodidong, a Vietnamese e-commerce platform, ranked five on the list, with an average 28,650,650 visits last year, in comparison to its 351,327,843 total visits in 2019.

The other platforms in the list saw some changes in the ranking, as Vietnamese e-commerce Sendo.vn dropped two ranks from its sixth rank in 2019 to being in the eighth rank in 2020. Meanwhile, Vietnamese e-commerce Tiki and Indonesia e-commerce Blibli moved one step higher than Sendo this time, garnering the sixth and seventh places respectively. 

Three brands, namely Singapore’s Qoo10, Indonesia’s JD ID, and fashion e-commerce site ZALORA, failed to be in the final list of top 10 key players in 2020 despite showing relevance in the second and fourth quarter of 2020.

Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia – As a way to encourage employees’ entrepreneurial spirit, Malaysia Airlines has launched MHartisans, an avenue for the airline employees to produce and sell their own handcrafted items through the airline’s flagship e-retail store, ‘Temptations’.

MHartisans is created to encourage employees to transform their hobbies and passion into income-generating projects during this pandemic for the aviation industry. To celebrate its launch, the airline will debut an exclusive line of dolls and memorabilia by two of its talented cabin crew.

The products were a memorabilia, including sticker sets, keychains, and protective mask folders, while also another one created by its own is an exclusive line of dolls are dressed in traditional Iban costumes that are worn during important ceremonies and festivals by the Ibans, which consists of three dolls, namely the ‘Sarawak doll’, ‘Sabah doll’, and ‘Kebaya Girl doll’. 

The ‘Kebaya Girl’ is dressed in Malaysia Airlines’ kebaya and styled according to the grooming standards of Malaysia Airlines, which includes the classic French twist hairstyle. The kebaya is hand-sewn from the actual fabric of Malaysia Airlines’ cabin crew uniform.

Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Lau Yin May, commented that this new initiative is an opportunity to support their colleagues, allowing them to feature Malaysian-made products which embody the nation’s cultures and heritage. She hopes that these products will instill national pride and love for Malaysia amongst the airline’s loyal customers, saying that the handicrafts will make an exciting and unique gift for friends and family to rekindle the love for Malaysia. 

 “We are thrilled to launch this fantastic line-up of handmade creations by Malaysia Airlines’ employees. With MHartisans, we now have a platform for our internal homegrown talents to showcase their innovations and nurture their entrepreneurial spirit,” added May.

MHartisans is open to all airline employees and will continue to feature more exclusive MH merchandise designed by them. 

Malaysia Airlines has also launched other initiatives focusing on increasing engagement among its employees. MHhomecooks, a special segment on its YouTube channel features its employees cooking Malaysian local favorite dishes, such as Laksa Johor Ikan Parang, Paratha with Kirti, and Nasi Hujan Panas.

Singapore – E-commerce platform Lazada has announced its first-ever local ambassador in Singapore, choosing celebrity Michelle Chong to represent the brand in the country. The company said this is part of the platform’s continued strategy to engage more with younger shoppers and promote Lazada’s key campaigns.

The ambassadorship will see Chong connect with various audience demographics, and hype brand campaigns in Singapore, starting with Lazada’s ninth birthday celebration on 27 March until the ‘9.9 Big Sale’ in September. 

Michelle Chong is a multi-hyphenate and a ‘familiar face’ in Singapore’s entertainment industry, serving as a producer, writer, director, actress as well as a local entrepreneur who is known for her ability to create memorable TV characters, such as Barbarella, The Noose, and popular online personalities such as Ah Lian, as well as school girl Chiang Ying Wen, among others.

During Chong’s key campaign promotions, she will introduce her three popular characters, namely Ah Lian, Chiang Ying Wen, and Sonia, whom local audiences are familiar with. Lazada believes that this strategy will help them better connect with all consumers on the platform, from households to young millennials and Gen Z shoppers, who shop for daily essentials and quality goods from LazMall and RedMart. 

The engagement activities will cover various touchpoints, including radio and television broadcast, outdoor media, and social media platforms on Lazada Singapore, as well as Chong’s own platforms, and Lazada’s live streaming channel LazLive.

Commenting on her ambassadorship, Chong said that being Lazada’s first local ambassador is a dream come true for her and expressed that she is honored to be associated with such a forward-thinking brand that has great taste and foresight.

Meanwhile, the Chief Marketing Officer of Lazada Singapore, Wook Kwon, said that the company is thrilled to have Chong as Lazada’s first ambassador in Singapore, saying that Michelle is one of the nation’s top comedic talents, and easily the most recognizable female comedic actress in the country, having created memorable characters that have resonated with a diverse audience.

“She will be able to effectively reach the younger generation with a relatable sense of humor, which ties in well with our strategy to connect more with shoppers on LazMall and RedMart as well. Beyond that, she has built a successful career and business for herself, and shares the same entrepreneurial spirit that Lazada supports,” said Kwon.

Furthermore, Kim Hoon, business development director of entertainment agency Left Profile, said, “We are excited about this collaboration and are humbled by Lazada’s recognition of Michelle’s talent and versatility in creating and personifying characters that entertain and touch different strata of audiences.”

Singapore – E-commerce platform Lazada hosted today its inaugural ‘Lazada Forward Women Awards’ 2021 in Singapore, to honor six outstanding women across the Southeast Asia region, who were thought to have formed new paths through the e-commerce space and have showcased resilience and innovation in their journeys as entrepreneurs. 

The event was live-streamed to viewers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam on the Lazada LazLive channel. It featured guest performers like Malaysia’s rap darling, Zamaera, and Singapore’s very own funny woman, Sharul Channa in celebration of International Women’s Month.

The inaugural Lazada Forward Women Awards 2021 comprise three award categories, namely the Creative Seller Award, Enterprising Seller Award, and Inspiring Seller Award. 

Among the first-six award recipients are Singapore’s Anne Ong of Anne’s Secret Recipes and Vietnam’s Pham Thi Xuan Hong of PinkShopGiayDep, where both took the ;’Creative Seller Award’.

Meanwhile, Philippines’ Georgianna Carlos of Fetch and Thailand’s Lalilla Thamnita of AggieHome earned the ‘Enterprising Seller Award’.

And lastly, for the ‘Inspiring Seller Award’, Indonesia’s Hanna Suhardi of Shopping Shoes and Malaysia’s Annie Chia of NLWK Florist won.

During the awards ceremony, Chun Li, the chief executive officer of Lazada Group, commented that he is honored to be around inspirational women today. 

“You found interesting and unique ways to leverage the Lazada platform to not only establish your online business but also to engage customers and build a niche following while uplifting the lives around you. Lazada is proud to be your partner and have the opportunity to be part of your successful journey,” said Chun Li.

As part of the Awards presentation ceremony, he also joined in a lively discussion moderated by Virginia Tan, the founding partner of Teja Ventures and co-founder of She Loves Tech, with panelist Ayesha Khanna, the CEO of Addo.ai, on the topic of ‘Growing Women Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia: Current Challenges and Opportunities’.

Singapore – As the pandemic forced businesses to shift to online, retail company FJ Benjamin (FJB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with e-commerce platform Lazada Singapore to boost its brands’ online-offline (O2O) retail experience e. The partnership aims to optimize regional online sales, as well as to expand and develop new FJB brands, to eventually integrate brick-and-mortar and virtual stores.

The signed MOU will see Lazada managing the full online ecosystem of FJB brands, developing new tailor-made solutions to deliver an excellent omnichannel customer experience for FJB brands in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The parties will also discuss with brand principals the opportunities for e-commerce in markets where Lazada has a presence, such as Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. 

Besides operating principal branded sites, it is also intended to host certain brands on LazMall as well as other regional sites, subject to principal approvals.

Group CEO of FJ Benjamin, Nash Benjamin, commented that the retail company has been strategizing and planning its omnichannel business model for some time now.

“This partnership with Lazada is intended to get us to where we want to be much faster and in a more cost-efficient manner. This will combine our respective capabilities to strengthen customer experience across brick and mortar and virtual channels,” said Benjamin.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Lazada Singapore, James Chang said that they are thrilled to be part of a new chapter with FJ Benjamin, valuing their trust in Lazada. Chang further shared that lifestyle, fashion and beauty are important pillars in their e-commerce plans and shoppers can now look forward to seeing more well-known brands and labels on their platform, for an integrated shopping experience.

“In the last year, Lazada has supported many businesses that adopted a multichannel approach to set up stores online and we know that our expertise in the e-commerce space will benefit and contribute to the success of a renowned brand like FJ Benjamin, and look forward to seeing positive results with them,” added Chang.

Last year’s lockdown forced FJB stores in Southeast Asia to close down, which led the company to turn to e-commerce. It has ramped up its online presence from one brand, the cult British fashion label Superdry, to almost all its brands including Guess, La Senza, Casio, Rebecca Minkoff, Pretty Ballerinas, Airfree, and Dr. Barbara Sturm. Some of the brands managed by FJB are already available on Lazada’s premiere shopping platform, Lazmall, such as La Senza, Pretty Ballerinas, and Petunia Pickle Bottom.

The press release shared that under the terms of the MOU, both FJB and Lazada will, within 90 days, work on a detailed action plan and a definitive agreement to move the partnership forward.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – To facilitate the global manufacturer to consumer (M2C) commerce in Southeast Asia, Malaysia-based omnichannel e-commerce solution provider Everpeaks® has launched its new integrated logistics platform called Fulfilment by Everpeaks (FBE).

The solution, generally characterized as a duty-free, e-commerce integrated warehousing and fulfilment solution allows global brands to tap into new markets, specifically in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, FBE integrates marketplaces and websites into the FBE System, connecting brand owners and manufacturers directly to consumers, eliminating layers of traditional retail operations and market barriers. 

The new FBE solution’s launch comes in perfect timing as the Southeast Asia e-commerce sector rapidly grows, where from 2015 to 2019, its value in the region increased nearly 600% from US$5.5B in 2015 to US$38B in 2019, research from Google, Temasek Holdings and Bain & Co. The same study also showed that the region’s internet economy is valued at US$100B in 2019, with a forecast of it rising to US$300B by 2025.

FBE operates under a technology platform that provides brand owners and manufacturers with an omnichannel inventory management feature, capable of integration with most e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Lazada, Shopee, and eBay, among others. It optimizes a total system solution that centralizes orders, tracks inventory, and automates order fulfilment, enabling sellers to create shipping plans, send shipments to the FBE Warehouse, and track shipments.

“The COVID-19 pandemic overhauled consumer purchasing behaviour across the globe, causing e-commerce to rise and drive a permanent shift in fulfilment and warehouse management technology. FBE simplifies end-to-end fulfilment operations, helping businesses grow without logistical restraints as they expand into new markets,” said Joachim Sebastian, founder and CEO of Everpeaks®.

Manila, Philippines – E-commerce platform Shopee in the Philippines is offering in-depth training and apprentice programs to Filipino e-commerce leaders to help them mold their technology skills essential to the growth of their e-commerce business. 

With the e-commerce landscape expected to reach US$12B in value by 2025, businesses are constantly looking to hire and retain talents to ensure their product offerings and solutions can meet the needs of the consumers. 

Shopee is currently offering three initiatives namely Shopee Apprentice Program, Global Leaders Program, and the Shopee Code League.

The Global Leaders Program, launched in 2018, is a 2-year graduate program consisting of four 6-month local and overseas rotations. Participants will help drive Shopee’s campaigns and new initiatives by working with local and overseas teams. Throughout the program, they are to receive mentorship from Shopee leaders and a structured learning and development program. 

Meanwhile, the Shopee Apprentice Program is designed to mold high-performing e-commerce talents through high-impact projects, specialized learning & development training, and mentorships by Shopee leaders, to make them ready to make a difference in the e-commerce and tech industry. 

Lastly, the Shopee Code League is an online coding competition that offers training workshops to students and professionals across the region. Shopee’s tech teams specially designed the challenges, ranging from data analytics to data science, where participants are challenged to analyze data sets, draw insightful conclusions, and solve the problems in a specified amount of time. The competition is open to pre-tertiary, undergraduates, post-graduates, and professionals from all fields keen to show off their coding skills. 

“As an e-commerce industry leader, it is not just a responsibility, but a privilege to support the next generation of Filipino talents. Shopee believes in the potential of every Filipino aspiring to work in e-commerce, and we want to strengthen their skills to help drive economic growth,” said Martin Yu, director at Shopee Philippines. 

He added, “We don’t stop with these programs; the learning culture that each Shopee employee enjoys is a big part of how we mold our leaders. We are excited to have even more young talents benefit from these programs and initiatives.”

Interested trainees for the aforementioned programs can be accessed directly at Shopee’s dedicated career website, and its Shopee Careers pages on Facebook.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Goobat, a Malaysian-based pharmaceutical technology company, is now accepting the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as a mode of payment on its e-commerce Goobat.care. 

Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency founded in 2009, has risen its validity within the financial market earning its spot as an acceptable new store of value. 

“There is a growing number of cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Malaysia. In fact, we have listened and learned that there is an increasing demand from consumers calling for the acceptance of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as a payment option and so, we believe this is a step in the right direction,” said Asher Looi, co-founder of Goobat.

He added, “Numerous central banks have been reported to begin exploring and adopting these cryptocurrencies. As part of the retail industry, we feel it is important and timely to educate the public that Bitcoin transactions are safe, and that users will still have full control of their money in their wallets,” pointing out that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the future of finance.

Bitcoin payments through the Goobat.care web store will be powered by US-based cryptocurrency clearing gateway Bitpay.

The existence of the Goobat.care e-commerce is a response to the local issue of some pharmacies in sub-urban areas that may not have full access of the much-needed medications. Further, due to the lack of economy of scale, these outlets would tend to retail products at steeper prices.

“When we set up Goobat.care, we wanted to ensure that we could help suburban consumers find what they need. So now we have more than 3,000 products online to offer, at affordable prices,” Looi added.

The Goobat.care e-commerce site.

Once a transaction is completed on Goobat.care, Klang Valley customers can choose to receive their products by Goobat.care’s 3-Hour Express Delivery, or opt for the Standard Delivery option. The latter is available to customers nationwide. 

Goobat also assures that it will provide special handling for some products that may be temperature sensitive, or can be affected by changes in humidity like probiotics and other medicines. By the end of January this year, Goobat plans to introduce a mobile app and incorporate more languages into its platform.

“We integrate the Big Data concept into the core of all touchpoints. Our end goal is to build an artificial intelligence (AI) model in the future to serve our clients better. In the long run, this AI model will serve to identify risk groups based on their [consumption] patterns, or buying patterns of Goobat.care, and we will offer personalized supplements suggestions to our consumers,” he added.

Singapore – Singapore-based e-commerce enabler Shopmatic has revealed that it is eyeing further expansion in Southeast Asia. 

Shopmatic, which offers various solutions for SMEs to establish their online store, is currently serving SEA markets Singapore and Malaysia, with a presence in Hong Kong, and India. 

In the nine months into 2020, the company has reported a revenue of over S$7M, between the period of April to December, exceeding its targets by 40%.

According to a press release, Shopmatic has witnessed great demand from customers in its markets, a testament to the digital wave which has been accelerated due to the effects of COVID-19. This led the company to introduce new solutions in response.

In April 2020, Shopmatic focused its efforts on providing managed solutions through one of its locally acquired companies, multichannel e-commerce solution CombineSell, in an aim to help move Singapore SMEs online by providing them an opportunity to outsource their digital team. A month after, Shopmatic launched a special solution for grocery or ‘kirana’ stores to go online and found great adoption from businesses across India and Singapore.

Speaking on what 2021 holds for Shopmatic, Co-founder and CEO Anurag Avula, said, “We are very happy that we were able to close 2020 on a hugely positive note and are now able to step into 2021 with even more aggressive plans to digitize local businesses and entrepreneurs in Singapore, India, Malaysia & Hong Kong.” 

Avula added, “We continue to make significant investments behind key resources to be able to drive our organization to the next level and expand footprint into new markets in South East Asia. At Shopmatic, our focus is to build a sustainable & profitable business and we are delighted that we’ve been able to reach this significant milestone a year ahead of plan.”

The company revealed that it is in advanced discussions with several investors for a Series B fund raise. Just very recently, Shopmatic has launched a whole new range of solutions allowing SMEs to choose from four different ways to run e-commerce via Shopmatic Chat, Shopmatic Social, Shopmatic Webstore, and Shopmatic Marketplaces.

Singapore – KADDRA, a local-based commercial technology company, has announced the conclusion of its first phase of integration with e-commerce platform Shopify in a move to offer a comprehensive e-commerce ecosystem for SMEs on both mobile app commerce and web-based digital stores.

The new integration enables businesses to cover both digital sales channels, while increasing sales, widening marketing reach, and improving customer satisfaction and engagement.

“With its user-friendly accessibility, Shopify is an ideal partner for KADDRA to integrate with, and give both Shopify and KADDRA clients the opportunity to sell their products on both mobile and desktop seamlessly,” KADDRA stated in its press statement.

The local-based tech company provides mobile app commerce and marketing solutions, connecting businesses with their customers through a white label end-to-end platform. This then improves sales processes, marketing reach and customer service to partner SMEs through a subscription-based model.

“We have developed the most advanced mobile solution to date, offering native app commerce technology on a subscription model which fits perfectly with the SaaS model of web solutions like Shopify. E-commerce companies have been instrumental in the last 10 months to transform SMEs digitally and we are now looking at 2021, offering a synchronized mobile and web storefront, to help businesses reach the largest number of customers,” said Quentin Chiarugi, executive chairman and CEO of KADDRA (pictured left).

Meanwhile, Will Beattie, COO & CTO of KADDRA (pictured right) commented, “Our integration will make the sales process seamless and user-friendly. Businesses will be able to use either their Shopify back office or KADDRA back office to run both mobile and web stores simultaneously. Traditional web-based eCommerce has advantages in attracting new customers whereas native mobile app commerce is perfect to keep them close and engaged. Combining the two, will give SMEs the most powerful omni-channel eCommerce ecosystem to date.”