MANILA, PHILIPPINES — What does the future of shopping look like? Very much intertwined with our devices, apparently. But that’s a pretty good thing considering more and more companies are breaking out and collaborating with data and technology companies to give consumers a richer and more interactive shopping experience.
At the adobo’s Festival of Ideas, the session ‘Shoppertainment in the Age of E-Commerce’ led by Lazada Philippines Country Chief Marketing Officer Neil Trinidad was all about the future of shopping, and how Lazada is making waves by bringing the shopper’s experience up a notch.
Looking into Shopping in the Age of E-Commerce, we have Neil Trinidad, @LazadaPH CMO who emphasized that in the Philippines, shopping has always been a SOCIAL ACTIVITY. #adoboFOI2019 pic.twitter.com/MjEKlWyZcn
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) December 5, 2019
E-commerce is rapidly evolving and expanding thanks to today’s advancements in technology. By 2024, the Philippine e-commerce industry is expected to grow 4x (estimated $12B) from 0.25 in 2015, according to the Google Temasek Report.
For Pinoys, shopping has always been a social activity. Lazada’s realization was that online purchasing lacks the social aspect of shopping in malls but as inherently socially-engaged Filipinos are, they raised the question of how Lazada can make online shopping a social activity. The recent 11.11 Lazada Sale reflects the massive changes in shopping behavior in Filipinos. This year alone, the biggest purchase was a whopping 1.2 million, breaking the record of last year’s 11.11 Super Sale.
However, television still dominates the entertainment experience in the Philippines. So what does Lazada do? According to Trinidad, the company collaborated with renowned TV station ABS-CBN for a segment at the noontime program Showtime called “Shake It!” which is a call-out to viewers to shake their phones to receive prizes and discounts on the Lazada app. This resulted in a 30% increase in app downloads. Trinidad also took the chance to demonstrate how fun and entertaining it can get with Lazada by letting the audience experience ‘Shake It’ for themselves.
We’ve got @LazadaPH giving out free vouchers for the best shakers at the #adoboFOI2019 ! pic.twitter.com/nyc4gy9Mvb
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) December 5, 2019
Another feature in the Lazada app, are live streams by your local celebrities trying and selling the products found in Lazada. In China, the shopping experience is much more advanced. With live streams as the new mainstream, the country garners around 4,000 live streams by streamers consisting of new online sellers and influencers with over $15B goods sold, according to Trinidad. Anyone with a smartphone can buy whatever they want just by tapping on a screen; the perfect set up for China’s Mobile-First Generation Z.
Lazada is also adding more features under its belt, thanks to the technology passed on from Alibaba. One such feature is the Magic Mirror, which allows buyers to check out lipstick colors before buying lipsticks. Another feature that really impresses is the image scan. Want what your friend is wearing? Take a photo with the Lazada app, and it automatically suggests similar products which you can purchase on the platform.
“Augmented reality has allowed us even richer, engaging, interactive experiences which allows our customers to keep coming back to the app,” shares Trinidad.
He adds, “Connectivity has allowed us to unleash our creativity, has allowed us to tap a broader base of users and has allowed us to create an even more seamless, engaging and interactive experience for our users. We wouldn’t be able to do this on our own, we rely on the cooperation and partnership of multiple industries and the creativity of ideas and solutions in coming up with new ways to do things.”
Watch the full session below:
