MANILA, PHILIPPINES– The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted Filipinos and their livelihoods. Unemployment is at an all-time high due to the resulting lockdowns and restrictions, and businesses ranging from micro enterprises to big corporations are facing disruptions on how they conduct their day-to-day operations. Simple errands like buying groceries or household necessities are now difficult to do in a time where going out is discouraged to curb the spread of the virus, which is why shifting to digital is proving to be the way forward.
This is something that Lazada Philippines has taken notice of early on. Two months into the country’s lockdown, Lazada launched their Bounce Back campaign to support Filipino local sellers and provide shoppers a platform to get everything they need all from the safety of their homes. Ever since the start of the lockdown, the platform has onboarded over three times more sellers and brands — proving once again that Lazada can evolve even under the pressure of a pandemic, all while empowering their community of customers, sellers, and brands.
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Everyday needs can now be added to cart in Lazada. Full-fledged bookstores like Fully Booked and Ateneo University Press can be found in the e-commerce website, and fresh produce and frozen goods are now available to order online through their new outlet, Lazada Fresh. Most amazing additions yet include FWD Life Insurance Corporation and Novo, a department store. In the pre-COVID world, people had to move from one store to the next just to get these all of these. Now, almost everything be bought with just a few clicks on Lazada’s website or a few taps on the app.
According to Ray Alimurung, Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Philippines, “As a platform, we’ve been working to continually expand the range and assortment available on Lazada to cater to our consumers’ ever-evolving needs. Our goal is to not only be an avenue for customers to source their everyday needs, but also to be a platform for sellers to build and sustain their digital presence and footprint on eCommerce.”
Highlighting the Role of MSMEs
True to its name, Lazada’s mega campaign has helped micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) “bounce back” from the economic impact of COVID-19. It has provided a place for merchants and brands who used to be reliant on brick-and-mortar stores to sell their products even in the midst of community quarantine. Lazada helps these affected MSMEs to fully digitize their operations through their platform. For their Marketplace, signing up as a seller is as easy as filling out their online forms and presenting one valid government ID. Once approved, they can make use of seller tools like Store Builder, a feature that enables sellers to design and customize their storefronts to better promote their branding, and Campaign Management, which allows them to join in on Lazada’s campaigns.
Alimurung once said in a panel discussion about E-Commerce in Southeast Asia: “By enabling sellers with our technology and logistics capabilities, we want to help sellers flourish, to become sustainable businesses that will contribute to Southeast Asia economic growth in the long run.”
As for bigger brands, owners and distributors can sell their goods on LazMall. This platform has more exclusive campaigns that they can join and has additional seller tools to better boost their brand. Lazada recently launched Sponsored Solutions, a digital marketing tool that can boost product visibility in the search results page and on homepage banners, app pushes, and electronic direct mail.
Aside from these built-in tools, Lazada has a support program for sellers called Bounce Back Together. This initiative gave new and existing sellers vouchers worth ₱20,000 to help them build their online stores. Back-end support and training modules were also given to the recipients of the program. Ever since the implementation of the program in April, Lazada has helped over 7,000 sellers in uplifting their businesses.
Shoppertainment in the Time of COVID-19
Knowing that people were limited to activities within their homes during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Lazada stepped up its game in the entertainment category to provide Filipinos engaging yet still relevant shopping content. In LazLive, they introduced QuaranTV to provide content related to the current situation. One of the activities people missed out and are still missing out on is working out inside a gym. To remedy this, QuaranTV introduced workout sessions ranging from HIIT to Yoga. There are also activity sessions to encourage Filipinos staying at home to take up new hobbies like calligraphy or cooking. The materials and ingredients needed for these can of course be added to cart in Lazada, enabling certain brands and sellers to promote their items during these livestreaming sessions with influencers and celebrities.
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One such influencer is Mimiyuuuh, one of Lazada’s biggest ambassadors. Aside from shooting commercials for the brand inside her home, Mimiyuuuh also hosts Sing It, a livestreaming show now on its second season where she and the viewers can sing along to celebrity guests. Some artists who have already joined Mimiyuuuh on the show include Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Angeline Quinto, Karylle, Erik Santos, Ben&Ben, and Sponge Cola. Aside from enjoying a live performance from these artists, the viewers of the show can win exclusive vouchers if they watch on the Lazada App.
On top of that, there are game shows to be played in the Lazada App, one of them being Guess It, a quiz show wherein a player guesses the price of an item and if they get it right, they win Lazada Wallet credits. For Season 2, the total amount to be won in vouchers is worth PHP 1,200,000. The game is inspired by The Price is Right and is hosted by Sam YG.
In an effort to combine entertainment with giving back to charities, Lazada launched Radio Gives Back, a charity concert from home where viewers can choose to donate to Lazada’s advocacy partners. The show went live on the Lazada App and its partner radio stations with performances from Yael, Karylle, Itchyworms, Munimuni, and Barbie Almalbis. The proceeds from Radio Gives Back were donated to charity organizations under Lazada For Good. To date, the digital giving platform has raised over PHP 25 million in donations. Some charities involved include The Philippine Red Cross, Caritas Manila, ABS-CBN Foundation, UNICEF, and 2KK Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid to name a few. Through Lazada For Good, donating to foundations and even frontliners are made easier and more convenient due to the add to cart option.
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In the past six months alone, Lazada Philippines has done a lot to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with its Bounce Back campaign — from highlighting the role of MSMEs in taking back the economy to providing a safer alternative to shopping for those who are stuck in quarantine. Lazada has grown exponentially as daily sales have grown more than twice compared to the pre-COVID-19 period.
Their upcoming mega campaign is the 9.9 Big Brands Sale happening on September 9, 2020. In this sale, shoppers can find brands usually found in malls selling items with huge discounts and even free shipping. In a time of a pandemic, shopping sprees in malls are now replaced with shopping sprees in Lazada on a sale day such as the 9.9.
