By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
LAZADA PHILIPPINES expects online spending to surge in the next two months as more Filipinos turn to e-commerce for holiday shopping, bolstered by the platform’s biggest campaign of the year.
“A lot of our sellers get 30-40% of visits for the year just between November and December,” Lazada Philippines Chief Executive Officer Carlos Barrera told reporters on Wednesday. “We expect LazMall brands, especially the big ones, to grow faster than during the 9.9 sale.”
Filipinos spent almost 40% more per order during the September sale compared with last year, Lazada said. Top brands recorded double- to triple-digit growth, while sales of the top 20 LazMall sellers jumped by as much as 110 times, outpacing other Southeast Asian markets.
Mr. Barrera said the Nov. 10-13 sale would feature “the best possible promotions and deals” from global and local partners, driving even higher spending. Discounts include as much as 90% off LazFlash deals, P2,000 worth of vouchers and free shipping.
“It’s definitely the one day of the year when everybody buys the most,” he said. “We expect baskets to go up even more now because of additional promotions and rewards.”
Alvin Ching, Lazada Philippines head of seller operations, said worsening traffic in Metro Manila during the holidays could further boost online sales. “We don’t necessarily make people spend more, but we shift their spending online because it’s more convenient,” he said.
The 11.11 campaign will feature international brands such as Gmarket Korea, MIMANI, emonster aroma and Lazada-exclusive lines from Shiseido Group, Jo Malone, Nike and Veja.
Mr. Ching added that smaller merchants also benefit from the surge in browsing during mega campaigns. “It’s a level playing field as you get access to the entire Philippines as your market,” he said.
Lazada is also investing in artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance user experience and seller productivity. Its AI Lazzie chatbot will help shoppers navigate over 2.3 million products using a SmartStack feature that combines LazRewards and vouchers for the best deals.
“At Lazada, our story is about brand partnerships,” Mr. Ching said. “We are trusted by brands as a partner for success because we invest in them.”
Lazada said 80% of Filipino sellers view AI as a tool to raise efficiency by improving product photos, listings and real-time business insights.