Filipino consumers start getting ‘e-commerce savvy’

FILIPINOS are becoming more “e-commerce savvy” as seen in the results of the latest online sale held by the Lazada Group, which operates the biggest online shopping mall in Southeast Asia.

In a statement, Lazada Philippines said it exceeded its current records, following a six-fold increase in sales compared to the average in October due to the Online Revolution Sale last Nov. 11. The site recorded 2.4 million visits, with orders coming from all over the country. About 70 percent of the orders were booked from areas outside the National Capital Region.

Nov. 11, according to Lazada, has even become the largest online shopping day in the world.

The Online Revolution Sale sent shoppers into a frenzy starting midnight of Nov. 11 with customers purchasing 120,000 items across different product categories.

The company disclosed that more than 5,000 units of smartphones were sold on that day alone. Discounted and exclusive cell phone models from top brands such as Alcatel, Lenovo, Asus and Cherry Mobile were the day’s best sellers.

Lazada also sold more than 4,500 packs of disposable diapers, a clear indication that Filipino parents are embracing the convenience of online shopping. Early Christmas shoppers also snapped up the season’s hottest toy, the hoverboard or the two-wheeled scooter for as low as P7,999.

According to Lazada, the sale, which will run until Dec. 12 in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, broke new ground as 60 percent of its orders came from shoppers using mobile devices.

On top of deals and discounts, Lazada is also raffling off Cebu Pacific airline tickets to international destinations weekly and a brand new Hyundai Eon in the grand draw.

The Lazada mobile app was downloaded over three times more on Nov. 11 compared to its average downloads during October. The app was ranked, overall, the No. 1 app on the Apple Store, ahead of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It continues to be the number one shopping app on both the App Store and Google Play Store, the company added.