It also offered them a pathway to join a growing revolution of aspiring online entrepreneurs.

From roadside stalls to mall kiosks, small and medium enterprises (SME) are the heartbeat of every economy, accounting for a staggering 98.5% of all establishments in the country.

Watch the video here.

Marking 10 epic years, Lazada has played an integral role in fostering the growth of SMEs and creating new opportunities for micro small and medium enterprises (MSME).

From their humble roots as a pioneer in the local e-commerce scene in 2012, Lazada’s growth since has been nothing short of spectacular.

Now serving over 130 million active users annually throughout South East Asia, with more than one in three Malaysians shopping on the platform, Lazada can count itself as among the few essential services in Malaysia, seamlessly woven into the fabric of their customers’ lives and positively benefitting entrepreneurs across the economy.

In the last quarter of 2021, almost half of Lazada’s online sellers in the region experienced a 10% jump in sales.

Revolutionary shopping events like the 11.11 and 12.12 Mega Campaigns have embedded themselves in local popular culture, while offering participating sellers the opportunity to double or triple their monthly sales volume.

Adding to the list of successful campaigns and boosting the local digital economy, almost half a million local customers joined the recent Lazada Epic 10th Birthday Sale, enabling many sellers to exponentially increase their sales. Top sellers even managed to achieve six figures in sales on the first day alone.

Following the positive results of past campaigns, the event saw a more than 100% increase in local seller participation in the mega sale, many doubling their total sales volume compared to two years ago, at the onset of the pandemic.

“This success is linked to the country’s growing digital populace, where online shopping has become mainstream, and ingrained in the daily lifestyle of our collective new normal,” said Darren Rajaratnam, COO of Lazada Malaysia.

Health related products was the highest selling category during the sale, with sellers within the category benefiting from the increase in sales as shoppers purchased nearly 300[RC1] % more during the Mega Campaign versus an average day, doubling the category sales figures in 2021.

Lazada recently announced results of a region wide consumer study in collaboration with Milieu Insight that establishes a large number of Malaysian shoppers (80%) now consider shopping online to be integral to everyday life, with 78% of them identifying eCommerce Mega Campaigns as a key factor in shaping their consumer buying behaviour, pushing 86% of digital consumers that made online purchase at least once per month.

“Fashion remains a major category for online shopping among local consumers at 57%, similarly for health and beauty at 57%, followed by home and lifestyle at 55% and electronic appliances/digital devices/gadget/accessories at more than 40% each. It is also optimistic to see that 48% of local consumers agree that Lazada supports local sellers,” said Darren.

This is the first regional Lazada Consumer Study, done with Milieu Insight, for Lazada’s 10th Anniversary, which identifies current online shopping behaviour of 6,000 consumers. It was conducted in January 2022 across 6 markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The Next 10: Future-proofing Local Businesses and Supporting Growth

Supporting their goal and commitment to aid more local business owners to grow their business online, Lazada will be rolling out new value-added features and services for its sellers as part of its new seller programme, which provides incentives to sellers on the platform who meet specific customer and seller performance excellence criteria based on factors like customer feedbacks, reviews and more, with enhanced exposure, exclusive discounts, and other perks.

“Sellers are the heartbeat of our ecosystem, and the objective of this initiative is to recognise and incentivise sellers who have contributed to keeping the bar of customer experience high by listing quality and relevant selection, by fulfilling orders on time, etc. Not only will these sellers enjoy an increase in revenue as a result of the increased exposure, but they will also be able to improve their product rating, which will ultimately result in more leads and sales. In addition, shoppers will also benefit from the best online shopping experience possible,” said Darren.

Beyond that, for offline businesses who are looking to transition into the digital space, Lazada recently rolled out its Hari-Harimau New Sellers Kickstarter Package.

Launched in February, offline entrepreneurs that are looking at taking the digital leap will receive exclusive benefits, including:

• no set-up cost, 0% commission fee, 2% payment fee waiver, and free shipping services
• free ad credits for sponsored discovery worth RM150, and exclusive traffic and exposure on the Hari-Harimau campaign page.

The package also includes free access to Lazada’s suite of technology and innovative digital toolkits such as Customer Engagement Management (CEM) tools, hands-on guidance from Lazada University, as well as logistics and financial incentives to ease operational costs.

With the Hari-Harimau New Sellers Kickstarter Package available only until December this year, there’s no better time than now to bring your business online, backed by a platform with the right tools, track record, and commitment to invest in your future success.