Want To Sell On Shopee or Lazada?
In the past several months, the world of business has been forced to go through a major and rapid shift towards e-Commerce leaving their brick and mortar stores behind. In layman’s terms, E-Commerce is simply conducting business transactions (i.e. purchasing and sales) through online platforms as opposed to focusing on physical locations alone. This shift was already beginning prior to the pandemic but the long quarantine periods and lack of product availability have certainly driven it in full gear. Understanding how to utilize this shift for your business can mean the difference between surviving and flopping in the next few months.
What are online marketplaces?
One of the easiest ways to do this is by setting-up shop in online marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay, Shopee, Lazada. Zalora, and Galleon. These consumers-to-consumers (C2C) platforms are meant to bring together both sellers and buyers with a vast array of products. The great advantage of this is that apps like Shoppe and Lazada have already garnered the attention and loyalty of millions of active users in the Philippines alone.
On the other hand, some companies have chosen to go against the grain by establishing their own websites or platforms for their products instead of being in an online marketplace. While this can be advantageous to businesses that already have strong market presence, many small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) or startups are better off building their customer base with the help of online marketplaces.
Let’s talk more about Shopee and Lazada!
What is Shopee?
Shopee is an online marketplace that focuses on markets in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It was launched in 2015 and has since then continued to promise easy, secure, and fast online shopping transactions for both sellers and their buyers. They offer different items coming from both local and international sellers.
Although the main focus for their market was to build on C2C experiences by connecting independent or small stores and customers, they have also expanded to having “Shopee Mall,” which holds more credibility as the stores in Shopee Mall are mostly composed of large corporations and known shops which are thoroughly verified.
In the Philippines, it is reported that Shopee has over 19 million monthly visits, which means that it has a 33% market share in the industry. On the other hand, some reports place Shopee as the market leader for other Southeast Asian nations and for the region as a whole.
What is Lazada?
Similarly, Lazada aims to offer the same kind of services and experiences to its target markets. It has been coined by some as the Amazon of ASEAN as it dominated the region for some years before it’s spot was threatened by its competitors like Shopee.
It was launched in 2012 and has now become the regional flagship of the Alibaba Group, another major E-Commerce platform in Asia. In the Philippines, Lazada’s market share currently stands at 59% as it receives over 34 million monthly visits. It rivals Shopee directly, especially during monthly sales promotions, and goes head-to-head with them as market leaders in the country and in the ASEAN region.
Choosing between Shopee and Lazada?
There’s no rule that says you have to use only one or the other. Both Shopee and Lazada help you tap the market and having both will potentially double your chances of being discovered by an eager buyer!
There isn’t much of a disadvantage in terms of capital, as you will find that you could set up a shop for very little. The main resource that you will have to devote, especially during the set-up stage, is your time.
How do you set up a shop in Shopee or Lazada?
Each platform has its own set of rules and guidelines to ensure the safety and efficiency of business transactions. However, you will first have to register your business online then you will then be asked to set- up certain details regarding delivery (pick-up location, courier) and payment processes ( cash on delivery, mobile bank transfers, deposits).
After that, you’re free to showcase all your products! This requires a lot of time and effort, especially when you sell a great number and variety of items. You will have to input each of the following for every item such as product name, product description, category, price , amount of stock, variations offered and many more. You also have to take photos and/or videos of every item in order to fully show its details and encourage the viewers to purchase it.
Aside from this, you will also have to organize your shop into different sections to make it easier for the customers to browse or access the entire catalog of items. This can be a hassle for sellers but is crucial! Shop organization and product details can be a make or break for many customers.
Managing a wide variety of products may be overwhelming and a hassle for you!
That's why we have the solution for you!
How can you save time and effort?
Chimes Consulting has got your back! We know that your time is valuable so we offer services that help you get your online stores on Shopee and/or Lazada up and running before you know it! All you have to do is book an appointment with us and give us the details of what we can do for you today.
If you want to go the extra mile for your business and for your customers, we also offer services for website building! it's perfectly tailored to your company and you don’t need to use any generic designs or content. We listen to what you want and we do our best to make your dream website come true.
We also look into the different Marketing strategies and tools that are perfect for your company and target market. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies and social media marketing, for example, are included in the list of services we have just for you.
What are you waiting for? Book an appointment with us today!