Lazada: An online mall that helped Ecommerce thrive in the Philippines

Online shopping phenomenon in the country just keeps on growing everyday. Most of us never thought the local online market would accept it if we go back two to three years ago. There's a lot of scams happening both for online and offline in the country. It made online transaction unsafe to many of the local online users. This made local online classified websites as the top websites that local online user visit when they want to buy something. Unintentionally, it helped the local online mall's arrival in the country. The presence of online marketplace grew since their arrival in the country. It made it hard for local online users to buy what they want online when local online classifieds didn’t exist yet.

For users looking to buy an item, they turn to these websites for pricing comparison. It has become a trend were people go to these kind of websites when they want to check for market value of what they are about to sell. This also became a reference for them when they are looking for a new item to buy either offline or online. Its purpose was stretch to new lengths and allowed Internet to be more than what it used to for customers. It turned to be a buy and sell platform for most local online users. Ecommerce was very far from this as third party resellers populate the local online ads. Buyers and sellers from local online classifieds usually are dealt with offline. Group buying websites helped influence the thinking of local online users.

Customers were prepared for online payment by these websites for the coming of Ecommerce websites in the Philippines. When they arrived in the country, local online users already have experience in online dealing. The risk in online shopping is way lower than what they could be getting. Group buy website offered unconventional better deals to local online users. Their offer or deals are so enticing that any local online customer will have a problem to avoid these group buy websites.

Lazada Philippines was launched a year ago in the country. Actually, it is an online mall that is part of a venture in South East Asia. The Samwer brother owns this venture along with the other ventures under Rocket Internet as well. With their payment methods, the Philippines’ Online Shopping Mall helped the local Ecommerce in the country. These allow customers to be in control since they get to choose from a lot of payment methods. Depending on the customer, they can choose which payment method will suit them best. Conventionally, customers are only allowed to pay via credit card or PayPal by most online malls.  

The conventional way of payment is usually tough for local customers since they don't have any of the mention for online payments. Local online users first introduced C.O.D. or Cash on Delivery. This made the untapped market a reachable market audience in the Philippines. In the country, it is the majority of the population. Since the entire market is now open in Internet, it definitely helped Ecommerce thrive in the country.