Lazada Philippines: Altered the online shopping landscape in the country

What we used to call online shopping in the Philippines before the entry of Lazada in the scene is a far cry from what we have right now. Actually, there is really no such thing as a real online shopping in the Philippines during the years before the Philippines' Online Shopping Mall arrived. People who shied away from the crowded malls had to settle for small online stores that offer very limited product choices, often times of poor quality. The adventurous ones ordered items from foreign online stores but they had to pay astronomical shipping charges. The products also took forever before they get delivered.

Lazada Philippines changed all these. They now offer product choices that are comparable with what we can find in foreign online stores. They made online shopping easy and convenient even to people who are not really computer-savvy.  Browsing is easy as the products are divided into categories. All that you need to do is click on a product category and a page will open showing you everything that the site offers.

What is surprising about this online store is their low prices. People wrongly assumed that since this online store carries a lot of products, they will be pricing their products higher. It is the exact opposite. And to top it off, they constantly offer discounts or promos on their already low prices, often times beating the prices at the mall stores.

The modes of payment for online purchases at Lazada are surprisingly numerous. In addition to the typical credit/debit card payment option for online purchases, they also offer other modes of payment such as BDO installment payment, MegaLink payment, PayPal, and the most appreciated cash on delivery (COD). The cash on delivery payment method is an old idea that was given a new life by this online shopping site. The service is now available to most parts of the country. Online shoppers like myself need not worry anymore about identity theft when they provide online their credit/debit card information or their product getting lost or damaged in transit. The ordered items will be delivered to their doorstep. The package could be opened and inspected if the items are the correct ones and that there are no damages. Only then will the satisfied customer hand over the payment to the delivery person. What could be better than that?

Another change that was introduced by Lazada Philippines to the local shopping business is its emphasis on customer satisfaction. Many stores, both online and brick-and-mortar, care less about customer satisfaction. Lazada offers a 7-day return policy which is a welcome break from the traditional "No Return, No Exchange" policy that we had been accustomed to. The only caveat, a very minor one at that, is the customer shouldering the cost of return. If the reason for returning the product is because of damage, the company reimburses the customer for the cost of return shipping.

It is no wonder then that Lazada Philippines is now recognized as the leader in Philippine e-commerce.