Lazada bullish on PH e-commerce market

ONLINE shopping platform Lazada is optimistic that the Philippines will be one of the top e- commerce countries in the world because of the huge number of Filipinos who actively use social media, a company executive said on Monday.

Inanc Balci, Lazada cofounder and chief executive officer, said the local e- commerce industry has an advantage in competing with other huge countries.

“I am 100 percent that it is going to be number one in Southeast Asia, there’s no question. But the question is can we make the Philippines the number one in e- commerce penetration in the world? Yes, it’s difficult but I think we can make it,” he said at the media launch of their shopping promo called the Online Revolution Sale, which runs from November 9 to December 12.

Balci said more than 60 million Filipinos actively use social media every month, and this would be the key factor that would drive the growth of the local e- commerce market.

“The Philippines used to be the SMS capital of the world before social media. Now, the Philippines is the number one in terms of Facebook penetration. Before, SMS and now, Facebook. So where is it going? In my opinion, it is going e- commerce,” he said.

Balci said Lazada is looking at some ways to tap these 60 million active Facebook users as they are “potential customers.”

The official said Jack Ma’s Alibaba has an 83 percent stake at Lazada and that they met with President Rodrigo Duterte recently to disclose their plan on how to make the e- commerce industry in the Philippines bloom.

Balci said their shopping promo, Online Revolution Sale, would also contribute to their goal since small to large firms will be given a chance to equally and competitively showcase their products to at least 10 million e- commerce buyers across the country.