The year 2020 has transformed the way people live, play, and work.
The pandemic has materially accelerated a shift to online lifestyles that is broad, deep, and irreversible, as the demography of online shoppers has become more diverse to include older consumers and buyers in cities outside the capital who are shopping more actively on the platform.
In the past months, Shopee has taken the initiative to innovate our platform and build on existing efforts to elevate the online shopping experience for our shoppers. We curated a series of shopping campaigns that provide consumers convenient access to personal and household essentials. For example, during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Shopee launched 5.5 Shopee Mart Sale to cater to the increasing demand for daily essentials. Shopee also works together with various brands and sellers to guarantee that users have convenient access to a wide variety of essential goods while enjoying considerable cost savings.
“ Brands and sellers are also venturing online and leveraging livestreaming to sustain and grow their businesses, especially now as consumption patterns shift away from the traditional brick-and-mortar and move towards e-commerce. ”
Ours is not just an online shopping platform; it is now a place where Filipinos can interact, be entertained, and connect with others. Seeing this, we have expanded features to engage and entertain our shoppers. In three months, we introduced three new in-app games where shoppers can play and have fun as they shop online. We also hosted the Shopee Live Mega Festival, one of the most significant live streaming events in the Philippines, where Filipinos were able to interact and connect with their favorite celebrities in real-time.
Brands and sellers are also venturing online and leveraging livestreaming to sustain and grow their businesses, especially now as consumption patterns shift away from the traditional brick-and-mortar and move towards e-commerce. In the past few months, the number of live streams from brands and sellers increased 40 times as more SMEs turned to Shopee Live to engage with their consumers.
We have also introduced an array of support initiatives to help SMEs and sellers overcome unprecedented economic challenges from COVID-19. In June, we launched our Shopee Seller Support Package, which allows sellers to ease their operational costs and grow their online presence, setting them up for sustainability and long-term growth.
We also launched Seller Masterclass for sellers to learn tips and tricks on how to use Shopee Live as a tool to effectively sell their products. This is the first of many initiatives to promote knowledge sharing among sellers.
On the road ahead, I will continue to inspire and motivate the teams at Shopee to work harder and faster to meet the unique needs of our shoppers and offer a personalized, social, and engaging online shopping experience. We will also continue to innovate our platform and build on our existing efforts to support and empower both brands and sellers alike to capture growth opportunities in the era of the new normal and help their business emerge stronger.
Edited by Tanya T. Lara
Martin Yu is the Director of Shopee Philippines. He joined Shopee in 2017, and is responsible for overseeing Business Intelligence and Shopee Xpress. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, while also taking up a Bachelor of Science in Economics at the University’s Wharton Business School.
