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As Lazada closes the year with its 12.12 Grand Christmas Sale, it also celebrates the inspiring stories of local sellers and reinforces its continued commitment to innovate and support homegrown brands, by providing the tools and skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.
“Constantly innovating to enable our partners and MSMEs to scale their operations easily and grow their businesses online is at the heart of our mission at Lazada. We are heartened to be a part of the inspiring journeys of our sellers, and hope their stories can give other local businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs the confidence to pursue their dreams in the year ahead.” shares Lazada Philippines Chief Operating Officer Carlos Barrera.
“In providing real opportunities and resources for brands and sellers to build a digital presence and engage their customers through our platform’s technology and logistics capabilities, it also drives thegrowth of our country’s digital economy,” adds Barrera.
Bouncing back in the travel industry with Lazada
According to Apple, founder and owner of Storage Solutions,onboarding with Lazada has been a key move in helping their business recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Since 2008, the homegrown brand has specialized in affordable travel accessories like carry-on luggage and travel organizers thanks to a growing community interest for traveling, and went on to open five brick and mortar locations.
However, in 2020, the business saw a slowdown in demand as pandemic restrictions halted travel plans, impacting operations of Storage Solutions’ physical stores. This prompted Apple to shift her sales channels online and to focus on her Lazada store.
Mastering online selling within a short period of time was not without its challenges, according to Apple. She recounts how she only had 275 followers on her Lazada store in March 2019, and had little to none brand visibility online.
However, Apple is thankful that Storage Solutions made the digital plunge during the pandemic with Lazada. Lazada has helped her with her brand positioning through local campaigns such as the Love Local Sale and mega campaigns such as 12.12, resulting in Storage Solutions being recognized today as an affordable and proudly made-in-Philippines brand that promotes a clutter-free lifestyle. To date, she has nearly 8,000 followers on her Lazada store.
Apple also appreciates the efficiencies of an online store in terms of streamlining operations and operating expenses, as well as all the readily available tools and support features that she needs to sell online. She looks forward to engage her customers deeper through tools such as LazLive as her company emerges stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
Finding new fulfilment as an online seller
Before she made her foray into eCommerce, Kookie, the owner and founder of plant care and supply store Touch of Green MNL, had an active, on-the-go lifestyle. She juggled multiple roles as a real-estate agent, sold ready-to-wear clothing as a side business. She went hiking in her free time, and also had a passion for taking care of houseplants.
Life changed when she was diagnosed with anxiety, she shares. “I had to quit my job because I could no longer go to the project sites.”
After recuperating at home for a year, she began to feel restless, sharing that “I wanted to be productive again.” She noticed that with the onset of the lockdown in 2020 due to the pandemic, gardening was growing in popularity, and decided to start selling gardening products on social media and eventually signed up on Lazada not long afterward, specializing in products such as plant boosters, fertilizers, and soil conditioners on her online store.
“I studied the platform and spent a lot of time on Lazada University. Before long, orders were coming in.” According to Kookie, voucher promotions and Customer Engagement Management were two of the most helpful features for closing sales. “They’re great for converting buyers who have added to cart.”
From a one-man team back when she started in 2020, Kookie proudly shares Touch of Green MNL is now comprised of herself and 10 staff, as of October 2021. She has also acquired a new warehouse for the growing assortment. “It’s right across my house, so it’s very convenient,” she beams.
Of all these accomplishments, Kookie says she is most proud of her steady recovery. “Lazada has been a major part of that,” she says. “Thanks to Lazada, I found myself again. I was closing sales and building a business. I began to feel like my old self, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Expanding product offerings online
Like many busy parents, Josie and Amadeo used to hold full-time jobs. Josie used to work in inventory for a telecommunications company; Amadeo, meanwhile, worked abroad as an OFW.
In 2017, after the passing of Josie’s father-in-law, the couple was asked to manage the family’s adobong mani (fried peanuts) business and found success, earning up to one hundred thousand pesos in just one month. By March of 2020 however, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) came and the couple had to close their store. Not giving up on her entrepreneurial calling, Josie migrated to Lazada.
Josie says that Sponsored Affiliates has been one of the most useful tools for their store. “Since we first tried it out in November, our sales and traffic increased.” Today, their online store, Bong & Josie Food Manufacturing, makes around P60,000 in revenue a month.
Though their physical store has since reopened since lockdown eased, Josie says “Lazada has helped us a lot financially. Through our earnings, we are able to continuously invest in growing our assortment.” Apart from peanuts, Josie now offers other food items in both offline and online stores.
For Josie going online is just the beginning. “One day, we’ll have a warehouse filled with products,” she shares. “We’ll have our own brand which will be available at groceries. We will export outside the country. That’s our dream.”
From eCommerce basics such as front and back-end management, to equipping sellers with a powerful array of tools and resources to reach even more customers both locally and abroad, Lazada helps local brands and business find their fullest potential online. Watch how Lazada enables and empowers MSMEs such as Storage Solutions, Touch of Green MNL, and Bong & Josie Food Manufacturing on the platform: https://fb.watch/9SP_D72sLe/.
Visit Lazada to find out how you can begin your eCommerce journey today!
