Thursday, July 4, 2013

Lazada changed the local e-commerce landscape

It has been a year since the online retail company Lazada joined the ranks of e-commerce pioneers in the country and they have been unstoppable from day one. The company offers utmost online shopping convenience by rendering premium services like the cash on delivery payment service, regular promotional offers, free shipping available and the standard seven day return policy. The cash on delivery payment service is one of the most sought after payment method in Lazada. It is the most preferred way to pay by the majority of online consumers visiting the company website on a daily basis. The company is lucky to be one of the first companies to introduce this kind of payment method that has never been tried before by its predecessors who of course offer the ubiquitous online payment method that is none other than the omnipresent credit card. This payment service alone has created a very huge impact to the average consumer’s attitude towards and perception of online shopping. 

Speaking of online shopping perception, way back when online shopping or e-commerce was just starting to plant its roots in the local business arena, a lot of shoppers and consumers think that the idea of online shopping in the country is impractical, unwieldy and cumbersome. That it is not going to work because online shopping is such a complicated thing to do and requires logistics that back then only a handful of people coming from the upper income brackets of the socio-economic strata can afford. The logistics needed of course are computers, internet connection, modems and all the accoutrements necessary to access the internet along with those requirements and n top was the credit card that an online shopper should possess for him to be able to pay his purchases online because online shopping companies back then only knows and only offers that single default method of payment. So for a long time, the concept of online shopping was never picked up.

Things have changed ever since and e-commerce simply progressed to the next level when Lazada came in. The contemporary time has seen multitudes of advancements in information technology. Computers have become cheaper along with the cost of internet subscription plus most gadgets nowadays like mobile phones, smart phones and tablets are all internet capable making this era the golden age of cyberspace. Everyone jumped into the internet bandwagon making it a regular fixture on the lives of almost 80 to 90% of the Philippine population and changed everyone’s shopping habits. Lazada’s primary contribution I guess is the increased awareness about online shopping. The company has made online shopping accessible and less imposing. By offering affordable prices, great service and easier payment methods, online shopping has gotten into the radar of other markets that are previously untapped because of limiting online shopping requirements and has made it accessible to market demographics that are unlikely to shop in an online shopping website. It was absolutely a breakthrough for Lazada and there will be absolutely more changes to come which is not very surprising for such a highly successful business.  


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