Our “Humans of Lazada” series takes a look at the professional and personal lives of the more than 8,000 people who work at Lazada. Click here for more stories from this series.
“You know the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’? Well, this rings true for me quite often because a lot of people wouldn’t peg me as a guy who does parkour. People would say to me, ‘I can’t imagine you jumping over guard rails and leaping across rooftops.’ It must be my glasses – they probably make me look more corporate than I am.
The fact is it’s been more than 10 years since I’ve been involved with the sport. I instantly fell in love with it the very first time I did it. At the beginning, I thought the idea of doing parkour itself was cool since it instantly became a topic of conversation. However, I quickly realised that the sport also helps you overcome your fears and empowers you to confront them. It doesn’t matter if you are 15, 35 or 55, when you are ‘in the zone’, nothing matters except the obstacle and technique. You focus on what you want and break it down into achievable steps. It’s very much like how life is.
I started MoveParkour in 2017 to teach others the sport as a way to make it more accessible. When the pandemic hit, it was certainly a challenge because parkour is such a physical sport, and no one had ready-made obstacles they could use at home. We began recording online tutorials by using everyday things, such as chairs and books. We even showed how you can train on flat ground.
To this day I’m still amused by the surprised looks on people’s faces when I talk about parkour. I explain to them that the sport benefits you not only physically but also mentally. It teaches you resilience, discipline and risk management, and it improves mind-and-body coordination, or as I prefer to call it, connection. These are all useful skills to help a person navigate the real obstacles in life.”
This profile was compiled by Anoushka Bhar from the Lazada PR team in Malaysia.
Our “Humans of Lazada” series takes a look at the professional and personal lives of the more than 8,000 people who work at Lazada. Click here for more stories from this series.
“When I started my journey with Lazada in 2015, working in logistics, I never thought that there would come a time when my job would be not only a lifeline for my family and me but also for the many people homebound due to the pandemic. One of the key lessons my parents taught me and my siblings growing up is to always be of service to others, and now I understand why. Knowing that customers are getting their essentials delivered to them safely and keeping my team safe and healthy provides me with a satisfaction that no money could buy.
This feeling helps me through the daily challenges that we face as frontliners. There have been times when I’ve been anxious about going home to my family after a long day’s work, fearful that I might unknowingly spread the virus in my household. There have also been other challenges during lockdown, like getting to work without public transportation (the answer is bicycles!), keeping everybody working in the warehouses safe and connecting with our families when we are apart. During the early months of the lockdown last year, our team members and I stayed at the warehouse facilities to minimize the risk of exposure to our families and communities as well as to ensure that we can still ‘get to’ work every day. Even though it was one of the hardest times, it was also the best of times. We talked and relaxed together as we prepped for the next work day ahead. We were always close as a team, but those dark days brought us even closer together. While many of us missed our own families, we were glad to have one another.
The pandemic is far from over, and I’m mindful that each day, many of these same challenges remain with us. But knowing that there are people on the same journey with you is what makes all the difference.”
This profile was compiled by Mina Cunanan from the Lazada PR team in the Philippines.
When Somsak* was sentenced to two years in prison for pickpocketing, he never thought he would get a second chance to make an honest living.
“I was at my lowest point. I didn’t think I would be able to survive after prison,” he said.
After serving his sentence for a year, a prison guard introduced him to an initiative run by the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Corrections that teaches inmates how to make handicrafts for sale. Named Wansook, which means “happy days” in Thai, the initiative aims to give convicts new opportunities through digital commerce and partnerships with eCommerce platforms like Lazada.
“Even though these inmates may have made mistakes, those who have continued to improve themselves throughout their imprisonment deserve a second chance. The Ministry of Justice believes it is important that inmates have the ability to support themselves financially post-incarceration, as this will allow them to re-integrate into society and lower the likelihood of any re-offense,” said Sitthi Suthiwong, the deputy director-general of the Department of Corrections’ development section.
The DOC had previously run a similar initiative offline, but sales were low due to limited access to consumers. Since the department launched its flagship Wansook store on Lazada at the end of last year, it has seen a major boost in sales, with products such as handbags, keychains and small pieces of wooden furniture – all crafted by those serving time – becoming especially popular with shoppers from all across the country. In just four months of the store’s opening on Lazada, sales surged by 3,000% to reach THB100,000 per month.
Part of the proceeds have gone towards funding occupational skills development for the inmates, and the rest has been kept as savings to help them rebuild their lives upon release.
This campaign has given inmates like Somsak a new lease on life. “I can now look forward to life again after imprisonment and do my best part to contribute in meaningful ways to the community and to help others like myself,” he said.
The Power of Second Chances
Power Pat promotes the official Wansook store on Lazada.
Highlighting how important a new, honest start can be to reformed criminals, the DOC and Lazada enlisted the help of Worayot Bunthongnum, better known as Power Pat, to drive up awareness for Wansook through a special sales campaign. The superstar singer was once sentenced to 50 years in prison and was released for exemplary behaviour after serving 16 years.
Between April 17 and 19, the singer encouraged shoppers to visit the Wansook store and then invited the top three spenders to join an exclusive mini concert hosted by Lazada. A replay of the mini concert was also livestreamed on LazLive. In just three days, the campaign helped drive more than THB100,000 in sales.
“I can only be where I am today because of the support of others, and especially of my fans,” Bunthongnum said. “For that, I am grateful and want to give back and encourage those who are in the shoes that I was, to not give up on themselves, and to give second chance a chance. This is why I’m delighted to be working with Lazada on this campaign, as I know that everyone deserves another shot and so many of these inmates are so talented and so willing to improve themselves. Seeing such great sales results is not just financially rewarding for them, but a validation of their work, talents and skills.”
Wansook is part of Lazada Thailand’s Stronger Together campaign, which was launched last year to help local communities overcome economic challenges. The initiative is also only the first step in helping inmates leverage eCommerce and technology to build better futures.
“As a platform that empowers sellers, we believe that the digital economy can open doors for everyone, no matter your background or past,” said Werapong Goo, Lazada Thailand’s executive vice president of eCommerce. “With our expertise and resources in eCommerce and technology, we hope to be able to further this partnership by helping to train and equip inmates with digital and business skills. We want to help inmates find online business opportunities after their release. This will not only benefit the inmate, his or her family and community, but the wider Thai economy.”
*Name changed to protect the individual’s identity.
Pimchaya Boonyarattaphan (Kwang) is a manager in Lazada Thailand’s public relations team and is responsible for corporate communications and media relations.
Digital commerce has seen explosive growth in Southeast Asia in recent years, but a report published last month by the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation showed that it could still grow by more than $280 billion between 2025 and 2030 if more women were empowered to participate in this burgeoning industry.
The digital economy in Southeast Asia has tripled in the five years since 2015 and reached $105 billion in 2020. Of this figure, $62 billion was generated through eCommerce alone. This exponential growth has been fuelled by several factors, including greater mobile-first internet penetration across the region, the maturation of digital retail platforms and the proliferation of more-engaging online shopping experiences.
Gender Gaps in the Market
Such growth, however, has not been evenly distributed between the genders. According to the IFC report, titled Women and eCommerce in Southeast Asia, women make up half of all active eCommerce entrepreneurs in the region yet still only accounted for $26.35 billion of its eCommerce market last year, compared with the $35.65 billion contributed by their male counterparts.
The report leveraged data provided by Lazada and is the first in the region to focus exclusively on the contributions women make to eCommerce and how online platforms can further drive their success.
The disparity between women and men in eCommerce became even more pronounced as a result of COVID-19. In the Philippines, for example, women-owned businesses generated higher sales figures than their male-owned counterparts in the second and third quarters of 2019 but the number dropped to just 79% of men’s during the pandemic. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the gross merchandise value rose for men-owned businesses but fell for those operated by women.
While women are active contributors to the region’s eCommerce ecosystem, many still face significant disadvantages compared to their male peers. One big obstacle is discrimination, which may limit their access to certain rights and legal protections in different parts of the region. Women-owned small businesses were also more likely to have unmet financing needs due to barriers to formal loans and external financing from investors. A gap in digital inclusion – the female population in Southeast Asia was calculated to be 11% less likely than men to have access to the internet – means that some women are also still simply unable to participate in the digital economy.
A Fairer, Stronger Economy
Rectifying such gender inequalities would benefit not just women but the entire regional eCommerce market, according to IFC’s findings. Specifically, if the gross merchandise value of women-owned eCommerce businesses reached parity with those operated by men, an additional $280 billion could be gained between 2025 and 2030. It’s a gain that would continue to accumulate in future decades, said Stephanie von Friedeburg, IFC’s senior vice president of operations.
“In other words, for every year that gender gaps go unaddressed, just under $46 billion in market value is lost,” von Friedeburg added.
Research also showed that women make up a higher proportion of digital commerce consumers – a trend accelerated by the pandemic – and having more women sellers could help better cater to their needs.
“There is little doubt that the ability to compete online will increasingly define whether a company succeeds or fails,” said Stephanie von Friedeburg, IFC’s senior vice president of operations. “Ensuring that women are well-placed to compete online will not only strengthen businesses but also drive development.”
Various sectors of society can play a role in helping achieve gender parity in the digital economy, but eCommerce platforms are especially well positioned to invest more in women entrepreneurs. On an operational level, eCommerce companies can support women with sex-disaggregated data as well as more financing offerings and training opportunities to ensure that their businesses can thrive. More should also be done to encourage and incentivize women to leverage paid promotions and to enter high-value segments so that they can increase their contributions to the overall market.
IFC’s report showed how women leverage eCommerce to participate and thrive in the digital economy.
“We have witnessed many women become self-employed as business leaders and sellers on Lazada across Southeast Asia, and we are fortunate to be a part of the journey helping many women who have stepped out of traditional roles to shine on eCommerce,” said Lazada Group Chief Executive Officer Chun Li.
According to IFC’s report, close to a third of Lazada’s businesses in Indonesia and two-thirds of the platform’s businesses in the Philippines are owned by women. The platform has long been committed to championing inclusivity and gender equality in eCommerce and technology. In 2018, it became a founding member of Digital2Equal, an initiative from IFC and the European Commission that aims to create more opportunities for women in emerging markets. This year, it launched its inaugural Lazada Forward Women Awards to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of female entrepreneurs.
“With the exponential growth opportunities available in the region, we are committed to providing women entrepreneurs with easy access to knowledge and tools to embrace and benefit from the digital economy,” Li said.
The World Bank Group and IFC will host an event on June 16 (8 p.m. SGT) to discuss inclusivity in eCommerce. Click here to watch.
