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.
“So you think you can dance?
If you had known me in my teens, my answer to that question would’ve been ‘no’. I was shy, awkward and quiet. Four years ago, a college pal was starting a dance crew, and for some reason, she asked if I wanted to join. Given my lack of confidence, I was hesitant but decided to give this a chance – more on a whim than for any other reason. As it turned out, saying ‘yes’ to her and picking up dancing was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. It transformed me and gave me the confidence I never thought I had – a confidence that I carried into my work and adult life today.
A year into dancing, I had the opportunity to spend some time in the United States for my college exchange programme. During my year-long stay in California, I got to experience the dance culture there. People were truly comfortable with their own bodies – the dance community is very tight-knit and supportive. That further encouraged me to come out of my shell – I learned and did moves, such as cha-cha basics and even twerking, that I never thought I could pull off. I was becoming less self-conscious about performing in front of an audience and even took part in public showcases with over a thousand people in the audience!
Upon my return to Singapore, I wanted to ‘pay it forward’ by helping people to grow through dance. Since then, I’ve become the captain of my dance crew and taught many folks from all walks of life, including Lazadians from my department. It’s always so rewarding to see people’s faces after a dance session because, invariably, I can see in their smiles that they’ve found something in themselves – just as I had.
Remember the question I asked at the beginning? Without a doubt, yes, I can and love to dance! I also believe that everyone can be great dancers as long as one is willing to give it a try, work hard at it and have discipline and patience. I have an ‘ABCD’ mantra, which is short for ‘Any Body Can Dance’! It’s not about becoming Beyoncé, BTS or Black Pink – although that would be pretty awesome – but it’s about taking that step forward (literally!) and discovering what you can do.”
Hear Skyler tell his story here:
This profile was compiled by Fiona Poh, a senior manager in Lazada’s regional communications team.
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.
“I love that at work, no one calls me boss. Instead, I am seen as the big brother to some 100 younger colleagues in the category that I lead. I am by far the oldest person in my team, with others being in their 20s and 30s. I am aware of the generation gap and the potential problems it can create with my teammates, so when a 22-year-old intern approaches me to ask for professional advice or openly share their personal issues, I know I must be doing something right.
Just recently, a young colleague shared that his wife had been complaining about him not spending enough time with his family because of work. I told him that being a perfectionist, as he was, could be a double-edged sword. He needed to learn to trust his subordinates, empower them, delegate work and carry out initiatives that shorten the workflow. When he was able to do that, his productivity increased and his family life improved.
As the ‘big brother, it’s important to me to make everyone in the team feel at home. I remember that when I was a child, my grandfather always told me to genuinely care for and look after others and to put ourselves in others’ shoes before we make any decisions. That has become second nature to me. Even though we are mostly working from home these days, I try to ensure that I can still take care of my team – whether it’s through sending care packages or being available over the phone or through messages or video conferences. I hope that one day we can meet again to grab a beer, enjoy some local dishes and catch up in person, just like we used to.”
Featured photo above shows Lazada Vietnam’s electronics category team. Canh Ky Huynh is pictured in the centre wearing a blue áo dài.
This profile was compiled by Bao Uyen Bui, who was from the Lazada PR team in Vietnam.
It’s been more than a year since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and many countries are still grappling with new waves of infections. To help in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, Lazada Group has continued to introduce new initiatives and measures to protect and support frontliners, businesses, customers and other vulnerable communities across the region.
Standing with Frontliners
Since the onset of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, Lazada has spared no efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who work on the frontlines. The eCommerce company recently launched its Stronger Together with LazadaCARES initiative to protect its frontline workers and employees, including by sponsoring their vaccinations where available. Lazada also opened vaccination centres in several major provinces in Indonesia to offer free shots to logistics workers, local small-business staff as well as to the general public. After one week, the programme helped inoculate tens of thousands with their first doses of the vaccine. A similar programme was also introduced in Malaysia as part of a state-wide vaccination initiative in Selangor.
WATCH: Lazada offers vaccinations at its main Cimanggis warehouse in Indonesia
Aside from raising vaccination awareness and rates across the region, Lazada has been working to equip frontline medical heroes with the support they need to battle the virus. In response to the pandemic’s third wave in Thailand, Lazada donated THB1 million to Rajavithi Hospital, THB500,000 to King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang as well as personal protective equipment and facemasks to 20 hospitals across the nation. In Vietnam, it donated 30,000 COVID-19 test kits to the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee to support local hospitals and medical facilities and has sent nutritional gifts to doctors, nurses and soldiers.
Helping Business Recover and Grow
Another major part of Lazada’s COVID-relief measures has been to empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and to accelerate their digital transformation in the face of offline disruptions. New phases of stimulus packages have been rolled out in countries struck by recent waves of the virus, offering MSMEs benefits such as reduced or waived platform fees, dedicated support, training and access to seller tools.
Online shopping promotions and campaigns have also proved crucial to MSMEs, allowing them to continue selling to consumers even amid lockdowns and social-distancing restrictions. This summer, Lazada became the first official eCommerce partner for the Great Singapore Sale, where it helped brick-and-mortar small businesses develop omnichannel shopping experiences that greatly boosted their consumer reach. Similarly, Lazada Malaysia’s month-long Lazat Bazaar online food festival provided local small businesses, merchants and grocers a safe way to bring their products to shoppers during Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa. The platform also partnered with the country’s Ministry of Finance and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation to launch Shop Malaysia Online and Go-eCommerce – two initiatives aimed at helping 40,000 local MSMEs unlock new opportunities through joining the digital economy.
Lazada partnered with the Singapore Retailers Association to become the first eCommerce partner for the Great Singapore Sale.
Measures have also been taken to not only stimulate businesses but entire sectors; in both Vietnam and the Philippines, Lazada entered into partnerships to promote local agriculture – a traditionally offline industry that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic – with the aim to help farmers and local sellers bring their products online and to equip them with the digital tools and knowhow to ensure their continued long-term growth.
Serving Customers and the Community
Just as important as efforts to support businesses and frontline workers is Lazada’s commitment to protecting customers and local communities. Since the early days of the pandemic, Lazada has made sure the public can access daily essentials safely and easily by implementing contactless deliveries and payment methods. The platform has also introduced incentives such as free deliveries in several key markets so that consumers can shop and also save while staying at home.
Lazada has also leveraged its platform and mobilised resources for community-wide efforts to fight the pandemic. In Malaysia and Vietnam, for example, it launched online donation campaigns so Lazada shoppers could easily make monetary contributions and also send care packages or meals to thank frontline heroes. It has also tapped its LazadaForGood digital-donations channel to help raise funds and bring essential items, such as facemasks and food supplies, to local communities across the region that have been hard hit by the pandemic. Ramping up such efforts, the company has through its Stronger Together with LazadaCARES initiative continued working with local government entities in the six markets it operates in to donate medical equipment and supplies to those in need.
Fiona Poh from Lazada’s regional communications team, Jessica Horsan from Indonesia, Nutcha Singnarong from Thailand and Linh Chi Nguyen from Vietnam contributed to this story.
Despite the ongoing impact of COVID-19, businesses across Southeast Asia have expressed their optimism about growth and recovery prospects in digital commerce, according to a new survey conducted by Lazada Group.
The newly released Digital Commerce Confidence Index is an industry-first bi-annual report that explores the views, prospects and challenges of online sellers in Southeast Asia. According to the inaugural index, of the 750 merchants surveyed during the first half of 2021 from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, 70% expected their business to expand by more than 10% in the third quarter of the year. Of these sellers, 33% said they were extremely confident that their sales volume would increase by more than 30%, reflecting their favourable sentiments towards the opportunities presented through digital commerce. Overall, on a spectrum from 0 to 100, the index achieved a score of 64, reflecting the optimism of business owners across the region.
While the economic effects of the pandemic continue to ripple across the world, the positive outlook of online sellers captured in the report point to the explosive growth of digital commerce and its role in helping businesses not only survive but thrive during challenging times. According to the index study, 52% of those surveyed experienced high-level business growth during the first half of 2021, as more consumers moved to shopping online from their homes.
Online sellers from the electronics and fast-moving consumer goods categories benefited the most from this boom in the stay-at-home economy, with 53% of surveyed merchants reporting strong business performance in the first six months of the year.
Growth momentum was also recorded across all other retail categories, fuelled in large part by sellers’ increased leveraging of technology and digital solutions, such as online shopping festivals and livestreaming, to overcome offline disruptions and continue connecting with consumers. The enhanced engagement capabilities of online shopping have in turn boosted sellers’ business confidence, especially among those in fashion – a segment that has long relied on the touch-and-feel interactions of offline retail but has increasingly embraced digital engagement tools with great success. While 48% of merchants in this sector said their businesses grew during the first half of 2021, 75% anticipated business improvement in the third quarter of 2021, with close to 40% predicting the growth to exceed 30%.
To best capture new opportunities in digital commerce, sellers highlighted the importance of developing unique and differentiated offerings, leverage technology to drive more user traffic, and to harness data insights effectively. To win in an increasingly competitive online environment, sellers will need to differentiate themselves by delivering greater value and enhanced experiences to consumers by leveraging technology to engage shoppers.
“We are excited to launch the Digital Commerce Confidence Index, aiming to shed more light on forward-looking indicators and sentiment among SMEs in Southeast Asia,” said Magnus Ekbom, Lazada Group’s chief strategy officer. “Many SMEs have embraced new technology and acquired digital capabilities to transform and future-proof their businesses. Despite the challenging health situation and ongoing challenges, our index shows that sellers remain both resilient and optimistic about the future.”
