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.
Listen to Earng in her own words (English version)(Thai version)
“Since my high school days, I have always enjoyed outdoor activities and extreme sports, such as scuba diving, freediving, surf skating and wake surfing. Realising that I had a passion for extreme sports, my dad suggested that I try race car driving. He’s an avid motorsports fan and foresaw that I would take a liking to racing. I guess it was also my parents’ way of providing an outlet for the speed demon in me – they would rather I race on the tracks in a car built to protect me and with a safety team that is always on standby than have me speeding down Bangkok’s highways!
One of my favourite things to do while I was still taking racing classes was to hit the Bira Circuit in Pattaya with my dad as part of our weekend activities. In 2020, I decided to participate in the Idemitsu Super Turbo racing event at Chang International Circuit in Buriram. That was my racing debut. I came in third in the division 3 NA junior race and fourth in the overall division 3 race. I’ll never forget the rush, the adrenaline, the feeling of being with other race car drivers and the sense of overcoming a challenge. After that, I was hooked.
To excel in the sport, practice is important. Usually, two days before a race, I’ll drive for two hours to Bira Circuit or five hours to Chang International Circuit so I can practice on the race track.
A lot of people think that racing is about speed, but it really is about staying focused, anticipating and navigating the bends in the road, and applying just the right amount of brake. Brake too much and you lose momentum. Brake too little and you might crash into a wall. I’ve crashed a couple of times. The thing about crashing is that you always know when it’s about to happen, but there is really nothing you can do except to let go of the wheel. I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t let go in time, I usually end up hurting my wrists on impact.
There still aren’t a lot of women in motorsports, but I have seen more girls taking it up in the last few years, which is encouraging. There are also pro drivers like Nutjung Tanchanok and Nattanid Leewattanavalagul who are making their mark and they are an inspiration to girls like me.
I’m grateful to have this opportunity. I hope I can continue racing for as long as I can, because the one thing racing has taught me is that no challenge is ever too tough to overcome. It’s always possible to learn to do something you thought was impossible.”
This profile was compiled by Norasikin Bte Ahmad from the Lazada 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.
“Ten years ago, nobody believed in online groceries. Everyone was just going to supermarkets and wet markets. But I wanted to see what online grocery shopping was all about, and if it really could be a good alternative to my weekly trips to the supermarket, so I took my sister’s advice and dove into the deep end by joining RedMart.
I was then fresh out of National Service and was just a young kid trying to learn the ins and outs of the business. I saw how quickly RedMart grew, from getting 20 orders a day to 80 daily orders in five months.
At that time, we were at the Pasir Panjang warehouse, which was about 90 square metres. It was very small, and the racks were stacked about 5 metres high from floor to ceiling. We only had one ladder, which was bulky and heavy. We wanted to work fast, so we often climbed the shelves on our own without the ladder. Those were the days! Now with automation and shelves that are at accessible heights at our new 350,000 sq ft warehouse, we no longer have to scale them. We also used to have to remember where items were located, but now the system does it for us.
We are usually at our busiest during year-end mega campaigns, namely 9.9, 11.11 and 12.12. I remember my first mega campaign with Lazada. I couldn’t even imagine what to expect, but everyone in the transport team was so hyped about it. We did a lot of pre-campaign planning, where everyone would gather and run through checklist after checklist to make sure that everything from the technology to the network to operations were in tip-top condition and ‘battle-ready’.
On the day of the sales event, I remember standing in the middle of the warehouse and looking around to see everything running like clockwork. All the pre-planning was worth it. Everyone knew exactly what to do, who to look for and what to expect. That was when I understood why shopping festivals like 11.11 and 12.12 were important. They bring everyone together to produce this beautiful artwork.
Not everyone has what it takes to work for a start-up company. It was an amazing opportunity and I’m glad I took the plunge! Now, like thousands of households in Singapore, I get my online shopping and groceries delivered to my doorstep!”
This profile was compiled by Sherwin Loh from Lazada Singapore’s public relations 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’ve always looked forward to 11.11 because, as an avid bargain hunter, I know 11.11 always has the best deals. My family and I usually save all our ‘wishlists’ for the year and wait for 11.11 to arrive. That way we get to reward ourselves for the hard work over the year with the best bargains!
About nine months ago, I joined Lazada. So this 11.11 was extra special, because it was my first with my favourite eCommerce platform and I got to be part of the team behind all these great deals that shoppers like myself look forward to every year. And this year, I know what it took to make the magic happen when the clock strikes midnight on 11.11.
Preparations for this biggest one-day sales event start as early as September for the seller engagement team. This year, we kicked off the preparations by setting up a resource centre for sellers on the Lazada University portal to keep them informed in the lead-up to the event. We worked closely with our participating sellers to source and ‘hunt’ for the best products, so that we could offer our consumers a variety of assortments at the best prices. Through Lazada University and our Facebook community group, we educated sellers on how to draw up ‘must-buy’ lists and promote their products. We provided trainings on leveraging livestreams and reward features, and gave them tips on using the right tools to help drive visibility and traffic.
My colleagues were telling me that in pre-pandemic days, the team would organise a countdown event in the office, and Lazadians would stay up all night to watch the sales numbers on dashboards while eating midnight meals together and celebrating when they’ve hit their targets. Even though I’ve yet to experience it this year, I’m more excited than ever to get my ‘wishlist,’ because I know all the hard work it took for that to happen!”
This profile was compiled by Chiah Siow Yen from Lazada Malaysia’s public relations 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.
“My story with Lazada began two years ago, when I was engaged as a freelancer to emcee for a booth game at Lazada Vietnam’s 11.11 seller conference. Some of Lazada’s livestreaming (LazLive) team members approached me and asked if I would like to become a professional livestreamer. At that time, livestreaming was only just gaining some traction in the eCommerce world, and I was still pursuing an information security degree in university, so I didn’t jump at the opportunity right away. But the team was persistent! They contacted me again about a month later and changed my mind. Looking back, I think it was meant to be.
Today, in addition to hosting livestreams, I also produce the shows. In 2020, a year into the job, I worked with the LazLive team to launch and host a new series called “Slash-It” for 11.11. It was a first for a mega campaign in Vietnam. The initiative attracted millions of viewers and, before I knew it, people started to call me the “Queen of Slash-It”! Never in my dreams did I think this would happen. Introducing shopper-viewers to the best products, engaging with them online and helping our brands boost sales are what I love most about my job. As we celebrated the one-year anniversary of “Slash-It” last week, I was just grateful and glad to be part of this journey of bringing a new way to shop for people, many of whom have been homebound for many months. This is the future of retail, and it’s exciting to be a part of this future.”
This profile was compiled by Thu Pham from Lazada Vietnam’s public relations team.
Many consumers and merchants these days are no stranger to online shopping, but few are familiar with how digital platforms actually work and process millions of transactions in just a blink of an eye.
For those curious about the behind-the-scenes operations of eCommerce platforms, Lazada held its first-ever Tech Open Day (TOD) on July 31, 2021, to encourage communication among industry professionals and eCommerce tech lovers in China. The virtual event, which has so far garnered over 27,000 views online, focused on engineering technology in the morning and algorithm application in the afternoon. More than 10 speakers from Lazada’s tech team shared best practices and intimate knowledge on topics ranging from user growth to advertising algorithms and eCommerce campaigns.
During the event, Lazada’s tech team showcased how technological innovation is achieved in the context of Southeast Asia’s diverse and segmented eCommerce market. Over the years, Lazada has been investing heavily in new technology, and its product and technology architecture have been key to the company’s long-term development.
“At Lazada, we are investing for long-term, sustainable growth. Our infrastructural robustness and scalability will continue to pay dividends as we innovate and forge ahead into the future,” said Lazada Group chief executive officer Chun Li.
Three Stages of Technological Evolution
According to Howard Wang, Lazada’s chief technology officer, the company went through three stages of technology evolution.
The first stage began when Lazada was born in 2012, when the eCommerce market in Southeast Asia was still at a nascent stage. The team took a pragmatic approach to adapt whatever technologies that worked to support the platform’s rapid growth in market share.
As Lazada expanded, challenges to the platform’s technology system scalability and stability surfaced. As part of Alibaba Group’s ongoing investments into the company, Lazada’s technology architecture and infrastructure was re-platformed in 2018 and its core eCommerce platform was revamped, signalling a technology leap to the second stage of faster operations and innovation.
During this second stage, merchants and consumers saw a marked improvement to Lazada’s online capabilities. Many, in particular, were impressed with the much smoother experience of mega campaigns.
“We were lucky to be able to quickly upgrade our technologies, which has since become one of the platform’s key competitive advantages,” Wang said. “The upgrade enabled much higher scalability, stability and robustness of our technology system. We have since seen remarkable growth in multiple areas, evidenced by the launch of an array of new initiatives to enhance both merchants’ and consumers’ experience.”
Lazada Group Chief Technology Officer Howard Wang speaks at the company’s inaugural Tech Open Day.
The second stage also saw Lazada become the pioneer of eCommerce Shoppertainment in Southeast Asia. Tapping into Alibaba’s 20-plus years of knowledge and experience, Lazada started in 2019 to roll out features such as in-app livestreaming and interactive games.
Finally, the third stage of development kicked off in 2020 and focused on further localising Lazada’s technology to address the diversified needs of users in Southeast Asia and to ultimately empower greater business growth. Despite the pandemic, Lazada successfully launched a new logistics platform with Project Apollo, which allows the company to centralise its network and data management, better allocate and control routes, and more effectively manage costs.
The successful launch of Project Apollo demonstrated the strong ability of Lazada’s tech team to quickly innovate and adapt to pandemic-era challenges. Driven by Michael Lang, who leads Lazada’s logistics technology team, the project was carried out as a collaborative effort between around 500 staff across multiple locations in Southeast Asia and China. The system completed five rounds of testing and was put into use within three months.
Lazada’s third stage of tech innovation also highlighted the key role that artificial intelligence plays in the company’s digital infrastructure. Based on a deep understanding of user behaviour gleaned through machine learning, AI technology helps enhance the core efficiency of eCommerce by accurately meeting various segmented consumer needs. Alibaba’s industry-leading AI platform also powers Lazada’s search and recommendation engines as well as its advertisement products. As such, product page views supported by Lazada’s search and recommendation engines have increased by more than 100% year over year from 2018 to 2020, and the company’s buyer conversion rate has seen a year-over-year uplift of over 20%. Lazada also opened a new technology centre in Beijing in July. The centre focuses on R&D and AI technology application in eCommerce and specialises in algorithm engineering, product, user growth, search and recommendation among other areas.
Constant Innovation, Constant Growth
Thanks to these breakthroughs, in the past year alone, Lazada has grown its annual active consumer base to 110 million and monthly active user count to 150 million. The technological advancement has also resulted in a significant uplift in logistics efficiency.
Currently, Lazada’s AI team consists of around 200 algorithm engineers in Singapore, Shenzhen, Beijing and Hangzhou. Committed to constant innovation, the AI team is building out a new advertising system, Phoenix, that features OneBP – a unified business platform – and OneEngine, a unified online advertising engine. The system is supported by an intelligent operations platform and a data feedback platform to ensure higher operations and data-processing efficiency. It also provides Lazada’s brand partners and sellers with easier access to more diversified advertising products and marketing solutions and enables their products to be better matched with their target consumers.
Lazada’s continuous investments in technology has been its key competitive advantage, putting it miles ahead of competitors in terms of system stability, seller and brand enablement as well as customer satisfaction. With this technology architecture and strong infrastructural foundation built up over the years, Lazada has become not just a digital marketplace but a platform that empowers both businesses and consumers.
As LazBeat turns one, we look back at the memorable stories from the past year that resonated most with our readers.
Our “Humans of Lazada” series, which looks at the professional and personal lives of Lazadians, has been a hit. One of our first and most popular stories is a profile of Thanh Doan in Vietnam, who joined Lazada when it was just a start-up in 2012 and built the FMCG category from scratch. Another popular profile was that of Pat Mallari, who became a life coach to help people pursue careers that aligned with their personal goals and passions – a path that led her to join the talent development team at Lazada.
The story of an innovative partnership between Lazada and one of Singapore’s most creative content companies SGAG that uses fun and trendy content to drive commerce, sales and push boundaries of Shoppertainment also garnered many positive responses. Similarly, readers were drawn to a LazBeat article on inmates finding second chances through an initiative by the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Corrections in Thailand. Through the initiative, inmates were able to sell their handicrafts on eCommerce platforms like Lazada to raise funds for occupational skills development as well as accumulate savings to rebuild their lives upon release.
Sugeng Wibowo’s story on how he found his second chance and success through digital commerce also touched the hearts of many readers. An Indonesian seller whose eyesight was compromised from an accident in his youth, Wibowo struggled to find a job, until his friend introduced him to Lazada. Today, Wibowo runs a successful business selling home décor and beddings, and was even able to sustain the livelihoods of his staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each story is poignant and inspiring in its own way. Collectively, the stories are significant in registering a larger narrative of the pivotal role that digital commerce plays in changing the retail landscape in Southeast Asia, especially the way we shop and the way we live. More importantly, they tell the stories of the people changing this landscape – the people who are powering a vibrant and dynamic digital economy in this brave new world.
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.
“Everyone thinks the business of logistics is typically a man’s world. But in the six years that I have been working at Lazada Logistics, I have never once felt that being a woman was a hindrance to me in doing my work and doing my part to help the team.
I juggle a lot of hats. At home, I am a single mother to my two children, having been widowed five years ago when my husband unexpectedly passed away. I would say it was one of the toughest times of my life. But I make sure I do my best to give my children what they need to live simple but comfortable lives.
At work, I am a supervisor to my team. Similar to the support I give to my children, I make sure I give my team not only my guidance as their leader but also provide them with the support that they need to keep them motivated and inclined to go the extra mile.
During these times, it is quite difficult living the life of a logistics frontliner. I worry a lot about my team’s safety and well-being, and the daily struggles that we face due to the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. But I also believe that as logistics frontliners, we play big roles in helping to shape the everyday lives of our fellow Filipinos.
Seeing how we can help a customer live his or her life as normally as possible makes everything all worthwhile. From providing the groceries homemakers need to feed the family to fulfilling orders for people to enable their home office set-ups or helping deliver furniture to new homeowners – these are the reasons I wake up every day, rain or shine, to come to work. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m thankful that through the years, this job has given me an opportunity to learn and grow – both as a logistics professional and as a person.”
This profile was compiled by Mina Cunanan from the Lazada PR team in the Philippines.
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.
“The storm came on a morning when I had a lot of parcels to deliver. It was very sudden, the wind was extreme, and soon after, it rained heavily. Luckily, I had just delivered a parcel and was at a customer’s apartment building at that time so I was able to take shelter there. The wind was so strong and so loud that I did not realise that my motorbike had toppled over until I looked out and saw some parcels on the ground. I ran out to pick them up and tried to get my bike standing again. But the wind was so strong, it nearly blew me away! Other delivery riders ran out to help me, and residents on the upper floors also helped by directing us to items that had been blown a little further away so that we wouldn’t lose anything. What a day it was!
I had never thought I would be a delivery rider. Before the pandemic, my two brothers and I worked in the factories while my sister was a teacher. The fixed shifts at work made it difficult for me to take care of household matters. About six months ago, my father fell very ill, so I had to find a job with a more stable income but also more flexible working hours that would allow me to take care of him. That’s how I started working at Lazada Logistics.
A lot of people ask me if I’m afraid to deliver during the pandemic. Yes, of course, who is not scared? But I think love overcomes fear. Firstly, it’s my love for my family. When COVID-19 happened, my sister and brothers all lost their jobs. I became the sole breadwinner in my family of 10. So whether I’m tired or scared, I still choose to go to work. My family depends on me.
Secondly, it’s the love for our customers, who also depend on us. These include consumers who have to stay at home waiting for goods to be delivered and businesses who have gone online to try to survive. That is what motivates us as riders to try our best to deliver as many orders as possible, no matter rain or sun.
A day after that stormy morning, I woke up to see myself on a TikTok feed. A clip of me and the other riders in the rain trying to pick up the parcels and my bike was going viral with more than 600,000 views and lots of positive, encouraging and empathetic comments about my profession. It really touched me. It made me realise how much the community appreciates us. For me, that’s the best reward.”
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.
“‘Don’t worry. It’ll only last for two weeks.’ That was what I told my mother, confident that I would return to see my family in Pasir Gudang, Johor, after 14 days. Little did I know, weeks turned into a month and then it turned into many, many more.
It was on March 17 last year when my mum told me to come home. She was worried, since news broke that Malaysia was going to implement a movement control order to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus. I told her not to worry and that it would blow over soon. As the breadwinner of the family, I was determined to stay in Singapore and continue driving for RedMart. Do I regret my decision? No. My parents are old and they have always been there for me. Now it’s my turn to provide for them.
For years – probably a decade – I had been commuting to Singapore daily. When the pandemic hit and the borders closed, I had to stay in Singapore. In the years that I’ve been working at RedMart, it’s always been the little acts of kindness from customers that brighten up my day, and this is especially true now when I’m away from my family. Some customers provide bread and snacks by their door and some would offer drinks.
It’s definitely not easy being away from my parents and siblings. I can’t even begin to describe the sadness and uncertainty over when I can finally see them again. It was hardest during this Hari Raya, since I wasn’t able to celebrate the holiday with them for a second year. I felt really homesick. When I do video calls with my parents, they sometimes refuse to show their faces because they don’t want me to see that they are crying and that they miss me a lot.
What will I do if the restrictions are lifted tomorrow? I will drive home, appear at the doorstep and surprise my parents. I can’t wait for that day to come.”
Featured photo above: Maswandi Bin Basir (fourth from the right) and his family.
This profile was compiled by Norasikin Bte Ahmad from the Lazada 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.
“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.
