The retail landscape in the Philippines has been transforming. It is getting more obvious these days as Metro Manila, the entire Luzon, and other provinces nationwide are subjected to an enhanced community quarantine amid the Covid-19 pandemic. More and more consumers are turning to e-commerce to meet their shopping needs.
“We want to make online shopping safe and convenient while staying true to our vision of delivering a social and engaging experience to our users,” said Shopee Philippines Head of Marketing Ruoshan Tao. “At the same time, we will continue to help both our sellers and buyers by providing them a seamless online shopping experience, especially during this Covid-19 crisis.”
Shopee identifies four major trends that are shaping up the modern e-commerce landscape in the country:
1. Brands and sellers significantly grow their online presence.
It is surprising how brands and sellers boost their online presence these days. They explore new strategies to reach and engage consumers in the Shopee app or site.
Interestingly, brands and sellers in the Gaming and Pet Care categories are enjoying strong growth as consumers continue to prefer online shopping for their home and essentials needs. Appliances and accessories sellers see their sales grow 15 times compared to the same period last year, while those selling pet essentials realize sales that are 40 times higher.
Another interesting way to boost online presence is by reaching out to consumers via live streaming. The number of Shopee Live streams has increased 40 times from the same period last year. Such a strategy is being exploited by homegrown small and medium enterprises to bolster their online visibility.
2. Shoppers turn to e-commerce for their daily essentials.
Local consumers are now relying on e-commerce for their daily needs as they live, work, and play in the comfort of their homes. In the past three months, search and shopping activities coursed through the Shopee app have significantly increased.
Among the top searched keywords are face masks, dresses, power banks, and undergarments. The top products in the past three months in Shopee are mosquito incense, vitamins and supplements, and cell phone cases.
3. Shopping preference evolves as consumers seek convenience.
Shopping preferences are changing locally as consumers turn to e-commerce during the pandemic. Shopee reveals an increased number of shopping activities during weekdays. In recent months, online shopping is reaching a peak on Tuesdays, indicating consumers’ preference to shop earlier in the week. Shopping activities are also the highest from 12 noon to 1 p.m., indicating the preference of consumers to shop during lunchtime.
The adoption of cashless payments is also growing as consumers prefer speed and reduced physical interactions. Shopee’s cashless payment option ShopeePay has been enjoying usage in the past several months.
4. Engagement and interaction among online shoppers are on the rise.
E-commerce is evolving to be more than just a portal for shopping. Through its in-app engagement features, the Shopee app has become a venue for interaction, reading of content, and connecting with other Shopee users.
Shopee Live Chat now courses over 1 million messages daily on the average. In-app games recorded about 200 million plays over the past three months as users log in more frequently to earn rewards and try out the new in-app games like Shopee Farm and Shopee Throw.