Lazada hiking investments in PH operations amid e-commerce boom

Southeast Asia's e-commerce giant Lazada Group is ramping up its investments in the Philippines following a pandemic-driven demand from Filipino shoppers.

Lazada Chief Executive Officer Carlos Barrera said the group has been “heavily investing in its Philippine operations amid the robust demand from millions of Filipino shoppers, who have enjoyed the convenience of buying goods online.”

“We have been focusing our investments in key areas that will allow our partners to grow faster and gain more market share,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

The official did not specify the total amount of investments. However, he noted that Lazada has been financing networking events, training, and development of advanced marketing tools to equip and set its seller community apart in the online marketplace.

To further dominate the local e-commerce market, the executive said Lazada is banking on its name known for delivering orders much faster across the country.

Supporting this, Barrera said in March that Lazada would build “hundreds” of delivery hubs to be closer to customers.

As the pandemic forced the government to limit mobility, businesses nationwide turned to e-commerce to keep their operations afloat. The Department of Information and Communications Technology earlier said that 83% of Filipinos are internet users.