Lazada ID inks year-long deal with EVOS Esports to push esports growth

Lazada Indonesia has partnered with Southeast Asia’s esports organisation EVOS Esports to support the growth of esports in Indonesia. Through the one year collaboration, the eCommerce company also aims to boost the development of mobile gaming and esports among Millennials and Generation Z digital natives in Indonesia. 

As such, Lazada will be supporting all of EVOS activities for one year, such as esports tournaments and events. The first part of the collaboration includes the soft launch of the official EVOS store on the Lazada Indonesia platform from 10 to 17 April 2020, which is in conjunction with a flash sale for EVOS merchandise. 

The second part of the collaboration which will be in June 2020, EVOS Esports will be holding an open talent search audition. About 250 tickets for Mobile Legends audition and 250 tickets for Free Fire audition will be available for sale on Lazada’s platform, and two winners will be chosen from the audition.

According to Lazada, becoming the main sponsor of EVOS Esports is in line with its mission to be the first eCommerce to introduce the concept of shoppertainment since 2019 to pamper buyers. This concept also aims to provide a shopping experience that allows consumers to use the Lazada application to make purchases and also watch livestream shows or play games. 

This comes on the back of a Newzoo research, which revealed that while Indonesia smartphone users reached more than 82 million, mobile game players in Indonesia has reached more than 52 million. According to the report, Indonesia is ranked 17th spot in the global rankings with the highest number of mobile game players. Indonesia contributed USD 624 million or equivalent to IDR 8.7 trillion for mobile gaming during 2019. 

This data shows the interest of the people in the esports industry and Lazada Indonesia is keen to support this interest by presenting various initiatives that can be carried out together with EVOS Esports. At the same time, as an eCommerce company, Lazada is supporting the government in encouraging the esports industry by making a positive contribution to the local economy. 

Monika Rudijono, chief marketing officer, Lazada Indonesia said the company is committed to continue in accelerating the progress of the technology-based creative economy and encouraging the talents of every individual, especially the younger generation to be involved in the rapidly growing mobile gaming and esports industry. 

Meanwhile, Hartman Harris, EVOS Esports co-founder and chief business officer Lazada is able to understand the needs of the younger generation, Millennials and Generation Z digital natives in Indonesia and has an end-to-end solution from EVOS Esports official store, digital goods sales to livestreaming capabilities. 

With a total following of over 65m YouTube subscribers and 50m Instagram followers and over 350m views per month, EVOS Esports has been working towards growing the esports eco-system and creating immersive experiences for the esports community. 

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The esports organisation recently hired former AirAsia Esports lead Allan Phang as its regional head of marketing and PR.  In this newly created role, Phang is tasked to boost the visibility of EVOS Esports and he told Marketing Interactive that it is going to be “an exciting journey to connect all the dots, especially with thought leaders on a regional and international level”. 

The esports organisation bagged a total of US$4.4 million Series A investment last November, in preparation to capture Southeast Asia's gaming influencer management market. It secured a funding of US$3 million earlier last year with Insignia Ventures Partners, and raised an additional US$1.4 million from a group of angel investors from Indonesian conglomerates, and the top-level management of "a leading eCommerce player" in China. Founded in 2017, the Jakarta-based company is using the funding to grow its entertainment arm, which manages 50 gaming influencers and collaborates with 300 esports talent across Southeast Asia.

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