Lazada’s ‘new retail’ showcase recognised for bridging offline-online gap to deliver innovative experiences for its shoppers

This article is sponsored by Lazada Malaysia.

PR Awards 2021, by Marketing Interactive, held on 7 April, saw Lazada Malaysia win the bronze award for Best PR Campaign: eCommerce, in recognition of its success in bridging the gap between the online and offline customer experience during its 12.12 Grand Year End Sale in 2019. 

The campaign was designed to take consumers on an experiential journey of what the future of retail will look like, as retailers and businesses seamlessly integrate their customer experience in both the physical and digital realm through what it calls a “bricks and clicks” approach.

“The digital revolution has given modern consumers access to unparalleled convenience and tailored engagements that connect them to the products and services they need, anytime and anywhere,” said Darren Rajaratnam, chief operating officer at Lazada Malaysia.

“Physical stores are the most direct way for consumers to engage with a brand and their products. Now, ensuring a seamless connection between physical stores and digital interactions is key to creating an exciting, overall customer journey.”

Realising the future of retail will not be a question of online versus offline, Lazada Malaysia’s 12.12 Grand Year End Sale in 2019 showcased the convergence of offline and online commerce. 

This was done by encouraging digital adoption in one direction, while boosting traffic to bricks and mortar brand partners to demonstrate the complementary nature of these two channels in the modern retail environment. 

Lazada Wallet was incorporated as a payment method for selected physical brand stores for the first time, leveraging the growing popularity of e-wallets as a payment method in the physical retail space.

“This campaign was built around the remarkable potential of online-offline integration,” said Selina Wong, head of payments and digital goods at Lazada Malaysia.

“We decided to tap into the value of digital payments by seamlessly integrating Lazada Wallet during the 12.12 campaign to bridge the opportunities between the online and offline economy, and provide in-store customers a safe, reliable and convenient payment method.

“Now, one in three Malaysians are choosing Lazada Wallet as their preferred payment method on our platform.”

Lazada enjoyed an enviable reputation in the eCommerce space even before the launch of this campaign, and the 12.12 Grand Year End Sale further built on Lazada’s commitment as a thought leader that prioritises the community and understands consumers’ needs. 

That principle was encapsulated in this campaign which focused on nurturing emotional relationships with customers – not simply raising awareness, but generating genuine engagement that allows consumers to make the right purchases for themselves.

That included enabling a connected experience, which brought together online opportunities with offline brand partners, building awareness of the platform’s wider offerings; attracting buyers beyond the framework of the Lazada app; and leveraging the synergy from online and offline traffic to generate positive sales growth for merchants.

For the campaign, Lazada also tapped into its live-streaming feature LazLive to provide an entertaining digital avenue for users to enjoy the excitement of the sales experience, turning attention into action for partner brands and sellers. 

Individual live-streaming sale sessions allowed merchants to interact with shoppers to provide immediate feedback to questions or concerns, hold real-time discussions, and offer simultaneous purchasing opportunities without buyers having to leave the live-stream. 

This feature not only encouraged sales, but also allowed for authentic conversations between merchants and customers to create deeper bonds between the two sides.

More than RM50,000 in vouchers acted as an incentive for participation in the LazLive sales, while a “Mesti Beli” shopping guide was curated to showcase the best deals available for consumers during the entire 12.12 sale.

Exclusivity was also leveraged through money-can’t-buy offers by brand partners, as well as partnerships with 12 local and international brands such as Senheng, Skechers, HealthLand, and Häagen-Dazs.

Lazada communicated with audiences organically across a range of channels to increase awareness and influence consumer engagement through clear communication and outreach. 

Members of the media were given an on-ground tour to experience the offline-to-online integration first-hand, with Lazada representatives showcasing the redemption of online cash vouchers at physical stores. 

This provided a platform of positive media coverage that spring-boarded the campaign, along with fun giveaways that were hosted through nationwide radio, and the Lazada app to helped build public awareness. These combined efforts reached more than 12 million people in Malaysia.

The sale also highlighted Lazada’s leading logistics capabilities, with the first sale-day delivery made just 39 minutes after the sale went live at midnight. 

Lazada Wallet transactions per minute increased by more than 200% year-on-year, and brand partners gained an impressive 10X uplift on in-store transactions compared with a normal weekend.

“We often talk of Lazada as an ecosystem, and from the beginning of the campaign, our aim was to support our network of partner brands and sellers, while providing new retail opportunities for our customers,” Rajaratnam said. 

“So, while I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of Lazada Malaysia, I want to celebrate the immense, collective effort that went into this campaign from the great team at Lazada, to the fantastic consumers, sellers and brands who made the 12.12 Grand Year End Sale such a success.”