Sasa grows online presence with Shopee after pulling retail out of SG

Cosmetics retailer Sasa has partnered with eCommerce company Shopee to launch the its official store on Shopee's platform in Singapore. Through this long-term partnership, Sasa aims to strengthen its online presence, and tap on Shopee’s user base to reach a wider audience.

Sasa recently shuttered its physical stores in Singapore, and said it will be shifting its focus on core markets such as Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau SARs, Mainland China, as well as its eCommerce business. The group’s performance in Singapore has been less than satisfactory for many years, and recorded losses for six consecutive years. This was despite its attempts in restructuring the local management team and enhancing store display and product mix. Sasa has declined to comment Marketing's queries on its partnership.

Meanwhile, with this collaboration, Shopee looks to target a wide range of consumers in Singapore, particularly consumers shopping online for their beauty needs. Shopee also aims to drive greater growth in the beauty and personal care category, providing shoppers access to a greater assortment of products on the platform. This includes beauty products such as the SK-II, Lancome, and Shiseido.

Despite Sasa's retail woes in Singapore, Zhou Junjie, chief commercial officer and head of Shopee Singapore told Marketing that this partnership will enable Sasa to strengthen its retail strategy, boost its online presence, and bring a greater variety of beauty products to a wider audience through Shopee’s user base. According to Zhou, Singaporean shoppers are constantly on the lookout for quality, variety and competitive prices, and that Sasa has a strong brand presence in Singapore with a wide selection of international beauty products.

“Partnering with brands such as Sasa represents our commitment to continue expanding and diversifying our product assortment to provide users with more variety when shopping online,” he added.   In addition, prior to the official launch of the Sasa store, Shopee utilised homepage banners and push notifications to keep users informed, and offered exclusive store-wide vouchers on Sasa products. The launch of the Sasa official store was also amplified across Shopee’s various social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, to boost awareness and maximise reach.

Zhou also said to Marketing that the Sasa official store was launched intentionally during Shopee Brands Festival, which offers brands maximum visibility to grow and retain its customers. “As more Singaporean shoppers move online, we see an increasing demand for wider product variety, reputable brands, and good deals. At the same time, we are focused on helping our brands and retail partners unlock their full potential and aim for sustained long-term success,” he added.

Meanwhile, Simon Kwok, SBS, JP, chairman and chief executive officer of parent company Sa Sa International Holdings, said the launch of the Sasa official store on Shopee will allow the company to effectively drive sales growth and lay a solid foundation for the development of its new retail model. “We look forward to strengthening our e-commerce business further and are positive that working with Shopee will allow us to achieve success in the near future,” he added.

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Sasa's exit from SG: Lack of innovation or tough retail scene?