"We look at this opportunity without looking at how much it is today, but we believe that over time it should be a significant portion of our business, (about) 20% to 25%, so our investment today is to build future growth and help bridge the gap in e-commerce development," he said.
According to Barrera, the investment will be used for marketing campaigns, especially shipping vouchers, to reduce the cost of online shopping for consumers in Mindanao. "Historically, the cost of delivering goods in Mindanao is the highest in the country. So we have been investing heavily and have reduced shipping costs by more than 40 pesos per order." Barrera said Lazada is also investing in sellers on the platform.
“We have onboarded more than 500 sellers in the past few months and we have invested a lot to help them grow,” he noted. In addition, Lazada is investing in infrastructure and the e-commerce ecosystem. “We are also offering financing options, working with partners to provide users in the region with more ‘buy now, pay later’ options and even seller financing.”
