Lazada, Southeast Asia and online retail company founded by German rocket Internet Ltd, has received $ 100 million to investors in its bid to discharge the region's status as an e-commerce backwater.
Although online shopping is big in Europe, the United States and even in China, it is possible to share all of this year's 6% of the retail business, Southeast Asia, people still prefer to do their shopping downline of 99%, the company estimates.
Lazada, in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, hopes to change that.
"We're seeing the same positive trend across the region, said:" Headquartered in Singapore Lazada CEO Maximilian BITTNER's. "Probably not a country like Vietnam or Indonesia's GDP compensate online enthusiasm."
Announced on Thursday that it has secured $ 1 million in funding from existing investors Holtzbrinck Ventures, Investment AB Kinnevik Summit partners and Tengelmann Group, as well as new investors Verlinvest, the Belgian family-owned investment holding company. This is the largest single round of funding Lazada date.
But he refused to disclose the round, as the smaller injections Earlier this year, last year, about how to affect the rocket's stake in the company details.
Berlin Rocket Internet has in the past few years launched a number of e-commerce sites, most of which are in emerging markets.
, Including Africa Zando Jumia, Zalando in Europe and Brazil Dafiti. Earlier this month, the Russian version Zalando Lamoda receive $ 130 million in an investment, including the Partner Summit and Tengelmann.
Lazada was founded in early 2012, offering consumer electronics products, housewares, toys and sports equipment, in the Southeast Asian emerging markets.
Challenge Amazon
BITTNER said that these funds will be used to improve the logistics part of the Group's supply chain. "We are still in the start-up stage is the key for us to improve our level of customer service."
In fact, Lazada there is criticism. Activities in Southeast Asia following the rocket regional news website SGE.io, and headquartered in Singapore's founder Bernard Shi said, Lazada has invested heavily in advertising, and problems encountered in maintaining the quality of customer service throughout the region .
"If the funds to help solve their business such as customer service, they are expected to the biggest players in the region," he said.
BITTNER refused to disclose specific figures, but said the total value of the goods, the total value of goods sold in a given period, last month hit the "three-digit million.
Lazada biggest competitors are mostly local players, but it comes from Amazon.com, the company has strengthened its activities in the region could face a major challenge. Earlier this month, Amazon announced that some of the items will be free shipping from the U.S. to Singapore and India. Amazon offers a similar service in Europe, in late 2010.
But BITTNER say things move quickly. In the past year, he said, the group to overcome the logistical challenges, on the same day, the entire region ship approximately 90% of the package, and get 85% of those orders delivered the next day in the metropolitan area.
Although e-commerce has been hampered by lack of choice of consumers online payment - less than 10%, in Vietnam Lazada credit card transactions compared to about half in Malaysia - Southeast Asian consumers can easily adapt to new technologies, especially mobile, BITTNER said.
He said that 10 days before the launch of a mobile application has accounted for 10% of trading volume. "This shows how Internet savvy and open these things, Southeast Asia," he said.
 



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