Marking its 10th anniversary this year, leading online lifestyle destination Lazada continues to trailblaze as a pioneer of eCommerce, uplifting the consumer experiences as it provides a safe and trusted platform for Filipino shoppers and local businesses.
A Lazada consumer survey about online shoppers' behavior in Southeast Asia revealed that 81% of Filipino consumers consider online shopping to be an integral part of everyday life. A further 89% of Filipino shoppers also indicated that they are spending more online since the pandemic.
As we reflect on how far the digital economy in the Philippines has come in the past decade, we also round up some unique insights on how consumer behavior in our country has evolved with the times.
eCommerce has become an integral part of consumers’ everyday lives
Adoption of digital platforms accelerated in the last few years, with consumers getting acquainted with the convenience of fulfilling daily needs and wants through online shopping from home.
When asked why Filipino consumers prefer shopping online, the top cited reasons were convenience of having online shopping items delivered right to their doorstep (49%), ability to find products that are not available in their city or country (39%), and discounts and promotions (29%) offered by the platform.
In addition, Filipino shoppers also responded that Lazada’s in-app features, including the variety of payment options such as cash-on-delivery, buy-now-pay-later, reviews and ratings, live order tracking, and delivery guarantee are all important in ensuring a satisfying shopping experience.
Filipinos are strong supporters of local businesses
Many of our kababayans started selling online to supplement their family’s income amid the pandemic. And it is worth noting that Filipino consumers have also been showing their support and helping to stimulate the local economy. The Lazada survey revealed that 49% of Filipino online shoppers tend to purchase from local brands over international brands, if both items are priced the same.
Over half of the online shoppers surveyed (53%) also recognize Lazada's strong support to help local sellers get on their digital journey. In fact, when surveyed on how online shoppers perceive the eCommerce platform as a brand, the top answer in the Philippines was that “Lazada supports local sellers!”
Filipinos are more intentional when shopping online
Filipinos are generally known to love window-shopping. The experience of walking around malls, checking out the racks and looking for great bargains were especially popular before the pandemic. However, the study shows that while 38% of respondents say they still browse a website or app not knowing what they want to buy, more than half of the total number of respondents (59%) were more intentional in their online shopping behaviors, saying they had already made up their mind about an item they wanted to purchase when they go online to shop.
Pinoys are patient sulit-seekers
The survey also revealed that Filipinos are patient when it comes to looking out for the best deals. 43% of the survey respondents said they do not make instant purchases when they see an item they like. Instead, they tend to add-to-cart the products, and then wait for a good deal to come along before making the purchase.
The regional survey further revealed that consumers across Southeast Asia continue to actively participate in Mega Campaigns such as 11.11 and 12.12 sales, with 67% of the digital consumers completing a purchase during the said campaigns. Low prices (45%) and affordable shipping (45%) top the list of reasons people are buying online, followed closely by ease of search (43%) and convenience (43%).
People are embracing the convenience of e-wallet payments
While majority of respondents agreed that they paid via cash on delivery, across the markets, the Philippines is also among the top three countries that have adopted a mobile-first approach to shopping. Aside from cash on delivery, findings indicate that Filipinos have also been paying via e-wallets for their purchases as more and more Filipinos shift towards a more digital lifestyle.