Face masks, ice cream and cars: What Pinoys bought during Lazada's 9.9 sale event

MANILA - Lazada Philippines said Friday Filipinos bought at least 1.5 million surgical face masks and reserved cars and motorcycle units during the 9.9 sale event that saw its sales double this year.

Over 1.5 million pieces of surgical masks were sold while shoppers also placed a total of 80 reservations for car and motorcycle units from Hyundai, Ford, KTM and Ropali during the one-day event as they prepare to go back on the road, the e-commerce platform said in a statement.

At least 2,500 fresh and frozen goods were sold in total during the event, with ice cream among the most popular, selling at least 55 liters in one day or equivalent to 1,100 scoops, the platform said.

There are also 90,000 make-up products sold, over 13,000 power tools, 3,000 basketball shoes, and nearly 14,000 pet food products, Lazada said.

In total, 600,000 products were sold on Sept. 9 while close to 60,000 brands and sellers participated in the event. At least 28,000 of which are micro, small and medium sized enterprises, Lazada said.

Over 500 sellers also hit P1 million in earnings in one day, Lazada said. Sales of LazMall, which prides itself with authentic products, grew 2.5 times compared to last year, it said. 

“The Lazada team has worked hard over the past six months to help brands and sellers pivot their businesses online as consumers look to shop safely and gain access to products conveniently. The success from the Bounce Back campaigns and now the 9.9 shopping event is a testament of the evolving retail landscape that will be here to stay,” said Lazada Philippines CEO Ray Alimurung.

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Consumers also spent an average of 30 minutes browsing, adding to cart and checking out, the platform said. At least 1 million people were on the app between 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 9, it said. 

The sale event also kicked off the holiday gifting season for Filipinos, as the "ber" month marked the start of putting in their carts their favorite items, Lazada said.

In a study, Facebook Philippines earlier said self-gifting could rise during this holiday season as Filipinos look for comfort during the pandemic. 

E-commerce and deliveries have surged since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns in March with consumers forced to stay at home to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. 

The government has urged online sellers to register as transactions rise, to ensure taxes are paid.