MANILA - Shopee on Monday said its 12.12 sale broke records with around 12 million items sold in the first 24 minutes, and at its peak 1 million items were bought in a single minute.

The company said the surge in shopping activity was also met with the increasing adoption of digital payments, with use of the company’s own mobile wallet ShopeePay surging 18 times.

“Given the unprecedented year that 2020 has been, we wanted this to be a special day not just for Shopee, but for the people we serve,” said Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines.

The top purchases in the Philippines during the 12.12 sale were home and living items, mobile accessories, and fashion.

“Consumers took the time to revamp their homes, with 1.5 million home decor products such as curtains, wallpapers, and 3D wall stickers sold,” Shopee said.

Meanwhile, a total of one million smartphone accessories were sold, with phone cases, phone covers, and power banks being the most popular, the company added.

“There was a strong demand for fashion products, with 1.6 million tops sold. More Filipinos also focused on fitness with over 57,000 sports bras sold.”

Shopee said local businesses benefitted from the sale, with one top seller recording more than 75,000 orders within 24 hours on December 12.

“As we look ahead, we will continue meeting the needs of our local communities; making online shopping accessible, easy, and enjoyable for users; and helping businesses realize the growth opportunities for e-commerce in the region,” Yu said.

Shopee rival Lazada meanwhile said its daily sales grew by 2.5 times in 2020 on the back of an e-commerce boom amid the stay-at-home lifestyle forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of sellers and the use of cashless payments also doubled this year compared to pre-pandemic times, said Lazada.

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