9.9 Sale: Decoding one of the biggest Mid-Year Sales for E-Commerce Sellers

For an e-commerce business owner in Southeast Asia, sustaining growth and acquiring new shoppers remain top priorities. Online e-commerce sale events like the double-day sale are an excellent way for business to cater to shoppers with a high intent to purchase, capture new customers, and promote repeat purchases.

According to a report by Bain & Company and Meta, Southeast Asia, a market posting a growth rate of 1.6x also shows families growing with higher incomes. The region has witnessed a substantial rise of 3 million households in upper-middle-class and upper-class families in developed countries and 13 million in developing countries. With shoppers of high purchasing power and preference for online shopping, 9.9 is a very important sales day for e-commerce sellers. 

9.9 sale allows businesses to offer products at competitive prices, to increase customer footfall and boost revenue. The single-digit sales days,  9.9 is occurs at the end of the financial year, and proves to be an opportunity for sellers to assess their inventory and clear it through great discounts. 

So, how important is the 9.9 sale in the lineup of the double day sale? Is the popularity something you need to invest in or ignore? We decode the most significant sale event and how you can capitalize on the mad rush to clear out inventory, attract new shoppers, and encourage existing customers to buy more. 

 

When is the 9.9 Sale?

The 9.9 sale is a popular e-commerce event, an extension of the double-day sales series held on September 9th each year. It is the last single digit sale day. There is a particular interest in the 9.9 sale because it falls towards the end of the quarter.

What is the 9.9 Sale?

Originating from Southeast Asia, particularly from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, the 9.9 sale marks the prelude to the holiday shopping season. E-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok and online sellers try to woo shoppers by offering enticing discounts, deals, and promotions across various products and categories. The sale impacts businesses by driving customer engagement, boosting sales, and creating a shopping frenzy. 

Shoppers in Southeast Asia highly anticipate this 9.9 sale day and it provides an excellent opportunity for e-commerce businesses to increase shopping, acquire new customers, and foster brand loyalty.

Decoding the popularity of the 9.9 Sale 

The 9.9 sale primarily originated and gained prominence in Southeast Asian countries. Some credit the sale originating in China back to 2012, while some resources cite that the e-commerce platforms Shopee and Lazada popularized it in the Southeast Asian regions. 

Regions where the 9.9 Sale is Popular:

Notably, the 9.9 sale day is prominent in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines. 

E-commerce Platforms that Host the 9.9 Sale: 

The influence of e-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop became instrumental in the popularity of the 9.9 sale across Southeast Asia. 

Cultural Significance of 9.9: 

Another reason is that repetitive nines in the date symbolized abundance and luck in many Asian cultures. This 9.9 sale became an auspicious event that encourages shoppers to participate. It is worth noting that the influence, success and concept of the sale expands beyond countries in the Asia Pacific region, too.

Order Flow during 9.9 2023 

During 9.9 sale 2023, the first hour saw the maximum inflow of orders. Sellers must be prepared to handle the huge order inflow at the first hour after the sales officially kick off. 

The second peak of 9.9 sales 2023, was observed during noon. These peaks may often coincide with mid-day double-day sale promotions and limited-time vouchers launched by the marketplace to boost shopping activity.

After the mid-day peak, sales consistently kicks in post 6pm in the evening, indicating that shoppers may visit e-commerce marketplaces after winding up with work or during their commute back home.

Understanding the interest around the past 9.9 sales

Shopee and Lazada have become the go-to platforms for promoting 9.9 sales due to their large customer base, prominence in multiple Southeast Asian markets, strategic marketing, and user-friendly interfaces. This e-commerce landscape allows them to attract both sellers and buyers, creating a bustling marketplace for the 9.9 sales event. 

Best Selling Items during 9.9 Sale 2023

Across the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, Locad saw a diverse pattern of best selling product categories that it fulfilled.

• In Thailand, Locad fulfilled 14.49% double day orders during the 9.9 sale.
• In Singapore, nearly 14.83% of the double day orders were fulfilled during the 9.9 sale
• In the Philippines, 9.9 sales account for 16.06% of the total double-day orders fulfilled. PhilippinesCanned and Consumer Packaged GoodsDietary SubstitutesTravel and Storage AccessoriesSingaporeCanned and Consumer Packaged GoodsPet Food and SuppliesBeauty, Hair and SkincareThailandDietary SubstitutesFashion and accessories Baby and Maternity ProductsMalaysiaHaircare productsBeauty and Skincare products

Starting as early as mid-August, with promotions continuing after the end of the 8.8 sale, Shopee and Lazada have emerged as the top destinations for shoppers seeking the best 9.9 deals.

Let’s take a look at some of the remarkable insights from the 9.9 sale in 2023

 

What Sellers need to know ahead of Shopee 9.9 2024

To maintain the momentum of the sale, Shopee 9.9 focuses on the perfect mix of formats and incentives. These initiatives align with shifting customer behavior, new shopping trends, and financial solutions to promote more online shopping activities.

Shopee PayLater:

Shopee’s native payment digital wallet lets shoppers pay for their online purchases. During the double day sales, Shopee offers discounts and cashback for shoppers paying for their orders through ShopeePay. Shopee also extends qualified customers with their flexible payment, ShopeePay Later that lets shoppers pay the order value in installments.

Shopee Live:

Keeping up with live commerce, Shopee Live lets sellers connect with shoppers through live streams. A heavily promoted feature, Shopee live also sees high engagement and great conversions.

Shopee Coins Boost:

One of Shopee’s gamification concept, let shoppers to buy more on the promise of a suitable reward. Shopee offers Shopee Coins to shoppers fulfilling a set of activities like daily visits to the platform, purchasing a product from a category, or submitting a rating for a previous purchase.

Key Performance Trends of Shopee 9.9 2023

The Shopee 9.9 2023 broke a lot of records. The platform saw an uplift of 8x in total items in sold in the first two hours of the sale. Shopee Live hit a 41x increase of first-time buyers and 2.7 million of hours of combined watch time during the Shopee 9.9 sale. 

Locad, the fulfillmet partner of several Shopee sellers also saw some notable trends.

• Locad saw nearly 63% of 9.9 sale orders fulfilled coming through Shopee.
• In Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore, the Shopee 9.9 orders represented 64.27%, 63.50%, and 63.49% respectively.

What Sellers need to know ahead of Lazada 9.9 2024

In addition to new daily deals and vouchers in the past 9.9 sales Lazada, like Shopee, included new initiatives to boost its 9.9 sales success. 

LazMall:

Lazada’s LazMall features products from trusted merchants, and reputed sellers on the platform offer shoppers a trusted, enjoyable and a  reliable shopping experience.

Lazada Live:

Like SHopee, Lazada noticed an increase in live commerce that’s going on Asian Pacific. and persuade them to buy. Laz Live enables sellers on the platform to connect with shoppers, showcase products better, answer questions live, and increase conversions through LazLive-specific 9.9 sale vouchers and discounts.

Lazada PayLater:

This native digital wallet from Lazada helps foster an inclusive environment for buyers who otherwise would skip the 9.9 sales could buy from the platform and pay for the purchase through interest-free installments.

Lazada Coins Boost:

To turn new and existing customers into repeat buyers during Lazada 9.9 the platform promotes Lazada Coins. Shoppers earn redeemable LazCoins by participating curated shopping activities. The Lazada Coins then could be traded to avail discounts and other offers during checkout. 

Key Performance Trends of Lazada 9.9 2023

According to Lazada 9.9 sale round up post, top selling product during Lazada 9.9 2023 was fashion, home appliances, and beauty and skincare products in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Top categories that shoppers across Asia Pacific purchased includes consumer appliances, fashion, athleisure, baby food, travel and storace accessories, home goods and wellness products.

As the trusted fulfillment partner of serveral Lazada sellers, Locad extended its expertise in helping sellers prepare for the sale, pick and pack orders and fulfill them within the stipulated timeline. 

• Across the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, nearly 33.31% of the 9.9 sale 2023 orders were from Lazada.
• Nearly 32.46% of 9.9 Singapore orders were placed on Lazada, while 33.58% of 9.9 sales in the Philippines were made via Lazada. The 9.9 sale 2023 in Thailand amounted to 16.19% of the total 9.9 sale orders.
• Singapore 9.9 sale orders from Lazada represented nearly 15% of the double day orders fulfilled for Lazada during H2 2023. 
• In the Philippines, Lazada 9.9 sale orders was nearly 13.12% of the double day orders fulfilled by Locad during June to December.
• In Thailand, 9.9 sale 2023 represented 17.11% of the total double day orders placed on Lazada that was fulfilled by Locad during the peak double day season in H2.

 

Rise of TikTok Shopping as a consistent sales channel during 9.9 sale 2023

While Shopee and Lazada have been the primary sales channels for double day sales across Asia Pacific, TikTok Shop’s phenomenal rise as a social commerce channel cannot be ignored.

• During 2023, the 9.9 sale, nearly 3.15% of the orders from the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand that Locad fulfilled were placed on TikTok Shop.
• 9.9 2023 TikTok shop sales orders alone represent 8.03% of the TikTok Shop orders fulfilled by Locad during H2 2023.
• In Thailand, 30.56% of the orders that Locad fulfilled on the 9.9 sale were placed on TikTok shop, making it the second best e-commerce marketplace after Shopee.
• In Singapore, 9.9 sales saw 17.08% of H2 double day sale orders placed via TikTok Shop.

 

How to Prepare Your E-commerce Store for the 9.9 Sale

 

On the day of the 9.9 sale, you need to ensure that you’ve generated enough buzz for shoppers to visit your online storefront. And your e-commerce store must be ready to offer a superior shopping experience to support the influx of shoppers. Here are some tips to prepare for the big 8.8 sales and offer some positive experiences.

 

Capitalize on in-house promoting tools: 

Both Shopee, Lazada and TikTok offer a rich mix of marketing tools to boost visibility and bring shoppers to their online stores. E-commerce businesses can leverage tools like in-app ads, vouchers and other attractive features to capture the interests of shoppers looking for deals during the 9.9 sales. The investment that goes into these paid marketing initiatives is justifiable since they target customers who are on the app intending to shop. 

Create an attractive Sales offer:

The 9.9 sale is an excellent opportunity for e-commerce businesses to increase the demand for otherwise off-seasonal or slow-moving inventory. By listing products that otherwise result in high storage costs, you can free up storage space, reduce carrying costs, and make way for new product lines.

Update your website:

Your website should be up-to-date and easy to navigate. Update the content and pricing to make your products stand out during the sale. Streamline the checkout process in place. Ensure your e-commerce site is optimized for traffic through mobile devices. Ensure you’ve mapped products to appropriate discounts and updated the product listing to reflect the same.

Create a Virtual Countdown Experience:

Leverage the “FOMO” around 9.9 sale by adding a countdown that starts ticking a few days before the sale. Shoppers instantly take note and visit your store multiple times to ensure they’re the first to access the best deals when the 9.9 sale starts.

Pre-Sale VIP Access and Early Bird Offer:

Entice the existing customer base to e-commerce online store during the sale with exclusive pre-sale access and early bird discounts. This instills a sense of privilege in your existing shoppers, enhancing their desire to participate in the 9.9 sale for a premium shopping experience.

Geo-Targeted Flash Deals:

Since the 9.9 sale isn’t unique to a single country in Southeast Asia, e-commerce business owners can utilize the opportunity to capture customers across the border.  Create exclusive deals for customers who come from different countries through geo-targeting. This strategy attracts international shoppers to your store and encourages them to return to the store multiple times.

Level up Fulfillment this 9.9 Sale 2024 in SouthEast Asia

The 9.9 sale might increase the traffic to your online store. And with the right amount of marketing and promotions, you can convert them into orders. Having the best inventory storage, pick and pack process and the right last-mile coverage can give your e-commerce brand that upper edge over your competitors.

That’s why partnering with a best-in-class third-party logistics provider like Locad becomes crucial to your 9.9 sale’s success. 

Locad offers a flexible infrastructure to help your e-commerce brand store inventor, automate order processing, pick and pack orders per your branding and get the best last-mile carrier to deliver your orders. Now, what does that mean for your e-commerce business?

Inventory Management:

The 9.9 shopping surge might cause an increase in demand for your products. Maintain adequate inventory stock to prevent stockouts and ensure no shopper sees the “currently out-of-stock message” when they check out. With Locad, you know precisely the inventory status in our warehouses. This makes it easy for you to restock on time and strategize on sale promotions based on the inventory at hand.

Demand Forecasting and Sales Management:

When outsourcing fulfillment, brands also need to be aware of the surge in orders that a double day sale like 9.9 2024 can potentially bring. By forecasting sales volume, Locad lets sellers log the expected forecasts ahead via the Locad Logistics Engine. This means, the warehouse has enough manpower to process orders, pick and pack them and have them ready for last-mile within the marketplace-stipulated time frame.

Batch Handling and Product Lifecycle Management: 

E-commerce sleers often deal with seasonal products, limited shelf-life inventory, and consumer electronics bound by warranty. In such cases storing and monitoring inventory is important. This helps the warehouse executives dispatch the older inventory with sufficient shelf-life before a recent batch that’s inbounded. Tagging products with a universally identifiable product code during inbounding also helps brand recall products in an efficient manner.

The large volume of inbound orders requires you to dispatch them faster and ensure they reach your customers on time. This rising demand for shorter shipping times makes it essential to store inventory in warehouses that are in areas closer to your customers for faster and more efficient fulfillment. Locad’s warehouses are strategically located in several key locations that shorten last-mile delivery and increase customer delight.

Efficient Fulfillment:

  The large volume of inbound orders requires you to dispatch them faster and ensure they reach your customers on time. This rising demand for shorter shipping times makes it essential to store inventory in warehouses that are in areas closer to your customers for faster and more efficient fulfillment. Locad’s warehouses are strategically located in several key locations that shorten last-mile delivery and increase customer delight.  

Multi-carrier Shipping Partners:

With Locad, sellers reduce inventory storage costs through scalable fulfillment infrastructure. Locad extends brands the access to top last-mile and cross border shipping partners to cater to regional, national and international orders. With the Locad Logistics Engine, brands can automatically assign the cheapest carrier for orders to reduce shipping costs. Sellers get prefferential shipping rates and can unlock a whole set of last-mile shipping features to make sure that Shoppers get the best deals, low shipping costs and faster delivery.

Tracking and Returns:

Customers rely on e-commerce brands for information to find out where their orders are. Locad’s control tower gives e-commerce brands an overview of the fulfillment status of every order, making order tracking a breeze.

Multi-channel Selling:

When you have multiple online stores across different e-commerce platforms, managing a high-order volume that the 9.9 sales bring in can be complicated. With Locad, seamlessly integrate with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada, Shopify, Woocommerce and more. Streamline order processing through a single dashboard and eliminate the need to juggle multiple platforms for order fulfillment.

Cross Border Expansion:

The 9.9 sale isn’t restricted to specific regions in Asia Pacific. It is one of the mega sales day observed in China, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. While sellers may discover untapped potential across different premium markets, establishing a presence, familiarizing with international customs and establishing a local team to help with sales could be a costly affair. With Locad, e-commerce sellers from China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines can launch into newer markets internationally within Southeast Asia through Locad’s network of warehouses and trade services for cross border selling.

 

Final Thoughts

For e-commerce business owners in Southeast Asia, a double-day sale like the 9.9 sale day is an important event. It presents an opportunity to attract new shoppers, turn existing customers into repeat buyers and sustain growth in the highly competitive market. 

As you approach one of the most crucial sales days leading into the busy holiday season, ensure that your online store, marketing efforts, and logistics are to handle the surge in shoppers. Ensure you attract shoppers and curate a positive shopping experience during the 9.9 sale. A tailored shopping experience will not only leave an impression but it will also set expectations for what they can expect from you in the upcoming holiday sales period.