For an e-commerce business owner in Southeast Asia, sustaining growth and acquiring new shoppers remain top priorities. Online e-commerce sale events are a great way for businesses to maximize sales, capture new customers, and promote repeat purchases.
According to a report by Bain & Company along with Meta, the digital consumer population in Southeast Asia was predicted to reach 370 million by the end of 2022 and is projected to rise to 402 million by 2027. The e-Conomy SEA report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company notes that Southeast Asia’s digital economy hit $200B GMV in 2022, three years earlier than expected in the inaugural report of the series. The digital economy in the region is expected to grow twice as fast and could reach up to $1T by 2030 if the full potential can be unlocked.
To succeed in a highly competitive market and appeal to price-sensitive customers, double day sales like the 9.9 sale allow businesses to offer products at competitive prices and boost revenue. The 9.9 sale is the last of the single-digit sales days and sets the stage for a hectic end-of-year sales season.
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.
What is the 9.9 Sale?
The 9.9 sale is a popular e-commerce sale event, an extension of the double day sales series, taking place on September 9th each year.
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 and retailers 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.
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 and Lazada 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.
Rising class with disposable income:
E-commerce sales like the 9.9 events remain popular in Southeast Asia due to its fast-growing economy, fostering a consumer base with increasing disposable income. These events tap into the region’s expanding middle class, increasing online shopping enthusiasm and driving more purchases on these sales days.
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.
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 2022
Shopee 9.9 Sale 2022
To keep the momentum of the 9.9 sale, Shopee introduced a mix of strategies during the 9.9 sale in 2022. These initiatives aligned with the shifting customer behavior, new shopping trends, and financial solutions to promote more online shopping activities.
Shopee Guarantee:
This feature offered shoppers a 100% refund if their items were not delivered or were not as described. The feature builds trust and credibility by removing the most common reservations buyers exhibit online shopping.
Shopee PayLater:
This new payment option allowed buyers to pay for their purchases in installments. This move broadened the reach for luxury and premium items on Shopee, and supported new shoppers and ones from modest economic backgrounds.
Shopee Live Super Deals:
This feature captured the essence of Shoppertainment and allowed sellers to offer exclusive deals and discounts during live streams. This helped e-commerce sellers to connect with shoppers better and boost sales.
Shopee Coins Boost:
This gamification concept rewarded buyers with extra Shopee Coins when they participated in challenges and activities within the platform. The redeemable nature of the feature ensured that buyers return and indulge in repeat purchases.
Shopee Guarantee Game:
To promote the Shopee Guarantee and educate shoppers better, Shopee gamified awareness and allowed buyers to win prizes by answering questions about the feature.
Key Performance Trends of Shopee 9.9 2022
In Malaysia, Shopee 9.9 Super Shopping Day in 2022 hit a new milestone with the highest-ever single day sales performance, with over 5.8 million orders and three times more sales on an average day.
Shopee Live logged 2 million hours of viewing in Malaysia, while in the Philippines, the feature enjoyed 87 million views, indicating a favorable response to the new feature. In the Philippines, top local sellers sold six times more items than on an average day.
Shopee Pay witnessed a favorable response from shoppers as it experienced 9x growth in usage in Malaysia in the early hours of the sale. In the Philippines, shoppers used Shopee Pay to purchase three times more goods, reinstating how a broader new shopping base enjoyed the financial flexibility that came with the platform.
Lazada 9.9 Sale 2022
In addition to daily deals and vouchers in the past 9.9 sales, Lazada, like Shopee, included new initiatives to boost its 9.9 sale success.
Lazada Plus:
A new membership program that offered buyers exclusive benefits, such as free shipping, discounts, and early access to the 9.9 sale deals.
LazMall:
This new platform features products from trusted merchants, and reputed sellers on the platform and ensured buyers enjoyed a reliable shopping experience.
Lazada Live:
This combination of live streaming and e-commerce shopping on the platform enabled sellers to interact with buyers in real-time, showcase their products and persuade them to buy.
Lazada PayLater:
This financial flexibility tool ensured that 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, Lazada introduced Lazada Coins. Shoppers would earn this reward by participating in challenges and other shopping activities. The Lazada Coins then could be redeemed to avail discounts and other offers.
Key Performance Trends of Lazada 9.9 2022
The 9.9 sale in 2022 saw a 50x sales uplift in Lazada within the first hour across Southeast Asia. The brand’s LinkedIn page featured posts that talk about the 9.9 performance across leading regions. In Singapore, the 9.9 2022 frenzy was so massive that the early hours of the sale saw 50 times more sales than a normal business day. Further, it took the platform only 4 minutes to reach sales revenue of $999000.
Lazada’s 9.9 in 2022 saw a 40% bump in customers and a 30% increase in orders placed in the first hour of the sales kickoff. Another post discussed that the platform witnessed more than 50% live stream across Southeast Asia, the new live-streaming feature also noted 65% more views and sales.
What to expect in the 9.9 sale in 2023
With the 9.9 sale getting bigger and better, both platforms will compete against one another to woo shoppers with attractive discounts and vouchers.
Shopee Philippines has partnered with the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) to champion the development and empowerment of local sellers—the initiative drives to improve the livelihoods of MSMEs, especially in rural Philippines.
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- Both Shopee and Lazada will seek to promote local sellers and e-commerce businesses. Both platforms will highlight businesses with sustainable practices in e-commerce supply chain and packing to attract conscious online shoppers.
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- The Shopee Coin and Lazada Coin systems will integrate with live games throughout the sale period. This will help them turn conversions on the sale day into repeat buyers later. The winnings will encourage new and existing customers to return to the platform and redeem their winnings on more purchases.
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- Financial flexibility will also be another successful initiative that will continue attracting customers. The initiative will appeal to shoppers who have to limit their spending and enable them to participate in sales and pay for their purchases later through feasible installments.
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- Both Shopee and Lazada will promote their Live Selling features to enable e-commerce business owners to capture a wider audience and connect with potential buyers. The platforms will try beefing the feature with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality features to mimic an offline buying experience.
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 and Lazada 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
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 shipping times can also be a deciding factor that influences shoppers to buy on your online store.
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.
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.
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.
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 in order to handle the surge in shoppers. Ensure that you attract shoppers and curate a positive shopping experience during the 9.9 sale. A tailored shopping experience will not only leave an impression on your shoppers, it sets the expectations on what they can expect from you in the upcoming holiday sales period.
