2023 – it technically feels like yesterday, but the year that passed by has been a box of surprises. Like the years before, 2023 had its incredible highs, some challenges, and lessons that every one of us carries forward. E-commerce businesses in Southeast Asia and Australia witnessed an evolving market, expanding consumer base and growing expectations.
Let’s take a look at what went down in the world of e-commerce, fulfillment, Logistics and Locad.
All That’s New
We’re talking about new launches, stepping into uncharted territories and supporting more marketplaces across Southeast Asia and Australia.
Add a New Address: Indonesia!
Locad expanded its reach to Indonesia, a region with the biggest share of digital users and e-commerce activity in Southeast Asia.
The benefits extend to e-commerce sourcing and selling. Businesses can now use Locad’s infrastructure and trade service expertise to sell in Indonesia. The country, a hotspot for wholesale manufacturers, brings suppliers closer to businesses in the Asia Pacific and Australia region.
Now Lists: eBay
One of Australia’s favourite e-commerce marketplaces has been on our radar too. Sellers can now choose Locad to fulfill orders that they receive on eBay too. With that, Locad now supports three major e-commerce platforms – Shopify, eBay and WooCommerce and looks to add more this year.
2023 was a year of defying expectations. We weren’t just playing in the logistics sandbox; we were disrupting it with smart and intuitive solutions. Forget the old, offline image of logistics and fulfillment. At Locad– we’re building answers that cut through supply chain bottlenecks without limiting ourselves to industry verticals or newer e-commerce platforms.
The vision for 2024 is clear: Our OMS will be the central nerve of the inventory, order processing, and fulfillment journey. Brands will not see just data, but smarter insights and real-time intel to predict, adapt and thrive. We’re not just disrupting the present, we’re shaping a future where technology reforms, not just automates.
Shrey Jain
CTO & Co-Founder, Locad
Integrated Fulfillment
We get it, fulfillment depends on moving the inventory on time and having it ready at warehouses on time. But having multiple partners could only add to the chaos. That’s why Locad now extends its logistics service from mid-mile and not just last mile anymore. Schedule B2B pickups, and we’ll move them for you in time so no customer ends up with the dreadful out-of-stock notification.
2023 wasn’t just about taking on the e-commerce storm – it was about showing beyond doubt the power of Locad’s network presence. Our warehouses transformed into efficiency hubs, especially during the double-day sales, offering brands transparent visibility into warehouse operations and fulfillment efficiency.
In 2024, I’m excited to build on that momentum by doubling down on what made us successful. The dream is to deepen the transparency between our customers [e-commerce brands], infrastructure, and logistics partners. Imagine winning not just from within but winning together by bringing more visibility to planning, forecasting, billing, and resource allocation.
Jannis Dargel
COO & Co-Founder, Locad
It’s a Match: Howdy Partner!
Fulfillment is an integral part of the customer experience journey. But most businesses that start up may find it challenging to scale up. The secret to sustaining growth and skyrocketing sales isn’t beyond reach anymore. Locad partners with leading e-commerce enablers to help business owners overcome struggles and maximize sales. Discover growth, SEO, Paid marketing, customer experience, engagement and the right tech stack solutions to propel your business forward. And the cherry on top? Unlock up to $USD 250K in credits exclusive for Locad-supported businesses.
Record Breakers
So you know what’s new at Locad and without any further ado, let’s move on to Locad’s Chart toppers.
Top Product Category: Apparel and Accessories consistently dominated, accounting for 44.7% of all shipments in 2023.
#1 Category: In Malaysia, Sports and Outdoor Gear reigned supreme, while Health and Wellness took the top spot in Australia.
Best Selling Item: From Oil Control Soap in the Philippines to Foam Pillows in Singapore, diverse customer preferences across Southeast Asia were evident.
Best Month and Sale Campaign: August was Locad’s best month in terms of Shipments and Revenue. While 12.12 was our biggest sales campaign ensured that our team worked tirelessly to deliver orders on time.
Expensive Item Fulfilled: 2023’s most expensive item on the cart was valued at $1900.40 USD.
Extreme Cart Values: In 2023, we fulfilled carts valued at $0.0001 to a whopping $27,245.52.
For all Sizes: The Locad Engine kept running as we picked and packed the smallest order measuring 1.34 cm all the way to the largest one that was 880 cm.
Going the mile: Ain’t no mountain high, Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough to keep us from getting your orders to you. Locad fulfilled orders as short as 900 meters within Australia and across thousands of miles – from Singapore to Ecuador.
Channelling our Marketplaces: Locad noticed an uptick in orders across different geographies.
Philippines: Shopee emerged #1
Singapore and Australia: Shopify zoomed past others
Malaysia: WooCommerce wooed a lot of shoppers
But combining orders from the start of the year all the way to the end, the top marketplaces were:
#1. Shopee
#2. Lazada
#3. Shopify
Oh 0m 0s: Whether it was Singapore or Ecuador, for the smallest cart measuring one centimeter or 880 cm, our engine didn’t take a breather. The Locad OMS remained up and running to ensure orders from marketplaces didn’t slip through the cracks.
As Locad begins its fourth year, our focus is to propel brands forward in their growth. By replacing fixed infrastructure with a flexible and cost-effective cloud supply chain, we help brands launch into new markets, sell across multiple channels from a single pool of inventory, and reach customers anywhere, with an operating system that provides end to end visibility and optimised inventory management. 2024 is all about simplifying the logistics engine for brands in ecommerce and omnichannel retail, and support brands in unboxing their success story.
Constantin Robertz
CEO & Co-Founder, Locad
As we move on from high-intensity back-to-back sales to quite a stable start, 2024 gives us a fresh new start. It’s another year of ambitious goals and record-breaking moments. So what are you waiting for? Let’s rev up the engines, and it’s All Systems Go!
