Lazada launches #EveryoneCanSell, aims to attract 50,000 new merchants

• Private-and-public collaboration to enable SMEs to scale up
• Mobile-first strategy seen as the only way to go forward

E-COMMERCE platform Lazada Malaysia announced the launch of its #EveryoneCanSell Programme on Sept 13. The end-to-end, fully integrated e-commerce programme is a consolidated collaboration between Lazada Malaysia, SME Corp, the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Malaysian Banking Berhad (Maybank) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).

“The #EveryoneCanSell Programme will spur the growth of local SMEs. If you want to sell online but don’t know where to start, we will help you get started. If you are already online and you want to expand your business, we will help you do that,” said Lazada Malaysia chief executive officer Hans-Peter Ressel.

Sellers who come on board the programme will obtain full access to e-commerce training by Lazada and benefit from Lazada’s partnerships. Companies will enjoy easier business registration with SSM, enhanced Internet connectivity with online tools and solutions provided by TM, and financial support from Maybank through loan financing and exclusive merchant accounts.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Ahmad Maslan said that MITI is very happy to see the private and public sectors working together to achieve Malaysia’s vision of a comprehensive digital ecosystem, and that having e-commerce market leaders such as Lazada Malaysia to help SMEs continue their online growth will greatly assist the government’s aim of doubling the country’s e-commerce growth from 10.8% to 20.8% by 2020.

“As Malaysia continues on its path towards becoming a fully digital economy, businesses here must continue their evolution to be part of it. To succeed in the digital space and to remain relevant and effective, one must embrace and adapt to new technologies and innovations. SMEs must be pro-active in seizing opportunities in this new landscape. The government is confident that SMEs will continue to be resilient and agile, and continue to grow.

“I truly believe this programme can drive the adoption of e-commerce and accelerate the growth of the economy,” said Ahmad.

Ambitious target

Lazada Malaysia already has 19,000 SMEs online on its e-commerce platform and aims to attract 50,000 new SME merchants by the end of next year through the #EveryoneCanSell Programme.

According to Ressel, the target is to see these SMEs grow while on the platform by providing them tools and infrastructure to aid growth at the various stages they need it.

“Fifty thousand new merchants is an ambitious target but together with our partners we have the structure and the knowledge to educate people who are interested in conducting business online and the tools to help them be successful,” he said.

Ressel said that Lazada Malaysia has no set target for amount or worth of transactions on the platform directly resulting from the programme as the focus is on driving e-commerce adoption.

“Numbers are just numbers; in the end you must have the right input factors in place that allow our SMEs to scale up quickly,” he said, explaining that fundamentals such as Internet connectivity and financial support are essential to achieve scale in the long term as well as to successfully meet orders at times of high-demand such as on 11/11 when it is possible for SMEs to see the number of orders jump from 10 per day to 500.

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