Ressel (left) with Julaihi during the launching ceremony. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Lazada Malaysia, which operates the country’s number one online shopping and selling destination Lazada, plans to grow its East Malaysian customer base and revenue share to about 20 to 25 per cent.
This was on the back of it opening its first eCommerce facility here in Kuching yesterday, inclusive of a warehouse and distribution hub for processing and delivering customer orders in East Malaysia in Kuching.
According to Hans-Peter Ressel, chief executive officer of Lazada Malaysia, the projection is that the group’s customer base and revenue share in East Malaysia is at around 10 per cent.
“We want to grow this to at least 20 to 25 per cent of our business. We as a company intend this year, 2015 versus 2014, to more than double, triple our business and we expect to have Sabah and Sarawak accelerate even more,” he said during a press conference.
This outlet opening will aid Lazada in learning more about the particularities of the region and they will be able to adjust their service offerings accordingly to the local needs.
Ressel said Lazada Malaysia needs to understand which products are the ones that are always high in demand which will allow them to cater their offerings to East Malaysia.
“By being here, we want to increase our share by at least double our share of business, for Sabah and Sarawak in particular, until the end of the year,” he affirmed.
Present at the event was guest of honour, Datuk Julaihi Narawi, Assistant Minister for Industrial Development.
During the launch, Julaihi called for more online players to step up in ecommerce trading.
“We are honoured to have Lazada physically present in Sarawak. It will help not just our local economy but also the economy of East Malaysia as a whole. It is important for East Malaysians to have access to quality products, services and delivery as enjoyed by consumers living in West Malaysia.
“Ecommerce is a growing industry; we are glad that Lazada is leading the way in Sarawak and we hope that other online players will follow suit.”