Tammy : Another Episode from Unipro Consulting Limited, Hi Ray!
Ray : Hi Tammy, How’s your New Year?
Tammy : This year’s New Year is different from the previous ones, we just celebrated it at home since we are socially distancing ourselves from others, as a new variant of coronavirus is spreading. No lion dance, no fireworks, just a simple dinner for my family. But it’s a long weekend, so we definitely enjoyed staying at home. What about you?
Ray :
Tammy : That’s great to hear! Glad that we enjoyed our rest days.
Ray : Yes, I think we are going to talk about Buy & Sell?
Tammy : Yes, today’s topic is about Buy & Sell using another platform tool, where you can sell and buy things for your Business.
Ray : Great! Let’s start the discussion!
N
Tammy : Cool, so there are actually a lot of online platforms where you can use to buy & sell your products, it’s important to know that we all should start adapting digitally. Start planning your business, where to buy and sell your products. Which products you want to sell or to buy.
Ray : It’s important to find a reliable supplier and great platform to sell your products. Whether you start small or big the important thing is (1) you have a great supplier. (2) your target market. (3) where you sell your products.
Tammy : There are a lot of suppliers in the world, but people usually go in Southeast Asia to find a good source, or at least depending on your interest. But I would probably suggest you find it in Southeast Asia. As it is much cheaper here. You can try here in the Philippines, Thailand or even in Vietnam.
Ray : Those you mentioned are cheaper compared to other countries. But as you said, it will always depend on which product you are looking for.
Tammy : True, and after you find your source, then it is time to sell!
Ray : Since brick and mortar is not a good option right now, because people don’t usually go out due to the virus, the best is to open an online store. Besides, 70% of the people now tend to use the internet on a daily basis.
Tammy : Correct, imagine the internet users are growing each day. A lot of people are already transitioning their Business online. So don’t get left behind! Start moving fast and we are here to help you with that!
Ray : Right! There are places online to open a shop, like in our previous podcasts, we mentioned opening in Lazada. And today we are going to mention a few to give you options!
Tammy : Like Instagram, Facebook, Shoppee, carousell or Amazon. Lazada is really the best place for Southeast Asian countries. Which country are you targeting? I must say 60-80% of the People in Southeast Asia are into online shopping.
Ray : If you want to know more about the Lazada, you can check our previous podcast about that to learn more.
Tammy : Yes, please take note that we are not expert on that, but feel free to send us a message for any inquiries. We do help in Company set up, bank account set up and other services found in our website. Anyway, aside from Lazada, you can also sell in Facebook marketplace, which we have already talked about in our separate podcast about that. Sell on Instagram, shopee or in Carousell.
Ray : Since we already discuss the Lazada and Facebook marketplace, let’s talk about Shopee, instagram and Carousell. Let me also mention again here in this podcast, that setting up a shop in Lazada or in Shopee requires a Business Certificate and other Business requirements before you can start selling in their mall.
Tammy : Yes, like if you are interested in being a Shopee Mall Seller or Lazada Mall seller, which is highly recommended, because shops in the Mall is trusted and buyers feel more comfortable and safe buying from the Mall itself, you just need to show or submit some proofs like Business Registered Certificate and other government business documents.
Ray : Correct, and less than a month you’ll have your business registered certificate when you register your business in Hong Kong or with us. It’s actually a great idea to open a shop in the malls mentioned as Lazada and Shopee are both the top leading eCommerce platforms in Southeast Asia.
Tammy : Yes, Lazada is the largest online shopping here in Southeast Asia, and Shopee is the next, buyers from different people around the countries are buying from there. It’s actually easy to Register your business through Hong Kong, not only that it’s cheap, it’s easier than you think as well! However, if you’re still playing with the business ideas you have, you can register on Instagram, or carousell that doesn’t require any business certificate, but your market might be limited.
Ray : Actually Lazada was founded in 2012, so it’s been 9 years already, and it’s the leading eCommerce platform, with a presence in 6 countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, while in Shopee was established in 2015, so it’s actually 6 years already. With a presence in 7 countries, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan with 50 Million users installing its app.
Tammy : Wow! Imagine if now they have like 50 million users right now, what more in the next years to come!
Ray : I know right! eCommerce is really growing rapidly. Whether many people are already selling the same products you have or not, you will surely get a lot of buyers since each year more than hundreds of people are installing the app!
Tammy : True! While in Carousell, it’s actually an app where you can sell and buy as well but mostly those second items or products that were personally owned by someone. If you’re planning to sell there, make sure that you are ready with hagglers. Because buyers are looking for the cheapest items they can buy, a lot of people are haggling to get the best deals. I think It’s a place for hagglers.
Ray : Yeah that’s actually cool. It means if you are looking for a secondhand cellphone worth $100, and you see a perfect one with a price of $150. You can haggle until you get the best price.
Tammy : That’s actually fun if you are a buyer, but you are the seller. I don’t think it would be fun for me. Since I will be selling the item at a much cheaper price than the price that I wanted it to sell.
Ray : That’s what I’m thinking too! For businesses I think the best option would be the Lazada and Shopee, if you are really aiming for a big market, because in Facebook marketplace or in Instagram, you can only get a limited number of people to buy from your shop. But for advertising and marketing it’s a best option to do it there.
Tammy : Yes correct, facebook and instagram are both the best tool to do your advertising and marketing. Since most of the people are internet users everyday.
Ray : I agree with you, so right now we can actually suggest opening a shop in Lazada and Shopee, what is the difference between the two?
Tammy : And before we compare which eCommerce platform to use, it’s important to understand first their respective business model, which affects their pricing, user experience, delivery speed, and other e-commerce features.
Ray : Yes, and Lazada has a combination of retails and marketplace models. They both also differ in terms of generating revenues. In addition to the sales from its retails business, lazada charges third-party sellers a commission fee for every item sold through the site. On the other hand, Shopee doesn’t charge commissions. Lazada online shopping has a combination of retail and marketplace models. It started and continues to use a retail model in which it manages and sells inventory from its own warehouses. Eventually, it added a marketplace model, opening its doors to third-party merchants who sell their products using the e-commerce platform.
Tammy : Shopee online shopping works a bit differently, adopting a purely marketplace model. This means all products sold on the site come from third-party retailers. Because it doesn’t have its own inventory or warehousing, it uses third-party logistics companies for product deliveries.
Ray : Overall Indeed, these two e-commerce platforms dominate as online shopping destinations in the ASIAN countries. People would rather buy from established e-commerce companies despite having many more alternatives in the market.
Tammy : You may also compare them two by visiting their website or in apps, For me Lazada app has a neater, more organized design than the Shopee app. Lazada’s products pages have more detailed and easy-to-read product descriptions with more images than its competitor.
Ray : Shopee app is easy to browse as well. But has a lot and cheaper products than Lazada. But anyway, you can go and check it by yourself and see which one fits you.
Tammy : Yes, different products might be good for the other website or it can also be great for selling in both websites. So until then, if you have any inquiries feel free to send us a message found on the screen!
Ray : Thanks Tammy for sharing some insightful information.
Tammy : Thanks Ray, till next time!
Ray : bye!