By LazBeat Staff
Aug. 17, 2021
It’s been more than a year since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and many countries are still grappling with new waves of infections. To help in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, Lazada Group has continued to introduce new initiatives and measures to protect and support frontliners, businesses, customers and other vulnerable communities across the region.
Standing with Frontliners
Since the onset of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, Lazada has spared no efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who work on the frontlines. The eCommerce company recently launched its Stronger Together with LazadaCARES initiative to protect its frontline workers and employees, including by sponsoring their vaccinations where available. Lazada also opened vaccination centres in several major provinces in Indonesia to offer free shots to logistics workers, local small-business staff as well as to the general public. After one week, the programme helped inoculate tens of thousands with their first doses of the vaccine. A similar programme was also introduced in Malaysia as part of a state-wide vaccination initiative in Selangor.
WATCH: Lazada offers vaccinations at its main Cimanggis warehouse in Indonesia
Aside from raising vaccination awareness and rates across the region, Lazada has been working to equip frontline medical heroes with the support they need to battle the virus. In response to the pandemic’s third wave in Thailand, Lazada donated THB1 million to Rajavithi Hospital, THB500,000 to King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang as well as personal protective equipment and facemasks to 20 hospitals across the nation. In Vietnam, it donated 30,000 COVID-19 test kits to the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee to support local hospitals and medical facilities and has sent nutritional gifts to doctors, nurses and soldiers.
Helping Business Recover and Grow
Another major part of Lazada’s COVID-relief measures has been to empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and to accelerate their digital transformation in the face of offline disruptions. New phases of stimulus packages have been rolled out in countries struck by recent waves of the virus, offering MSMEs benefits such as reduced or waived platform fees, dedicated support, training and access to seller tools.
Online shopping promotions and campaigns have also proved crucial to MSMEs, allowing them to continue selling to consumers even amid lockdowns and social-distancing restrictions. This summer, Lazada became the first official eCommerce partner for the Great Singapore Sale, where it helped brick-and-mortar small businesses develop omnichannel shopping experiences that greatly boosted their consumer reach. Similarly, Lazada Malaysia’s month-long Lazat Bazaar online food festival provided local small businesses, merchants and grocers a safe way to bring their products to shoppers during Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa. The platform also partnered with the country’s Ministry of Finance and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation to launch Shop Malaysia Online and Go-eCommerce – two initiatives aimed at helping 40,000 local MSMEs unlock new opportunities through joining the digital economy.
Measures have also been taken to not only stimulate businesses but entire sectors; in both Vietnam and the Philippines, Lazada entered into partnerships to promote local agriculture – a traditionally offline industry that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic – with the aim to help farmers and local sellers bring their products online and to equip them with the digital tools and knowhow to ensure their continued long-term growth.
Serving Customers and the Community
Just as important as efforts to support businesses and frontline workers is Lazada’s commitment to protecting customers and local communities. Since the early days of the pandemic, Lazada has made sure the public can access daily essentials safely and easily by implementing contactless deliveries and payment methods. The platform has also introduced incentives such as free deliveries in several key markets so that consumers can shop and also save while staying at home.
Lazada has also leveraged its platform and mobilised resources for community-wide efforts to fight the pandemic. In Malaysia and Vietnam, for example, it launched online donation campaigns so Lazada shoppers could easily make monetary contributions and also send care packages or meals to thank frontline heroes. It has also tapped its LazadaForGood digital-donations channel to help raise funds and bring essential items, such as facemasks and food supplies, to local communities across the region that have been hard hit by the pandemic. Ramping up such efforts, the company has through its Stronger Together with LazadaCARES initiative continued working with local government entities in the six markets it operates in to donate medical equipment and supplies to those in need.
Fiona Poh from Lazada’s regional communications team, Jessica Horsan from Indonesia, Nutcha Singnarong from Thailand and Linh Chi Nguyen from Vietnam contributed to this story.