Shopee banking on Gen Zs to drive sales growth

MANILA, Philippines — Online marketplace Shopee is banking on Gen Zs and enhanced features to drive the increase in sales on the platform this year.

Shopee regional marketing lead Huiyan Pan said in an interview on the sidelines of the announcement of the platform’s new brand ambassador BINI, the aim is to post faster growth in sales every year.

She said this year’s growth would be driven in part by Gen Zs.

“Gen Zs are growing up. They’re having more purchasing power,” she said.

She said a study conducted by Shopee showed seven in 10 Filipino Gen Zs aged between 18 and 24 use e-commerce as their primary touchpoint for shopping.

The study also revealed Gen Zs are more likely to shop on online commerce platforms compared to older shoppers.

Pan said Gen Zs’ rising purchasing power and online engagement present a vast opportunity for brands in the region.

She said Shopee chose members of P-pop girl group BINI as the brand’s new ambassadors to appeal to Gen Z shoppers.

“We decided to partner with them so that we can kind of bring Shopee to the next level, as well as connect with their fans at the same time,” she said.

Aside from Gen Zs, Shopee expects new enhancements to boost sales.

Among the new features is allowing shoppers to unbox and inspect the product, if it qualifies for the COD (cash on delivery) Unbox, before accepting it to make sure it’s the correct order.

While inspecting the product, the rider will be there as a witness and to facilitate fast and easy returns.

“I think it’s another way to make it more seamless and remove doubts and slight barriers in the past for people on online shopping,” Pan said.