Story Highlights from LazBeat’s First Year

As LazBeat turns one, we look back at the memorable stories from the past year that resonated most with our readers.

Our “Humans of Lazada” series, which looks at the professional and personal lives of Lazadians, has been a hit. One of our first and most popular stories is a profile of Thanh Doan in Vietnam, who joined Lazada when it was just a start-up in 2012 and built the FMCG category from scratch. Another popular profile was that of Pat Mallari, who became a life coach to help people pursue careers that aligned with their personal goals and passions – a path that led her to join the talent development team at Lazada.

The story of an innovative partnership between Lazada and one of Singapore’s most creative content companies SGAG that uses fun and trendy content to drive commerce, sales and push boundaries of Shoppertainment also garnered many positive responses. Similarly, readers were drawn to a LazBeat article on inmates finding second chances through an initiative by the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Corrections in Thailand. Through the initiative, inmates were able to sell their handicrafts on eCommerce platforms like Lazada to raise funds for occupational skills development as well as accumulate savings to rebuild their lives upon release.

Sugeng Wibowo’s story on how he found his second chance and success through digital commerce also touched the hearts of many readers. An Indonesian seller whose eyesight was compromised from an accident in his youth, Wibowo struggled to find a job, until his friend introduced him to Lazada. Today, Wibowo runs a successful business selling home décor and beddings, and was even able to sustain the livelihoods of his staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each story is poignant and inspiring in its own way. Collectively, the stories are significant in registering a larger narrative of the pivotal role that digital commerce plays in changing the retail landscape in Southeast Asia, especially the way we shop and the way we live. More importantly, they tell the stories of the people changing this landscape – the people who are powering a vibrant and dynamic digital economy in this brave new world.