We’re less than a week away from the 12.12 Big Christmas Sale – one of the most-awaited shopping events of the year! Since it’s not yet advisable to go out for our annual Christmas preparations, a lot of people have switched to online shopping instead and this has been the trend for the past 9.9, 10.10, and 11.11 shopping events via e-commerce platform Shopee during the quarantine period. To further help us get into the holiday mood, Shopee shared what consumers can expect from the Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale happening from November 18 to December 12 via app or website:

• Promotions and big rewards with ShopeePay: From December 3 to December 11, shoppers who use ShopeePay can look forward to free shipping,  discount vouchers, and a chance to win cash prizes.
• #MyShopeeWish TikTok Challenge: The #MyShopeeWish TikTok Challenge is accepting entries from December 7 to 30. Winners will be announced on January 15, 2021 on Shopee’s official social media accounts. For the mechanics, head over to https://shopee.ph/m/my-shopee-wish.
• Big discounts from leading brands: Shoppers can enjoy up to 50% off from leading brands on Shopee Mall, including L’Oreal Paris, P&G Beauty, Abbott, Unilever Home and Food, Havaianas, Nestle, Huawei, Vivo, Pampers, RB Enfagrow, and Infinix.

Additionally, brands such as Unilever, MASS Appliances, Soundcore by Anker, Platinum Karaoke, Union Appliances, Amazfit, Kyowa, PULUZ, Pedigree, Bio-Science, Organic Skin, Shigetsu, Mikana, Organic Official, INSPI, GSK, Tigernu, MetroSunnies, New Balance, Colgate-Palmolive, Haylou, Alaska, and Fila also offer amazing discounts. For the full list, you can also visit https://shopee.ph/m/christmas-sale.

Aside from the Christmas treats, we also learned from our friends at Shopee that there are three key trends this year that are expected to continue to power the growth of e-commerce in 2021 and the years to come. Worth noting for the marketers out there!

1. Social: Bringing the human touch to online shopping

Advancements in technology, coupled with changing shopper habits, have resulted in online shopping evolving from a transactional experience. Today’s users are more social than ever, and they demand a more engaging online shopping experience with rich and unique content. In 2016, Shopee was one of the first e-commerce platforms in the region to launch a live chat function, Shopee Live Chat, enabling direct conversations between buyers and sellers. Today, an average of 30 million messages are exchanged daily on Shopee Live Chat.

Through the years, Shopee has continuously improved on and introduced new in-app engagement features such as Shopee Games, Shopee Feed, and Shopee Live to make the online shopping experience more social. Shopee anticipates that this trend will stay, with e-commerce increasingly becoming a platform through which people can connect and enjoy shared experiences. Shopee will continue to drive this trend through unique initiatives like Shopee Mom’s Club, which provides like-minded consumers with one-stop exclusive access to baby product deals and parenting content. There’s also a Book Club for a new generation of digital readers in Vietnam and a “Pawrents” club to meet the growing online demand for pet products in Singapore.

2. Personalization: Catering to the ‘Me’ economy^[1]

Personalization is critical in e-commerce today. A highly personalized experience makes online shopping more efficient, enjoyable, and unique for consumers, while also helping brands and sellers drive traffic and growth. Shopee takes a hyper-localized approach by running seven different apps in each of its markets and localizing in-app features. Shopee also continually refines its recommendation engines to offer more customized and relevant shopping suggestions to fit consumers’ needs.

For brands and sellers, offering personalized recommendations to shoppers helps increase overall awareness and conversions. Businesses that use Shopee’s in-app advertisements generate 65% more sales activity than those that do not.^[2] This is powered by Shopee’s own AI capabilities, which ensure that advertisements are delivered to the right users.

As the industry progresses further into the ‘me’ economy, businesses need to innovate in order to improve the online customer journey. In the coming year, Shopee also expects to see the rise of smart shoppers, a new demographic of young, tech-savvy individuals who expect a highly personalized online shopping experience.

3. Integration: Creating a seamless customer journey

As retailers adapt to the new normal, they must deliver a seamless customer journey across all touchpoints. Shopee helps brands and sellers of all sizes by providing fundamental operational support through integrated payments and logistics, while creating innovative experiences that value-add to the overall customer journey.

Together with P&G^[3], Shopee introduced its first-ever experiential online Show Me My Home initiative, which allowed shoppers to discover and shop for P&G’s popular household items in a simulated household environment. This brought greater convenience for stay-at-home consumers, while mimicking the offline experience of walking in a store.

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Ready for the 12.12 shopping madness? Add-to-cart as early as today and watch out for vouchers coming soon! For updates on our latest discoveries within (and outside) the Metro, don’t forget to follow Manila Millennial on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. Keep safe!

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^[1] The ‘Me’ economy refers to personalization to meet the unique needs of each individual consumer and predict their preferences based on behavior.^[2] Shopee data, 2020
^[3] Leading fast-moving consumer goods company