Top 6 hacks every Malaysian MUST KNOW before they shop on Lazada

If you were part of the madness that was 11.11, you’d probably remember the crazy deals that were flying left right centre like that scene in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Our friends at Lazada revealed that they smashed their own record, surpassing last year’s sale as early as 9am. That’s not all…

At its peak, there were 3,000 transactions A MINUTE. 

Their first-time-ever live TV show had nearly 4.5 million viewers.

27 tonnes of Milo were bought in the first 2 hours.

Over 13,000 Xiaomi mobile phones and more than 4.5 million diapers were sold too! 

Walao. And just when you thought that the dust has settled, our friends at Lazada drops this bombshell. They’re launching ANOTHER massive sale – the 12.12 Grand Year End Sale! Naturally we thought about how much we spent during 11.11 and asked….

So we asked Andrew Gnananantham, CMO of Lazada, if they’re confident that Malaysians will spend just as much – if not more – for 12.12. “Yes, you’d be surprised.” he tells us. “In fact, some of our 12.12 sales even surpassed our 11.11 sales.” You don’t have to take his word for it, as even Shopback, a cashback rewards program, noted the same trend in 2017.

Whether or not 12.12 shoppers are those who missed out on the 11.11 sale, or just rushing to get Christmas gifts at a bargain, they’re in for a treat this year. Unlike the 11.11 sale, Lazada’s 12.12 sale isn’t just happening for a day – it’s a 3-day long sale campaign, where from 10th – 12th December 2018, shoppers will be in for sweeter deals and newer, more exciting features. Like what you ask? Well…

 

1. For the first time ever, there’s gonna be a fully-immersive livestream

Think chatting with sellers, brands or even other customers in real time. From the 8th of December, you can watch live product demonstrations, get instant answers to your questions, ask pretty sellers on a date and grab plenty of vouchers that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

And when they say ‘immersive’, they really do mean ‘immersive’ – you could be watching, say for example, Elaine Daly demonstrating how to use… iono… a rainbow-coloured satellite. While you watch the livestreams between the 8th and the 10th, you can add the product to your cart directly while from the 10th till the 12th of December, you can go to the product page to check it out, or purchase it right there and then. You could also comment and ask other shoppers if they’ve tried the product themselves, or share the video with your friends so everyone can watch it at the same time.

Anyway, this seems to be the beginning of something big. The in-app livestream is pretty much a more useful, comprehensive and instantaneous way for brands/sellers to engage their followers and potential customers, so we won’t be surprised if it becomes an ecommerce staple 3 months down the line.

Cheyy… next thing you know, your second uncle who secretly has a Lazada store could end up being an internet sensation?

 

2. No more payment drama, but plenty of rebates instead… only with the Lazada Wallet

Some of you may have experienced problems with payment during the 11.11 sale. Actually, a LOT of Malaysians experienced it, but just to be clear, Lazada users weren’t the only ones who suffered. Shoppers on other e-commerce sites, big or small, also went through the same thing. So… what actually happened?

“At midnight on 11.11, we had 100 times more transactions on the platform,” Christophe Lejune, CEO of Lazada, told us. “The payment infrastructure in Malaysia is not big enough yet to cope with these orders, which is why with the Lazada Wallet, we can remove the pressure [on the payment infrastructure].”

Andrew Gnananantham, CMO of Lazada, adds that they HAVE been meeting the management of payment providers in the last few weeks, and that they are all well aware of the issues. But until more can be done on a national level, Lazada has begun work on a cloud infrastructure (Lazada Wallet la basically) where they will be able to attend to the mad volume of transactions.

In simpler words, don’t depend on credit/debit cards or bank transfers. Just load up your wallet before the sale, and use it to pay. Sap sap sui, no payment problems wan.

So if you’re gonna be shopping the sale, NOW wouldn’t be a bad idea to try out the Lazada Wallet. For a limited time only, new Wallet users will get up to 12% rebate upon their first top-up, whereas existing users will get up to 5% rebate on their next top-up. You can also get extra RM10 rebates when you shop Wallet-exclusive deals.

Incentives aside, we can confidently tell you that it’s the easiest way to shop the sale and so much easier to get refunds if a sale doesn’t go according to plan.

 

3. ‘Slash It’ deals are back, this time with… a Perodua Axia?!

It seems like Malaysians just cannot get enough of ‘Slash It’ deals. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s basically a curated selection of RIDICULOUS deals just waiting to be snapped up by the fastest slasher. How ridiculous you ask? During 11.11, there was a PIANO going for RM1.90! (Usual price in the thousands, k?) There were also several smartphones going for RM1.99 thereabouts wth?!

You can expect similar deals during this 12.12 sale, but this time round, they’ve added something else…. A PERODUA AXIA! And it’s completely free.

From 10th December 2018, 30 vouchers to redeem a Perodua Axia will be up for grabs on the ‘Slash It’ page. But of course, you gotta work for it la… First, you will need 101 slashes to claim the voucher, which will then be stored safely in your Lazada Wallet.

Add the Perodua Axia to cart, and when the clock strikes 12.12pm on 12th December 2018, check out! The first person to do so will drive away with the brand new Perodua Axia.

(Never played ‘Slash It’ before? Just click on the ‘Slash It’ deals on the app’s homepage. You will then see a selection of products available to be ‘slashed’.

Just click on what you want – like the Perodua Axia – and click on ‘Slash It’. Forward the given link to your friends and ask them to help you ‘slash’ the price. Once you hit the number of ‘slashes’ needed, the deal will be yours provided the item doesn’t get sold out… so ask your friends to hurry up lo)

 

4. Chup…. you can buy a house on 12.12??!

During 11.11, it was surprising enough that people actually bought cars. (Legit news, 11 units of Volkswagen Polo B&W Edition cars were sold (out) within the FIRST MINUTE of the sale.) So… how can Lazada outdo that?

Go bigger. Literally.

For 12.12, they’ve partnered with local property giant Mah Sing Group Berhad to bring stylish and affordable homes to Malaysians. This is actually the first time where property is being sold through e-commerce in Southeast Asia!

If you shop a Mah Sing home from 10th – 12th December 2018, you’ll get an exclusive 5% Lazada Incentive, which is worth between RM20,000 – RM30,000; the BIGGEST online incentive ever to be offered on Lazada.

These units will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis, so if you’re a prospective buyer, preview the homes on the Mah Sing Flagship Store on Lazada now. Add to cart, and make the purchase during those three days.

 

5. Kiasu shoppers will be fast… so add to cart NOW

Speed is KEY, especially when it comes to hot items (e.g. Milo, phones, diapers) or even Crazy Flash Sales.

If you’re unfamiliar, Crazy Flash Sales basically deals that are ridiculously cheap, but appear for a limited time only. But like its name, they come and go like lightni-KAPAOOWww!! Oh habis gone edy. (True story. Once, this writer was a second too slow and lost out on a Samsung phone that Lazada sold for RM1.90… so sad.)

So how? Very simple – just MINIMISE all the work you gotta do. Don’t wait till the sale starts – just add to cart now. It’ll be stored in your cart indefinitely, or until you purchase or remove them on your own.

You can also expect different Crazy Flash Sale deals appearing at various times of the day. Our sources tell us that these are just a few of the many deals to watch out for: 

• HABIB Diamante Gold Pendant, 916 Gold at RM99
• Colgate Toothpaste at RM3.99
• Dettol Shower Gel at RM1.20
• Twisties at RM0.95
• Digital Thermometer for Baby at… RM0.50?!!

If you don’t wanna miss any of these, just keep an eye out on the sale previews and tap the ‘Remind Me’ button.

 

6. There will be over RM12 million worth of collectable vouchers

Vouchers are EVERYWHERE on the app. From 8th – 12th December 2018, you can start tapping/shaking/doingwhatevertheappwantstoyoudo to collect them. They’ll be stored in your Lazada Wallet, and will automatically be applied during the payment stage.

There are also Lazada QR codes at selected MRT stations. Scan them with Lazada’s in-app QR code scanner and you’ll immediately receive exclusive brand vouchers.

 

With all the excitement, don’t forget to be safe when you shop…

Consider this a PSA from Cilisos. It’s easy to get swept up in all the excitement, but the most important thing is you GOTTA stay safe. Be very careful of phishing sites, or copycat sites that PRETEND to look like Lazada. Sometimes they may have similar-looking URLs!

Before you click on a link, check first. It should begin with https, NOT http. No ‘s’, no ‘safe’, ok? All links to Lazada should begin with https://www.lazada.com.my or https://www.pages.lazada.com.my. And when making payment, DON’T give anyone your 6-digit pin (a.k.a. OTP). And remember, Lazada will never contact you through WhatsApp! So careful la if someone suddenly messages you asking for such sensitive details.

Lazada actively monitors for unethical sellers too, so if you ever come across a seller telling you stuff like, “Oh this one black market product, PM/WhatsApp me and we deal directly”, just report their stinky azz here. Their stores and products will be removed from the platform.

The best way to be safe is to shop directly on the Lazada mobile app. If you haven’t downloaded it, get it here (iOS) or here (Android). It will also allow you to fully access all the functions we highlighted in this article, and more.

There are actually more stuff happening on 11.11 apart from what we’ve mentioned, so don’t forget to follow them on Facebook for updates or check the app daily for surprises here and there.

Brb, gonna stock up on next year’s groceries… and Christmas presents… and birthday gifts… and office supplies…

 

 

[Ed’s note: This article was originally written to highlight key features and tips for Lazada’s 11.11 sale. It has since been updated with 12.12 content.]