MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Lazada recently held a roundtable on trust and safety in eCommerce, showcasing how the leading eCommerce platform works closely with government stakeholders and the community to instill more confidence in online shopping in the Philippines.
Titled Lazada Talks: ECommerce and the Safety of Customers and Sellers, Lazada Philippines Chief Executive Officer Ray Alimurung was joined by Department of Trade Industry (DTI) eCommerce Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco and digital lifestyle content creator David Guison. The session was moderated by seasoned newscaster Christine Jacob-Sandejas.
According to Alimurung, increasing consumer protection and strengthening trust is an important component of sustaining eCommerce growth in the Philippines.
“But some consumers are hesitant to purchase online because they either lack trust—they want to see the product first—or they are not necessarily comfortable to use cashless payments,” Alimurung said.
In turn, Lazada launched its “Sure Ka Sa Lazada” campaign to educate consumers on how to safely shop online. Lazada also tapped home-based communities and social media influencers under this campaign, so that the message of trust reaches more Filipinos across the country.
Recognizing consumer complaints as another important challenge to the growing eCommerce industry, DTI Asec. Pacheco highlighted the importance of internal mechanisms in eCommerce platforms such as Lazada to detect and prevent fraud as integral to building more trust in the industry.
Moreover, she also discussed how the actions of individual sellers affect the larger industry, especially with regard to negative seller behavior. On sellers who commit fraud, she warned in Tagalog: “Madadala yung mga iba[ng sellers] (the other sellers will be affected), if your actions are irresponsible.”
Additionally, Asec. Pacheco said that consumers may seek assistance from DTI, which has put in place a “No Wrong Door” Policy to provide an efficient consumer redress. “If there is any complaint that you have with any particular product that you buy online, all you have to do is talk to DTI and [we] will certainly address that complaint and pass it on to the appropriate government agency,” said Asec. Pacheco.
Meanwhile, fashion, lifestyle, travel content creator and YouTuber David Guison shared best practices for consumers to shop online safely with Lazada, including reading reviews and credible seller ratings, looking for the LazMall badge of authenticity, and using Lazada’s in-app customer service chat.
To get to know more about how Lazada is spearheading consumer safety and security across the eCommerce industry, watch the full discussion on CNN Philippines through Facebook and YouTube.
The roundtable is a pilot episode of Lazada Talks, a series of digital conversations about important issues in the eCommerce industry. This episode was co-presented in partnership with CNN Philippines.
