Lazada is a relatively newcomer to the online retail platform business, coming at the heels of Qoo10 and other wannabes. Despite seeing promotional ads for the site umpteen times, i never felt there was a reason for me to check out their site. It was while searching for a Hand Blender that a product listing from Lazada showed up in the Google search result, that i decided to take a look.
For the particular Hand Blender, 3 relevant results representing 3 different companies selling the product came up in Lazada’s search. The prices were about the lowest offered in the market (i.e. equal or lower than what you will find in an electrical/electronics departmental store). Obviously, it is cheaper to buy it online because you can apply a few discounts:
- Promo codes – there were at least a few promo codes for Lazada available, which gave a minimum of $10 worth of discount. I even saw an ad at a bus stop that offered a $11 discount on Lazada.
- helloPay – prior to this i had never heard of helloPay. It was during checkout that i noted using helloPay offers a 15% discount. For an $8 item, a 15% discount ($12.75) is definitely better than the $11 bus ad promo code, so i decided to check out helloPay (by the way, there is supposedly a $15 discount available if you use their app to order, but i didn’t try). Apparently, helloPay works like PayPal. At present though, it seems that no other merchant, other than Lazada, accepts helloPay payments. I proceeded to sign up an account under my wife’s name, since i was going to use her credit card to make payment. Lo and Behold, i got a $5 credit for signing up. I further noted that they had a referral program whereby you earn $10 if someone you referred made a payment through helloPay. I immediately referred myself. I got a $5 credit as well. So for the $85 Hand Blender, i am paying $85 – $12.75 – $5 + $2.5 (delivery charges) = $67.25
- Shopback – I made the Lazada purchase by going through Shopback and received a $3.6 cashback (obviously this is not available if you order through their app).
- Bank of China Credit Card – 5.5% cashback on online purchases, which is about $3.7. Taking into consideration the Shopback cashback as well, what i really pay for the Hand Blender is $67.25 – $3.6 – $3.7 = $60, which is a $27 discount overall! Not forgetting, my wife received $10 in her helloPay account for the successful referral, which effectively makes it a $37 discount!
As for Lazada, the experience was very positive. Here’s where they scored points:
- The checkout process on the site was very smooth, and i was clearly informed that i was already getting the better deal through the 15% discount from helloPay than if i applied other promo codes.
- $2.50 in delivery charges for a Hand Blender is very reasonable and tallies with their claim of having “affordable shipping”.
- It is stated that they offer “Buyer Protection Guarantee”, and though i didn’t have to resort to that, it is comforting to know i am protected.
- Range of goods offered is very wide. They even sell beer. This is the sort of site i could actually use, not those that focus on fashion and apparels and cutesy things. I would say Lazada has a more refined product offering than Qoo10 and Groupon, which tend to have nonsense products offered here and there.
- Delivery was quick – within 2 days, and i was clearly informed of when to expect the delivery. I wish they could notify me ahead what time of the day they would come though. It is stated that delivery is handled by Lazada Express, basically themselves, which is usually better than the case where delivery is outsourced.
If Lazada can keep offering attractive incentives, i will be a happy returning customer.
Leave a Reply