1.0 Introduction
The paper compares Lazada and Shopee, which are top e-commerce platforms. It focuses on key performance measures, including market share, revenue growth, customer happiness, and brand awareness. It identifies which platform has experienced tremendous success through this evaluation and various underlying reasons. Most importantly, it pinpoints the components of elements that have fueled their successes by drawing on models, ideas, and concepts from the literature review. The study offers a thorough knowledge of the two organizations’ performance. It highlights the crucial role of innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership in today’s competitive market by combining rigorous analysis and pertinent examples from their websites and reports.
2.0 Discussion
2.1 Comparison of innovation strategies
According to Shao et al. (2020), innovation mainly consists of organizational, marketing, process, and product strategies.
Product innovation
Product innovation is introducing a new product or service significantly improved in specifications, materials, components, and functionality (Aydin, 2021). This mainly involved a combination of knowledge e and technology to enhance and improve the customers’ experience. Product innovation helps achieve the customer’s needs and enhances a competitive advantage hence is essential for every organization.
Table 1: Product innovation strategy
| Definition | Introducing a new product or service significantly improved specifications, materials, components, and functionality. |
| Method | Combination of existing knowledge and new technology.
New Design |
| How to achieve it | Proper interaction with the customers and suppliers.
Collaborate with other brands and manufacturers. |
| Objective | Increased Competitiveness.
Increased product cycle. Improved Customer satisfaction |
Regarding product design, Lazada’s strategy is based on usability and simplicity. The website dashboard has an easy-to-use design with distinct product categories and a powerful search tool (Tan, 2020). The site also offers a simple checkout process and several payment alternatives, enhancing the user experience (Huang and Lu, 2020).
On the other hand, Shopee’s product design strategy focuses on engagement and interactivity. The app’s interface is made to be visually appealing and immersive and includes features that encourage social engagement and gamification (Yang et al., 2022). For example, the users can participate in live-streamed seller showcases and have in-person interactions with sellers and other customers. Shopee’s interactive features and in-app games enhance the shopping experience and foster a sense of neighbourhood.
Lazada understood the necessity for a customer-centric strategy to market engagement. The company has invested considerably in fulfilment and logistics infrastructure to provide quick deliveries and a seamless customer shopping experience (Linh, 2020). Contrarily, Shopee has embraced a more creative and technologically oriented approach to market contact. The business heavily emphasizes gamification and interactive features in its mobile app to give users a fun and enjoyable buying experience (Amin, 2023).
In terms of product Mix, Lazada has a broad selection of goods from a range of categories, which it uses to meet the various demands of its customers. The business has concentrated on creating a broad marketplace where buyers can find things in various categories, including electronics, fashion, home goods, beauty, and more (Hati, 2019).
Shopee, on the other hand, provides a variety of products in line with the tastes of its primarily young and mobile-first user base. The business takes a more discriminating stance, ensuring that the goods offered on the platform meet the needs and trends of its intended market (Nguyen, 2021).
Table 2: Comparison of product innovation strategies between Lazada and Shopee
| Lazada | Shopee |
| Offers a vast selection of products in many different areas. | Offers a carefully curated range of goods that are in line with trends. |
| Focuses on being a one-stop shop for a variety of consumer demands. | Emphasizes the use of products that appeal to a young, tech-savvy audience. |
| Allows for the listing of products on the site by outside sellers. | Checks sellers to make sure their products are in line with customer desires |
| Relies on a user-friendly UI and customer testimonials. | It incorporates interactive features, live streaming, and gamification |
Innovation
Process innovation strategy is the purposeful approach that companies use to enhance and optimize their internal processes (Chirumalla, 2021, p.102256). Increasing productivity, lowering costs, and improving overall performance entails finding inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement within the company’s operations and putting new processes, technology, or organizational changes into place. Process innovation is essential for maintaining competitiveness, optimizing processes, and fostering sustainable growth (Le, 2022).
Table 3: Process innovation strategy
| Definition | Implementation of new product or service delivery method. |
| Method | Changes in techniques and software. |
| How to achieve it | Invest in new knowledge and technology. |
| Objective | Maintaining Competitiveness.
Optimizing operation processes. Fostering sustainable growth. |
Lazada’s process innovation involves operational effectiveness and logistics, guaranteeing on-time deliveries and a positive customer experience (Anantachaiyong, 2023). They streamline processes and increase efficiency by utilizing cutting-edge technology like automation and predictive analytics.
In contrast, Shopee’s process innovations focus on involving the user and developing a fun and interactive buying experience. Shopee caters to its young, tech-savvy clientele by integrating live streaming, in-app games, and influencer partnerships, increasing user engagement and creating a sense of community (Sheu and Chang, 2022).
Table 4: Comparison of process innovation strategies between Lazada and Shopee
| Lazada | Shopee |
| Uses robotics and automation to achieve optimum | Employs gamified shopping order processing and faster delivery to focus on user engagement. |
| Data analytics is used in predictive analytics to forecast customer behaviour. | Integrates real-time interactions with live broadcasting to meet demand and improve inventory control. |
| Enhancements to Mobile Apps constantly improve and refresh the mobile application. | Provides in-app gaming and incentives via Shopee Coins, with user-friendly features and targeted encouragement for user engagement and loyalty. |
| Provides training and support for the third party. | Collaborates with influencers and celebrities to launch. |
Organization innovation
Organizational innovation incorporates the company’s method in the business process, workplace organization, and external relations. It involves deploying new organizational structures, procedures, or management practices to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility (Van Looy, 2021, p.103413). Developing an innovative culture, increasing employee engagement, and accomplishing strategic goals, entails making significant changes to how the organization runs and is controlled. Organizational innovation is crucial for firms to maintain competitiveness, adapt to market changes, and promote long-term sustainable growth.
Table 5: Organization innovation
| Definition | Implementation of the new strategy. |
| Method | Establish clear long-term goals.
Review the allocation of resources. |
| How to achieve it | Training programs for growth and development for the employees.
Effective customer relationship. |
| Objective | Improved productivity and overall performance.
Promote long-term sustainable growth. Adapt to market changes. |
Lazada and Shopee use various organizational strategies to accomplish their objectives in the e-commerce industry. To serve a large client base, Lazada concentrates on developing a diverse product catalogue and establishing business alliances (Gunawan, 2020). Through cutting-edge technology and dependable logistics, the organization strongly emphasizes operational efficiency. Shopee, on the other hand, takes a more dynamic and exciting tack, relying on influencer partnerships and gamification to appeal to a youthful, tech-savvy clientele (Linh, 2022). The company encourages users to participate in live-streamed events and in-app games to foster an innovative and flexible culture. Despite their differences, both businesses place a high priority on innovation and customer happiness to be competitive.
Table 6: Comparison of organization innovation strategies between Lazada and Shopee
| Lazada | Shopee |
| Creates a culture that favours creativity and innovation. | Emphasizes the importance of having a flexible and dynamic culture. |
| Encourages staff members to collaborate and try new things. | Encourages a growth attitude and prudent risk-taking. |
| Methodologies use agile project management techniques. | Uses Scrum or Kanban to facilitate inter-functional cooperation. |
| Adopts a flatter organizational structure. | Promotes independence and decentralized decision-making. |
Marketing innovation
Market innovation is the introduction of a new marketing method that mainly takes keen consideration of the market’s four Ps. It is discovering and putting fresh ideas into practice to broaden a company’s market appeal, draw in more clients, and boost sales Gao, C. and (McDonald, 2022). It entails locating untapped market niches, fresh geographical areas, or fresh client demographics to promote already-existing goods or services. A market innovation strategy is essential for organizations to expand and diversify their consumer base, particularly in competitive and saturated sectors.
Table 7: Marketing innovation
| Definition | Introduction of new marketing method. |
| Method | Marketing four Ps |
| How to achieve it | Changes in the product mix, activities, distribution, and pricing strategy. |
| Objective | Meet customers’ demands.
Increased sales volume and market share. Increased competitiveness. |
There is a significant difference between the marketing innovation strategies between Lazada and Shopee. By using data-driven insights to tailor marketing efforts and increase customer interaction, Lazada strongly emphasizes a customer-centric strategy (Nguyen, 2021). The company works with influential people and partners with well-known brands to establish credibility and draw in a wide range of customers. Shopee, on the other hand, uses in-app games, live streaming, and time-limited discounts to make shopping more entertaining. Shopee also embraces a more gamified and interactive marketing strategy (Tseng et al., 2022). With its young, tech-savvy clientele, Shopee’s emphasis on user-generated content and social connections distinguishes it from Lazada’s conventional marketing strategies.
Table 8: Comparison of marketing innovation strategies between Lazada and Shopee
| Lazada | Shopee |
| Product- Provides affordable pricing along with frequent deals. | Focuses on flash sales and limited-time specials. |
| Promotion: Collaborates with influencers to promote a brand | Focuses on forming ties with influencers for notable launches. |
| Place- Operates throughout the nations of Southeast Asia | Operates in several Southeast Asian markets. |
| Product mix- Offers a wide range of products across various categories. | Provides trending and well-liked products to the intended market. |
3.0 Which is more successful and why?
Shopee’s agile strategy and creative marketing efforts most certainly produced a significant return on investment. Interactive shopping events on the site drew a sizable user base and increased revenues, demonstrating a great return on investment. Shopee’s success was probably aided by its emphasis on establishing seller relationships and providing incentives. According to (Yeh, 2022), the Shopee platform has dramatically improved gross orders, especially in the corvid period and over time. The figure provides for the shopee Gross orders from 2017 to 2022;
Figure 1: Shopee Annual Gross Orders
Source. www.mobilemarketingreads.com
Because of its more established status and association with Alibaba Group, Lazada had access to stability and a wealth of resources. While Lazada’s hierarchical management structure may have needed to be more adaptable than Shopee’s to the continuously shifting market demands, the ROI may have been significant owing to consistent performance.
Lazada has ensured a continuous increase in revenue over the years, enabling it to withstand the tough competition in the market. According to eConomy Spotlight by Google-Temasek: The SEA e-commerce market experienced a 43% compound annual growth rate from 2015 to 2017 as of SEA 2017. By 2025, the market is projected to reach $88.18 billion, from $5.58 billion to 10.98 billion. The figure illustration is provided below;
Figure 2: SEA e-commerce market size
Both Lazada and Shopee have experienced improved sales and revenue, thereby influencing the return on investment. A study conducted by (Jaipong, 2022). examined the comparison in the number of customers visiting the websites monthly. The results are provided in the figure below;
Figure 3: Monthly web visits
Source: www.marketer.com
The figure provides for the comparison of monthly visits between different companies over time. Lazada had higher visits than Shopee. Being one of the more established businesses in the market, Lazada had built up a sizable user base, which led to consistently high monthly traffic counts. It was well-known for its wide range of products and dependable services and had a significant presence in various Southeast Asian nations. Shopee, on the other hand, took a more creative strategy, utilizing gamification and interactive marketing efforts to draw users. This tactic helped generate a large number of monthly visits. Shopee rose to the top of the download charts in five years, topping all other shopping apps internationally and in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Lazada was more well-known and had been in business longer in the area (Ness, 2021). It had a significant presence in many nations, offering a broad product selection and strategic alliances with numerous businesses. However, Shopee has multiplied and is well known for its creative and gamified approach, especially among younger consumers.
By consistently improving its user experience, extending its product line, and forming strategic alliances with well-known businesses, Lazada has shown successful product innovation. It, therefore, continues to lead overall performance, although Shopee is just a little behind.
4.0 Leadership and Covid Season
Leadership was essential in determining the success of e-commerce behemoths like Lazada and Shopee during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lazada’s more experienced leadership style emphasized stability and long-term planning, prioritized customer pleasure, and worked with stakeholders to guarantee a consistent supply of necessities (Zhu 2022). On the other hand, the agile leadership style of Shopee enabled it to quickly adjust to changing consumer expectations while fostering innovation and establishing a rapport with vendors through innovative marketing initiatives. During the COVID season, both businesses saw growth. Lazada used influencer marketing and collaborations, while Shopee gained a sizable user base with its interactive shopping events (Loh, 2021). The pandemic served as a stimulant for the e-commerce sector, and Lazada and Shopee’s leadership tactics were crucial to ensuring their sustained supremacy in Southeast Asia.
5.0 Model/Theory Application
The “Technology Acceptance Model” (TAM) is valuable in examining Lazada and Shopee’s success. TAM, created by Fred Davis in the 1980s and expanded by numerous scholars, looks at the elements that affect how users accept and use technology (Christian and Agung, 2020). According to this model, individuals’ intentions to utilize technology are determined mainly by its perceived usefulness and usability, which impacts how often people use it.
TAM offers valuable insights into understanding consumer behaviour and the achievements of Lazada and Shopee in the context of e-commerce platforms (Hairuddin et al., 2019). Both businesses have prioritized making their platforms more convenient and user-friendly by the TAM’s emphasis on perceived ease of use. They have promoted great user experiences and raised adoption rates by providing user-friendly interfaces, safe payment options, and effective delivery services.
Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model enhances a better understanding of how Lazada and Shopee have successfully recruited and kept customers by concentrating on improving perceived usefulness and simplicity. This approach emphasizes how important user-centric design and technology adoption are in fostering the success of these e-commerce behemoths in the rapidly changing industry.
6.0 Conclusion
The study compares and contrasts the market engagement and innovation strategies of Lazada and Shopee, two well-known Southeast Asian e-commerce platforms. Both businesses have had great success with their respective approaches to innovation. The secret to Lazada’s success is its comprehensive and customer-focused commitment to innovation. Lazada has developed a solid brand name and encouraged customer loyalty by significantly emphasizing steady product expansion, strategic partnerships, targeted marketing, and constant customer involvement. Its dedication to comprehending local markets has also aided in its development.
On the other hand, Shopee’s innovative strategies have led to its success. The platform has quickly gained market share and attracted a younger and more digitally engaged client base because of its aggressive growth into new areas, gamified shopping experiences, and creative marketing strategies. Lazada and Shopee have shown innovation excellence, providing services to various market sectors and finding success using various business models.
To serve Southeast Asia’s growing mobile user base, Lazada and Shopee should both prioritize improving their mobile app experiences in the future. Investing in user-friendly interfaces, quick load times, and personalized recommendations can increase customer engagement and retention. Additionally, adopting eco-friendly and sustainable methods helps meet the rising consumer desire for environmentally responsible shopping. To ensure prompt and effective deliveries, it would be essential for them to strengthen their alliances and logistics networks. To provide their users with distinctive and exciting purchasing experiences, both platforms should keep encouraging innovation in marketing methods, utilizing data analytics, and embracing upcoming technologies like AI and augmented reality.
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Appendix 1: Company Websites
Figure 4: Lazada Website
Figure 5: Shopee Website
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