Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, celebrates the growth of the region’s digital economy and shares the impact that e-commerce and digital financial services had on local communities in 2021. Southeast Asia continued to see accelerated technology adoption, with 40 million new digital users added in 2021. As adoption continues to grow, Shopee is powering digital inclusion by empowering more people and businesses to capture new opportunities online.
In 2021, more were able to access and benefit from technology through Shopee. Across the region, 1 in 6 Shopee orders was made by first-time users. Shopee also delivered more fun and convenience for shoppers and groomed talents to thrive in the growing digital economy.
Zhou Junjie, Chief Commercial Officer, Shopee, said, “In 2021, Shopee stayed true to our mission to benefit our local communities through technology, especially the underserved. With more people and businesses coming online, we continued to innovate and serve their needs better, adapting to the new ways people live, work, and shop. As we become more connected, we can make a bigger impact on one another and more importantly, uplift others so that no one is left behind. This is how we forge new opportunities and create value for our communities. Let’s work towards a more vibrant and inclusive digital economy together.”
Fostering inclusion and growth
In 2021, more local communities and businesses were able to access and benefit from the digital economy with Shopee.
- Widening access: Shopee continued to make buying and selling online easier for all. Across the year, it introduced localised campaigns tailored to meet shoppers’ evolving needs and expanded its delivery network so users can shop and receive purchases reliably. Together with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Shopee Singapore piloted a courier hub project to experiment with new ways of improving last-mile delivery processes in Singapore. Through this program, drivers were able to increase their productivity by 4 times, helping Shopee users receive their parcels more quickly and smoothly than before.
- Uplifting livelihoods: Through Shopee, local businesses translated their digital presence into tangible growth in incomes and livelihoods. In 2021, Shopee created new tools and features to increase local sellers’ exposure on its platform. One example was its #ShopeeCelebratesLocal initiative at its 12.12 Birthday Sale, spotlighting sellers and helping them to reach more shoppers and grow their customer base. Highlights across the region include:
- Over 1,000 local sellers exceeded US$100,000 in sales in 3 days of Shopee’s year-end festivals – 9 September, 11 November, and 12 December
- First time online sellers also saw a big boost at the year-end, with sales for new-to-Shopee sellers surging by up to 18 times on 11 November
- ShopeePay Near Me, a new feature that helps users discover deals for offline merchants around them, created 5 million in-store transactions for partners
- Unlocking growth for brands: Shopee Mall continued to power the way forward for its brand partners, pioneering innovative solutions and tools to support sustained growth. Brand partners saw strong growth momentum and reached new milestones, as 42 million users made their first purchase on Shopee Mall in 2021, while 5 partners achieved US$100 million in GMV.
Delighting shoppers
Shopee continued to innovate and serve its users better in 2021. As people relied more on e-commerce, Shopee worked more closely with sellers and partners to delight shoppers and deliver better experiences for everyone.
- Creating billions of smiles: Shopee continued to widen its product assortment with its growing community of sellers and brands, allowing users to meet their needs more reliably and conveniently. Supported by an integrated ecosystem, users left 3 billion 5-star product reviews on Shopee in 2021, 60% more than in 2020 as users enjoyed more seamless, enjoyable, and reliable experiences.
- In Singapore, users were able to easily shop for groceries through Shopee Supermarket, with food such as Snacks and Beverages, Home Care Supplies and Food Staples most in demand.
- Delivering fun and joy: Shopee’s in-app features continued to entertain users and bring people together. 400 million hours were spent on Shopee Live, while its in-app games were played over 40 billion times.
Uplifting communities
In 2021, Shopee continued to equip local talents, entrepreneurs, and the community with new skills to succeed in the digital economy of today and tomorrow.
- Developing tech talent: Shopee increased its efforts to engage and upskill local tech talents and enthusiasts. More than 20,000 participants took part in Shopee’s tech training initiatives, including its “Tech@Shopee” webinars and the Shopee Code League competition. At Shopee, 8 in 10 employees learned new skills at Shopee Academy, with over 27,000 training hours in total.
- Levelling up local businesses: Shopee continued to step up its learning resources to help all kinds of businesses upskill for an online world. Its digital Shopee University curriculum allows more sellers to conveniently access vital e-commerce courses and skills no matter where they are, while its online Seller Education Hub offers a wide range of courses catered for all levels, from experienced business owners to aspiring entrepreneurs. As of 2021, 1.3 million sellers have enrolled in Shopee University courses.
- Shopee Pros: In 2021, Shopee Singapore kicked off Shopee Pros, an educational program to encourage knowledge-sharing amongst the seller community. Today, these sellers are mentoring over 400 aspiring entrepreneurs and first time, online sellers, through their own circles, acting as seller ambassadors and fostering a seller community where they share best practices with each other.
- In 2022, Shopee integrated Facebook Ads on Shopee Seller Centre, a new marketing tool to empower over 20 million sellers across the region to grow their businesses. This integration enables sellers to boost their online presence and visibility, driving traffic to their official Shopee stores from Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network. Sellers who took part in a pilot programme have seen encouraging results and business impact. For example, during its 3-week pilot campaign, MobileHub, which sells electronic products in Singapore, gained more than 130,000 impressions and achieved 2.2 times Return On Ad Spend compared to before.
- Enhancing digital inclusion for businesses: CapitaLand and Shopee collaborated to launch the IMM virtual mall on Shopee, the e-commerce platform’s first virtual mall. The partnership connected over 50 retailers and F&B establishments under Singapore’s largest outlet mall, IMM, to consumers on Shopee, offering them more online marketing opportunities to drive revenue through a multi-channel strategy.
Giving back to communities
During the 12.12 festive period, Shopee Singapore, in collaboration with Garden City Fund (GCF), used its platform and resources to give back to the environment. Users got a chance to plant a Charity Seed on Shopee Farm with 10 Shopee Coins, to donate to GCF and win up to $22k worth of Shopee Vouchers. As part of the Digital Donation Drive, users can also donate directly to the GCF through their store on Shopee. Six dazzling Shopee Giving Trees were featured at Singapore Botanic Gardens to increase awareness of this initiative and in celebration of Shopee’s 6th birthday.
