Lazada vs Shopee would be like a battle between “David and Goliath”. But can the younger E-commerce platform outperform Lazada’s cut of the pie in the Philippine arena?
To simply say that I love online shopping would be an understatement.
As a work-at-home mom, e-commerce sites have changed the way I shop. From my makeup down to my daughter’s fabric softener, these online stores have been enormous time-savers for me.
It’s easy, fast, cheap and I can do it in my PJ’s!
I’ve tried several online shops, such as Zalora, BeautyMNL, Carousell and OLX. However, two Philippine online shopping sites top my list: Lazada and Shopee.
Today I’m going to stack up Lazada against Shopee using the following criteria:
- Popularity
- E-Commerce Platform
- Prices
- Promos
- Payment Options
- Delivery
- Customer Support
I know, I know. Lazada vs Shopee would be like a battle between “David and Goliath”. But can the younger E-commerce platform outperform Lazada’s cut of the pie in the Philippine arena?
Let’s find out!
Popularity [Site Traffic]
Currently, Lazada is by far the largest e-commerce operator in the Philippines based on its average monthly web visits of approximately 35 million.
Shopee, on the other hand, only gains approximately 9 million visits per month.
With Alibaba backing Lazada’s operations in Southeast Asia, it’s no wonder Lazada has soared the highest in terms of popularity in the country.
Winner: Lazada
E-Commerce Platform [User-Experience]
Lazada and Shopee both have desktop sites and downloadable mobile apps, which you can get from the Google Play store (Android) and Apple’s App Store (iOS).
Lazada Philippines online shopping store is pretty straightforward. If you like to purchase an item, just click ‘add to cart’ and proceed to ‘checkout’. There’s no minimum order required.
However, it’s important to note that the two online shopping sites use different business models; hence, affecting the site’s user experience.
Lazada sells inventory from its own warehouses. Later on, it added a marketplace model wherein third-party retailers are allowed to sell their products through the site. This is why you can see a wider selection of over 10 million products on the website as compared to Shopee’s 3 million active listings.
Shopee adapts a business-to-consumer model. It is basically a marketplace where the items come directly from the merchants themselves. As compared to its competitors, Shopee does not charge sellers fees/commissions and listing fees. It does not hold any inventory or warehousing and relies on third parties for logistics capabilities.
Winner: Lazada
Update: Shopee Philippines is now charging 1.5% transaction fee of the total payment you receive from your buyers.
Related Post: Why I Love Selling on Shopee More Than on Lazada
Prices
Shopee and Lazada both offer good deals online, but based on my observation, Shopee offers cheaper items, especially on bags, clothes, and electronic devices.
There are Shopee sellers who also offer wholesale discounts so you can save more when you buy in bulk.
As earlier stated, Shopee does not charge sellers fees/commissions and listing fees. Therefore, sellers are in a good position to lower their prices.
Below is a comparison of prices between the two online shopping sites:
Meanwhile, when you shop on Shopee, you’ll be bombarded with a lot of terms and conditions by the seller before you can purchase an item. Some sellers also require a minimum order quantity for some items. It is wise to read the seller’s fine print first so as not to make a fool of yourself when using Shopee’s platform.
Right: ShopeeIf you talk in terms of the number of orders, Shoppee is the biggest in the Philippines. This is probably because Filipinos find their prices more attractive and cost-saving.
I must say, Shopee is an online shopping site that won’t break the bank!
Winner: Shopee
Update: Shopee Philippines is now charging 1.5% transaction fee of the total payment you receive from your buyers.
Related Post: Why I Love Selling on Shopee More Than on Lazada
Sale, Deals and Promos
I’ve been ordering items from Lazada for almost five years already, so I am aware of their sale and deals online. One thing I have noticed though is that they tend to exaggerate their online deals that are kind of misleading the customers.
For example, they’re offering the sale of a Romoss Sense 6P 20,000mAh Powerbank for Php 829.00 from the slashed “original” price of Php 1,898.00. It’s 56% less from the said “original” price. However, when I went to Shopee to check out the same item, it is only for sale at Php 779.00. You can also buy the same model at Asianic for Php 999.00.
Both Lazada and Shopee offer online vouchers, which you can claim when purchasing from a particular store. Just click on the Lazada’s Voucher Channel and Shopee’s Coin Rewards page. The two sites also offer flash deals that are a hit to those who are always on the hunt for ridiculously low-priced items.
What separates Shopee from Lazada is that the former is more honest about its approach not only to its pricing but also to its deals and promos, which kinds of making me want to root for this underdog in this aspect.
Winner: Shopee
Payment Options
In as much as possible, I avoid getting a loan, borrowing money, or making credit purchases. These are the reasons I don’t own a credit card. Although there are perks (hello, good credit score) associated with owning one, I believe I may not be that financially-disciplined to use it the right way. I still consult my husband when it comes to making huge purchases even with my own money. I also seldom use my debit card or Paypal account to purchase products online because of trust issues.
For people like me who don’t use a credit card, it’s good to know that Lazada and Shopee both offer COD or cash-on-delivery.
Please note that not all items on these online sites are available for COD. It will be indicated in the description of of whether or not an item is available for this type of payment method.
As for free shipping, Lazada usually offers it for free when you spend a minimum of Php 1000. Meanwhile, a minimum spend of Php 500.00 is required to avail the free shipping on Shopee.
Here are the modes of payment available on Lazada and Shopee respectively:
Lazada Payment Methods:
Shopee Payment Methods:
Since all items on Shopee come directly from its third-party sellers, an important feature called Shopee Guarantee is added to protect buyers and sellers against fraudulent transactions.
Shopee Guarantee protects users by withholding the payment to Sellers until the Buyer confirms receipt of the order. Once the Buyer accepts the order, the payment will be released to the Seller.
Winner: Tie
Delivery
Although Shopee offers cheaper items, be ready to wait! The delivery could take 1-2 weeks before it arrives on your doorstep. I placed several orders on Shopee in the past, and almost all of them took forever to arrive.
I really recommend Lazada if you want to get your orders as soon as possible. Either the items arrive on time or they arrive earlier than the estimated delivery date. Since I live in Cebu, I usually get the items 4-6 days from the time I place the orders on Lazada’s website. Within the Manila area, they say, ordered items even get delivered within 24 hours.
Expect some delays especially if there are certain events like a typhoon or a big sale happening.
Winner: Lazada
Customer Support [Return and Refund]
I’ve had my fair share of online shopping horror stories and I also heard a lot of them from other people.
I experienced receiving a defective item from Lazada last year, but I didn’t do anything about it at that time because I had more pressing matters to attend to. I also experienced ordering an anti-choke medicine feeder for my toddler, only to receive two big bottles of baby fabric softener. Since the two bottles of fabric softener are more expensive than what I had paid and I was lazy enough to return them to LBC, I was nice enough not to escalate the problem. However, I did notify Lazada via their online chat support that I received the wrong item. I ended up loving the fabric softener anyway.
If you’re not lazy to report or return an item like me, just repackage your item to its original packaging. Login to your Lazada.com.ph account, then click My Orders under My Account. Submit an Online Returns Form through the website, print out a copy, and attach the print-out copy with the package. Head over to the nearest LBC store within 7-14 calendar days from the date the item was delivered so the shipping courier can ship it back to Lazada for evaluation. Please note that item returns are FREE.
Since I don’t have enough experience of contacting Lazada or Shopee’s customer support in terms of asking for a return or refund, here’s a story by Jan David you might want to check out: https://www.hexmojo.com/2017/05/lazada-horror-story-1-counterfeit-item.html
Here are some Shopee.ph bad customer support feedback:
So far, all the products I ordered via Shopee are in good condition. This is mainly because I read shop reviews on the platform before purchasing and I always buy either from the official brand seller (mostly for cosmetics) itself or from stores that have already sold large quantities of the product to buyers.
But who knows, I might encounter my ‘Shopee bad customer support story’ someday.
Winner: None
Related Post: My Lazada Item Return and Replacement Experience
Final Verdict:
I must admit Lazada raked more points in this head-to-head battle against Shopee. However, I would still order from these two e-commerce sites in the future. I believe it all depends on the items I can afford and the duration they should be sent to me. If you want the item ASAP, then I recommend Lazada. If you are after cheaper options, then definitely go for Shopee. After all, what’s waiting for another 3-4 days when you can save a lot of money.
How about you? Do you agree with my review? Do you have Lazada vs Shopee tales to tell? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
*Bonus story: But you know which online purchase hurt me the most? It’s when I purchased a Korean Bag on Zalora.com.ph for Php 999 and discovered a similar item on Lazada and Shopee for Php 319.00 and Php 249.00 respectively. Worse, I only used it once because the strap broke even when the bag only held my purse, smartphone and make up kit in it.
Seen above is the bag I bought in Zalora. See the price difference for similar items below:
Tragic, isn’t it?
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