- Tesco Lotus maintains leadership on the digital platform among retailers in Thailand, hoping to double the size of its online business this year.
- By using customer insight, Tesco Lotus continues to introduce innovative services that increase convenience for digitally-connected customers.
June 27, 2016 – Tesco Lotus, the leading retailer in Thailand, strengthens its number one position on the digital platform, with plans to continue to double the size of its online business. With new and innovative services that target the needs of today’s digitally-connected customers, the reatiler hopes that online sales and order numbers this year will at least double.
Ms. Wanna Swuddigul, Digital and Online Business Director, Tesco Lotus, said: “Customers today demand instataneous access to information, products and services they can buy at the tap of a finger. Every year, the number of digitally savvy customers has grown exponentially, thanks to the growth of the internet and mobile technology in Thailand. Tesco Lotus pioneered the digital platform since 2012, the first retailer in Thailand to have done so. Currently, our digital platform comprises two key components: the first is e-commerce, where we offer products to our customers through two main platforms, namely Tesco Lotus Shop Online with more than 20,000 product items including fresh food, which customers have a choice of ordering on their computer, tablet, smart phone or via a mobile application, and the Tesco Lotus shop on Lazada, where more than 9,000 product items are available. The second key component is what we call ‘Digital Connection’, a means of communication Tesco Lotus uses to communicate with our customers every day, through social media and other online channels.”
“The success factor behind the double growth we’ve had since 2012 has been customer insight. Armed with this most valuable information, we have been able to continue to innovate new services that truly address the needs of our online customers.”
Tesco Lotus has recently introduced four new services that help to enhance customer convenience and fit with the lifestyle of the modernday customers. These are:
- ShopBox24: Targeting condominium dwellers along the BTS and MRT train lines, ShopBox24 is a new, fuss-free, and secure way for customers to collect their online shopping from a locker installed at their place of residence. Currently, the service is available at 48 condominiums in Bangkok’s prime residential neighbourhoods such as Sukhumvit, Satorn, Phaholyothin, Phayathai, Ratchadapisek, and Rama 9. Customers simply order their items of choice from the mobile application. Their shopping is then delivered to a designated locker, which can only be opened with a password sent to the customer on their phone. This eliminates the need for the customer to adjust their schedule to be home for their delivery. The service was launched in late June.
- Click & Collect: Customers who place their orders on the Tesco Lotus Shop Online website, mobile site, or mobile application, now have the choice to pick up their own shopping from three locations, namely Tesco Lotus Extra Rama 4, Tesco Lotus Plus Mall Srinakarin, and Tesco Lotus Hangdong Chiang Mai. A special collection zone is allocated for the service. Pick-up will take no more than 10 minutes. Plans are in place to expand the service to include more stores in the future.
- Motorbike delivery services: For delivery services within as little as two hours of placing your grocery orders online, Tesco Lotus has partnered with Happy Fresh to provide motorbike home delivery. Tesco Lotus will also trial its own motorbike delivery, which is expected to help increase flexibility and availability of delivery time slots. Motorbikes are a more convenient and faster way to travel especially in traffic congested areas. Both services will launch in July.
- iBeacon technology: Tesco Lotus can stay digitally connected with customers when they are inside the store. The iBeacon technology will push relevant content directly to the customer’s mobile device via the Tesco Lotus mobile application, whenever they walk by an iBeacon transmitter installed at various locations inside the store. The technology will be used at all 1,800 Tesco Lotus stores nationwide. Customers will receive valuable information about promotions, deals, as well as tips relevant to the products they are walking by, while suppliers who work Tesco Lotus also have an additional channel through which they can communicate with customers.
Tesco Lotus is currently the number one retailer in Thailand with the largest online grocery shopping business, offering more than 20,000 product items on the Tesco Lotus Shop Online platform, and an additional 9,000 plus items via Lazada.co.th. The retailer also retains the leader position in terms of online customer communication, with more than 2.75 million fans on Facebook and over 27 million fans on the Line chat application it connects with every day.
“We will continue to grow our online business, in line with the growth of internet and especially smart phone users in Thailand. Our focus continues to be listening to our customers, and constantly innovating and introducing services that give them the best possible online shopping experience. This year, we expect online sales and order numbers will at least double from last year. Tesco Lotus will continue to maintain its number one position in retail both online and offline,” added Ms. Wanna.
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About Tesco Lotus
Tesco Lotus, Thailand’s leading retailer, currently operates approximately 1,800 stores across Thailand under five distinct formats, namely Plus Mall, Extra, hypermarket, Talad and Express, serving more than 15 million customers every week. Tesco Lotus also offers products on the digital platform through two channels: Tesco Lotus Shop Online, where more than 20,000 product items including fresh food are available, and Lazada.com, where more than 8,000 product items are available.
Tesco Lotus purchases more than 150,000 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables from Thai farmers every year, through its direct sourcing programme.
