E-commerce is a field that is not only unfamiliar at first to Mr. Alexandre Dardy, who has many years of experience in financial consulting, but is also quite new and difficult for the young Vietnamese market. But it is precisely because of this novelty and challenge that this French-Vietnamese general manager always feels motivated and excited when steering the online ship Lazada.vn.

Building a culture of “anything is possible”

At the beginning of the story, Mr. Alexandre said that his mother was a Vietnamese woman who had long settled in France and that Mr. Alexandre himself was born and raised here and did not know how to speak Vietnamese. But somewhere in his style there is still some influence from Vietnamese culture, and pho is one of his favorite dishes. Deciding to return to Vietnam with his wife and children to take over the leadership of Lazada is also, in one way or another, the way he wants to contribute and connect with his homeland.

Inheriting previous achievements, as well as his efficient team of collaborators, Mr. Alexandre can be said to have made many significant changes to Lazada.vn after more than a year in office. If previously Lazada.vn’s model focused mainly on retail sales for customers, now this online shopping site has been developed according to the commercial space model, where Lazada.vn is both a retailer and a direct distributor of products to users, and at the same time an “Internet marketplace” allowing stores to sell online. Reducing delivery time from 5 days to 2-3 days is one of the important goals that Lazada.vn has achieved recently. The company has multiplied its turnover and number of customers by 5.

Lazada.vn currently has around 2,000 stores, 300,000 products and more than 1 million customers. The company’s approach is to take full advantage of marketing capabilities, leveraging all information channels to attract customers, in addition to expanding the number of customers and product portfolio, perfecting the operating and transport device. Regarding delivery, Lazada.vn currently has its own delivery team with 250 employees (170 in Ho Chi Minh City, 80 in Hanoi), the company is also strengthening cooperation with partners such as Viettel, VN Post,.. . to shorten delivery times. .

(Photo source: Internet)

Sharing the initial difficulties, Mr Alexandre said it was a human problem, a lack of young people and talent. However, this is just a story of the past, at present the company has built a stable foundation for attracting talents. . The total workforce working at Lazada.vn currently numbers around 700 people, with around 80% in the Ho Chi Minh City headquarters and 20% in the Hanoi office. Visiting Lazada workplace in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be truly surprised by the presence of a large force of dynamic and talented young people. More interestingly, here the general manager Alexander or other management employees are all sitting at the same workplace as the staff, the tables and chairs are also equipped the same, there is no difference .

The concept of e-commerce is a new field, that’s why the corporate culture built at Lazada is the spirit of “anything can be done” – said Mr. Alexandre. In addition, Lazada has many different departments, so the ability to work in groups, cooperate between teams and everyone’s willingness to help each other at work are very important factors that determine the success of Lazada. The company is also very supportive if a person wants to move to another department to gain more experience.

Lazada will stop cooperating with the seller if it detects poor quality products

Assessing the future prospects of Vietnam’s e-commerce sector, Alexandre said it will continue its strong growth. Vietnam’s economy is growing (expected GDP increase to 6.0%), the number of internet users is increasing (up 5% per year), smartphone coverage is widespread and continues to grow, awareness The growing awareness of e-commerce (more and more customers and businesses are making promotional efforts) will be a positive factor for the development of e-commerce in the near future. Additionally, many businesses are attracted by the potential of e-commerce, which will lead to continued efforts to convert to e-marketplaces (advertising/promotion…). Transport infrastructure has therefore rapidly improved.

However, the challenge facing the e-commerce industry in Vietnam, according to Alexandre, is a big problem. Most people still don’t trust e-commerce, so the biggest challenge is building customer trust and encouraging the first transaction, helping buyers feel the convenience and efficiency of e-commerce. Ecommerce because first impressions are extremely important. . The number of distributors is growing rapidly (at least 300 new distributors every month) and product volume is growing at an explosive rate (several thousand new products per day), requiring quality control. The goods must be strictly respected, without any tolerance. for counterfeit or counterfeit products.

Mr. Alexandre added that currently, every week, 5-7 stores have been temporarily suspended from operations on Lazada.vn’s system due to the supply of low-quality products whose origins do not match the commitment from the manufacturer to customers. In addition to a specialized electronic system to verify products based on product descriptions provided by merchants to identify whether they are real or fake, Lazada also relies on customer feedback channels. Therefore, if you purchase fake or counterfeit products, Lazada encourages and expects users to notify so that timely action can be taken, as damaged reputation is not just about the store owner selling the counterfeit products , but also the owner of the Lazada platform. Customers also have the right to exchange/return the product within 7 days if the product is not satisfactory.

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