Online shopping is the rage now. Particularly for us, the Internet generation. Shopping in real life has become difficult. While there are plenty of malls, I can't seem to find the things that I am looking for at times. I still remember having to comb through BHG at Century Square looking for ankle socks and after asking around did I then find them. I would rather skip the inconvenience and shop online, if I was not in a hurry that is. You can even decide where and when to collect the product and handle the payment without cash.
So where do I do my online shopping? I have tried Qoo10, 65daigou and some other sites but when it comes to apps on phone, I have yet to venture into that unknown territory. Yes, still keeping it traditional by shopping on a mac with a stable wifi at home. While I have heard of Carousell and attempted downloading it, it's bad reputation really puts me off. Have you seen the ridiculous conversion exchanges between buyers and sellers? Thus, when I heard of Shopee I was naturally curious. What does it have that makes it different?
Chris Feng, CEO, Shopee shared some background information on Shopee. It is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Having launched in November, it is quite new and is free for downloads. It is supported by Garena, Southeast Asia's largest internet platform provider. At the moment, buyers and sellers can only purchase and sell locally within the country.
My first concern when it comes to buying from other people or selling for the matter is whether we can trust the other party. If it is an online site where they sell a certain product, it is less likely they will commit fraud or your product ends up not arriving. However when it comes from an individual seller, there is some risk involved. As for Shopee, it is equipped with a secure payment method, the Shopee Guarantee which ensures that if products are not received in the agreed condition, payment will be refunded to the buyers in full. Now, that is one concern you can strike off your list. If the product is faulty, you don't need to pay for it. As a buyer, I would feel that ok, you got my back on this, it is safe to shop, kind of like when you see the green man on the traffic light.
Next up on the list is probably delivery. If they use Singpost, I will probably give up on them right away. Thankfully, they work with Ninja Van and given my experience with them, these couriers know how to do their job, so you will get your purchase less all the trouble of having to collect it from the post office yourself. After all, it is online shopping. We do expect our products to be delivered to us or at least to be available for collection at a convenient time and day.
Social experience wise, it bears similarities to other online shopping apps and sites. You can expect real-time updates from friends and sellers and get to communicate with them though in-app instant messaging. There is also hashtag search available which is pretty cool and having scrolled through the app myself, I feel quite tempted to browse through the collectible category, particularly since Christmas is around the corner. Time to shop for presents!
While I haven't attempted to sell things online yet, Shopee seems to be quite app friendly for sellers with the Seller Assistant available to guide individuals on how to manage their retail businesses on the platform. It helps with measuring store performance and lets you know which products to restock or whether you should offer a discount. Sounds quite helpful to me.
With all that is said, if you are into mobile purchasing or selling, check out what Shopee has to offer! Try it for yourself, after all it is free.
