by LYDIA NATHAN / pic by TMR FILE

E-COMMERCE platform Shopee has ended its 9.9 campaign with over 12 million items sold within the first hour on Wednesday.

The 9.9 Super Shopping Day acted as a springboard for economic recovery as sellers and brand partners maximised its visibility and sales over the platform, Shopee said in a statement.

Shopee Malaysia Regional MD Ian Ho (picture) said Shopee’s strong ecosystem ensures seamless buying and selling even as activities peaked.

“Participating brands and sellers enjoyed strong sales growth, with 700,000 items sold in a single minute at the peak of Sept 9, 2020.

“Sellers and brand partners leveraged Shopee’s integrated logistics network to fulfil their orders, while users enjoyed seamless transactions with a wide array of payment options on Shopee, including its mobile wallet ShopeePay,” he said.

Ho added the campaign delivered entertainment and various shopping deals for users which allowed them to tune into Shopee Live to connect with celebrities, sellers and brands, while the number of hours spent on the live stream had increased three times.

“Shopee Live also gave users new ways to discover and shop the latest trends, with 2.5 times more items purchased during live streams in this period compared to an average day,” Ho said.

He was pleased with the support shown despite uncertain times during the pandemic.

“We had a simple and clear goal for our signature annual shopping event this year, which was to help our communities emerge stronger from the effects of a global pandemic.

The platform said its Home & Living is one of the most popular categories, as Malaysians looking to spruce up homes.

Additionally, men also shopped for smartphones, while the mobile and electronic brands saw robust growth.

“Various baby-related products including diapers, wet wipes and children’s face masks were a hit among users aged between 18 and 34. As for 35- to 50-year-old consumers, they mostly shopped for household products such as home storage solutions like shelves, racks, and organiser boxes, as well as cleaning supplies like detergents, dishwashing liquid, and sponges,” Ho said.

He added the 9.9 Super Shopping Day will kick-start the year-end shopping season and mark the start of Shopee’s efforts to pave the future of e-commerce amid the new normal.