How online fashion retailer Zalora cracked Southeast Asia
- The Singapore and Malaysia-based company says that understanding the region inside out is what has given it the edge
- Focus on making fashion accessible even in Southeast Asia’s most hard-to-reach places is beginning to pay off
For the past few years, athleisure has taken the world by storm. But while retailers and fashion brands rushed to fill their racks with activewear designed to be worn outside the gym or fitness studio, fashion portal Zalora took pains to differentiate its product offering – by dissecting the demand for performance items for those actually taking part in sports.
“All countries have embraced sportswear as a lifestyle fashion product, but in terms of performance products, the demand is very different by country,” says Giulio Xiloyannis, Zalora Group’s chief operating officer. “In the Philippines, they want basketball wear from top sports brands; in Malaysia, it would be oriented towards badminton or soccer gear.”
It is unique, country-specific insights like these that have given the e-commerce fashion site a competitive advantage in Southeast Asia, a region that industry watchers believe has tremendous potential for growth.
A study by Google found that among the region’s 350 million internet users, 120 million shoppers spent US$23 billion on e-commerce in 2018, doubling the amount from the previous year. By 2025, the market is expected to be worth US$102 billion.
Headquartered in Singapore and Malaysia and owned by the Global Fashion Group, Zalora is a rare Southeast Asian e-commerce company that is focused on fashion, shoes, accessories and beauty.
