Lazada urges fashion retailers to prioritise seller intelligence over scale

Personalised feeds improve basket size and repeat purchases.

Fashion retailers that will win in the next decade are not those with the most sellers, but those that make their sellers the smartest.

Joey Bienvenida, vice president and cluster director at Lazada Philippines, said that gone are the days of large campaigns that drive massive spikes in demand, during the Retail Asia Summit 2026 held at Shangri-La, Makati.

“Traffic is more expensive to acquire, and whilst campaigns are bigger, they do not automatically guarantee growth,” Bienvenida said.

She noted how consumers are now more promotion-aware, conversion is less predictable, and loyalty is harder to retain.

“Shoppers are incredibly informed; they compare prices across different platforms, wait for campaigns, and know exactly how to maximise deals and vouchers.”

Bienvenida also said social media and influencers drive what people buy, but price still plays a major role in the final decision.

At Lazada, Bienvinida said that the company increasingly use data and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise their marketplace, anticipate demand shifts and improve the shopping journey through personalisation.

“For example, when we personalise feeds based on browsing and historical purchases, we see much more engagement—sportswear to a fitness shopper or workwear to a young professional,” she explained.

This strategy improves basket size and repeat purchases because consumers find what they actually match with.

AI is also enabling the platform to offer entirely new shopping experiences, such as virtual try-on, which helps shoppers visualise items before they buy, whilst tools like LazChat guide them through conversational interactions. “Content channels like LazLook help consumers explore trends and styling inspirations,” she added.

Ultimately, Bienvenida noted that technology alone does not drive growth. She said that sustainable growth happens when sellers are empowered with the insights they need to succeed.

For example, a seller might see strong sales in one city, but once they gain access to data on search demand in other regions, they can expand their warehouses to service those areas faster.

Looking ahead, she said the future of fashion e-commerce will be defined by ‘sustainable intelligence’ by combining scale with precision, partnership, and disciplined execution.