Online Shopping Portal Lazada has announced that the company will support the 8 million eCommerce entrepreneurs and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia, including Philippines, as way of strengthening and creating sustainable eCommerce ecosystem in the region.

As part of its commitment, Lazada will assist SMEs to digitize their businesses and gain better access to Internet-savvy and mobile consumers. The online shopping site believes that healthy and flourishing SMEs are key components of a thriving eCommerce ecosystem—their existence helps unlock the full potential of Southeast Asian nations, allowing the region to digitize.

In a press conference yesterday, Lazada Philippines Chief Executive Officer Ray Alimurung said, “Having overcome the early challenges of building up the business and industry in a nascent landscape, we now want to lead our ecosystem through the era of robust digital transformation. Our focus is on creating a trusted platform connecting sellers to the Southeast Asian consumers. By enabling sellers with our technology and logistics capabilities, we want to help sellers flourish, to become sustainable businesses that will contribute to Southeast Asia economic growth in the long run.”

To help sellers reach more customers, the company has developed various initiatives, comprehensive tools and dedicated trainings that enable sellers of all sizes to attract, engage and convert more sales.

Alimurung explained, “New generation of sellers no longer view eCommerce as a good-to-have, but a necessity in order to drive success. And eCommerce players like Lazada can be strategic partners to sellers who are committed to their professional and business growth. Their thriving businesses will boost the ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, the event also in conjunction with the launch of Lazada’s 11.11 Shopping Festival, its biggest one-day sale with 400,000 brands and sellers participating to offer shoppers over 50 million blockbuster deals.

The Lazada 11.11 Shopping Festival is now part of Alibaba’s ecosystem, which includes Tmall and Taobao, who join hands with Lazada to bring the shopping phenomenon to millions of shoppers in the Southeast Asia region.