Asia-Pacific Power List 2020: Mary Zhou, Lazada Group

Mary Zhou

CMO
Lazada Group
Singapore

Lazada’s Shoppertainment strategy was first introduced to the Southeast Asia market right before the brand turned seven in March 2019. It blends shopping and entertainment experience, connecting sellers, brands and consumers. While browsing through the app, shoppers can watch live streams and be entertained.

Mary Zhou, Lazada Group’s CMO has overseen the creation of innovations such as 'Guess It!', which combines a gameshow concept with professionally-generated livestreamed content that involves a local personality playing host and giving away clues for viewers to guess the price of products.

Each 'Guess It' session invites consumers to guess the price of featured products, and each guess has the chance to earn the participant a voucher or Lazada credits. It was first launched in Thailand in May 2019 and expanded to all six countries in which the online platform operates after just a month.

Lazada’s livestream feature LazLive hosted the 2019’s Women’s Festival with 'see-now-buy-now' fashion shows that were streamed live on the Lazada app and enabled people to snag whatever product that caught their fancy. The fashion shows showcased international brands and local sellers and designers, drawing more than 300,000 views in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Overall, Lazada welcomed over 27 million active audience on livestreams in April. As brands and sellers sought to stay connected to consumers during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period, the number of new LazLive accounts increased by 70% in April compared to a regular month.

Zhou also led the creation of a “Super Party” music concert that was live streamed on the app and broadcasted on top TV stations in the markets simultaneously across all six markets in the region, as part of its seventh birthday celebration. This event was also nominated at the 25th Asian Television Awards 2019 under the Best Entertainment category.

Lazada also launched its refreshed brand in June 2019. The new brand and heartgram represents its legacy and logistics prowess while highlighting the firm’s focus on the future. 

Leveraging the LazadaForGood digital giving platform in Philippines, it partnered with four radio stations to host five special sessions of #RadioGivesBack: A LazadaForGood Charity Concert From Home, as it sought to provide purposeful aid during the ongoing pandemic.

This is the first ecommerce benefit concert that raised funds for the country’s frontliners and vulnerable communities. The sessions that started on 30 March 2020 were livestreamed exclusively on the Lazada app via LazLive, and broadcasted simultaneously through radio partners.