Bangkok--23 Jan--Spark Communications
Many merchants onRakuten TARAD.com, one of Thailand’s leading e-commerce portals, continue to perform well despite the on-going protests in Bangkok, according to Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, founder and managing director of Rakuten TARAD.com.
Consumer demand has remained high as key intersections in Bangkok remain closed as traffic to the Rakuten TARAD.com website increasing by 15% and sales growing by 28%[i], aided by promotional campaigns and Rakuten TARAD.com’s mobile friendly website.
“At Rakuten TARAD we have found that consumer demand for shopping online has continued to grow as shoppers look for alternative ways of shopping. Since the current protests started in December Rakuten TARAD.com has introduced a range of promotions and new initiatives to boost the success of our merchants, as we ran the second successful ‘Rakuten Super Sale’ in December as well as launching our official LINE account to help merchants reach a wider audience. We are pleased with the results as it proves e-commerce is an excellent solution for business no matter the situation in the local market,” added Pawoot.
The preference for shopping online continues at Rakuten TARAD.com as the overall performance of the unique B2B2C (business to business to consumer) e-commerce model, which empowers its merchant partners by offering them a powerful online platform to run their businesses, has seen significant growth in the past year.
Between October and December 2013, when the protests began, total product sales increased by 71% from the corresponding period in 2012, while visits to Rakuten TARAD.com increased by 93% during the same period. Additionally, sales through Rakuten TARAD.com’s mobile channel recorded a 637% increase compared to the previous year, while traffic also saw a 564% increase.
“E-commerce is on the rise in Thailand and many more merchants are attracted to the Rakuten TARAD.com online marketplace. Merchants benefit from our marketing efforts to drive awareness through new campaigns and also the support of dedicated e-commerce consultants that can advise on how to get the best from your online store,” said Pawoot.
Rakuten TARAD.com holds monthly seminars to promote e-commerce and give guidance to new prospective merchants. The next seminar is on January 29th, 2014 and more details can be found atwww.tarad.com/seminar.
[i] Comparing January 13-19, 2014 sales period with January 1-12, 2014.