Lazada SG CEO makes first appearance in CX efforts for new Samsung phone

It's rare for CEOs to make an appearance in the customer journey but Lazada Singapore's CEO, Loh Wee Lee (pictured left), decided to show appreciation for a customer and also jump on the Samsung Galaxy hype by hand delivering the new smartphone to one of its customers at midnight on 23 February.

Lazada had worked with Samsung to develop a pre-order initiative for the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone and Loh wanted to go a step further to recognise the shoppers that have turned to the eCommerce platform to satisfy their love for new devices. Through such personalised experiences, Lazada's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the brand hopes to engage with customers and build a lasting impression and experience with the eCommerce platform.

Not only was Annabelle (pictured right) the 22nd customer to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone on Lazada, the spokesperson said she is also the first customer in Singapore to receive and own it. In addition to the phone, Loh also presented the customer with additional freebies worth over SG$400, including a Samsung wireless charger, battery pack and Galaxy Buds 2. 

"One of Lazada’s key core values is in placing ‘Customers first, employees second, shareholders third’. We want our customers, both sellers and shoppers, to have positive experiences with Lazada beyond just selling and buying on the platform," Lazada's spokesperson said. 

Loh said that it has been a heartening experience to meet some of its customers in person, and hopes to be able to meet more soon throughout the year. “As Lazada marks its 10^th Anniversary this year, we want to celebrate this milestone with our valued shoppers such as Annabelle, and thank them for their support. I am also very thankful for collaborative brands such as Samsung, who work with us to deliver a reliable and personable shopping experience to our customers," he added.

Loh also noted that the number of pre-orders on the platform for Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphones was more than double of that for Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones last year. Lazada Singapore marketed Samsung's latest smartphone on its platform by offering Lazada-exclusive perks to shoppers who pre-ordered the smartphone, including additional platform voucher discounts of up to SG$200.

According to a study done by The Economist's Intelligence Unit on behalf of Genesys titled "The value of experience: How the C-suite values customer experience in the digital age", CEOs in companies where CX investment is prioritised are more likely to directly lead CX initiatives (43%) or be overall in charge (71%) compared to companies where CX investment isn't a priority.

At the same time, companies which believe that they are much more profitable than their competitors are significantly more likely to also have their CEO in charge of customer experience initiatives. According to the report, 58% of companies say that they are much more profitable than their competitors when the CEO is in charge of CX. Only 37% of less profitable companies say the same.

Meanwhile, to ramp up to its 10th anniversary celebrations, Lazada has doubled down on creating personalised experiences for its customers. Last month, Lazada held its Prosperity Sale, where 100 lucky Lazada shoppers were randomly selected to receive cash and prizes as part of the lucky draw. The top 10 winners, including one lucky winner of the SG$88,888 grand prize, were personally presented their winning cheques at an auspicious time of 8.08 pm each day, by members of Lazada Singapore’s management team as part of a surprise visit to share the good news.

Lazada was recently ranked as one of the top 10 most talked-about brands among Singaporeans, according to YouGov's Buzz Rankings 2021. The eCommerce platform also tied in fifth place with Sheng Siong as the most improved brands of the past year. The eCommerce platform isn't the only brand to have its CEO front a new smartphone launch. In 2018, then StarHub CEO Peter Kaliaropoulos was featured in a video titled "Operation Delivery" where he was seen on his way to surprise one of its loyal customers with the new iPhone XS Max. 

In the video, Kaliaropoulos thanks all StarHub customers, saying that the company is listening, taking action and trying to find ways to "improve and become a much better company" that is focused on its customers.

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