Yula.la News

Ever since COVID-19 happens, the people of Laos have been looking for solutions for their daily routine like work and leisure so they can do these comfortably at home. Online platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been the leading sites for Lao people to do any transaction, then food deliveries like foodpanda and GoTeddy came in and provide a wide range of restaurants in Vientiane, and expand the branches to other provinces like Savanhnakhet and Pakse. Besides shopping by roaming around online shops on Facebook and Instagram, Droppin X has started operating and expanding the e-commerce market in Laos by curating shops in Vientiane and be their platform for selling through their app, as well as providing same-day delivery for those who order on the shop’s working hours. Yula.la, Laos' first classified advertisement website has been launching to help the users advertise their products and reach out to the target audience. Yula.la also launching MyShop, where the customers can shop online, adding to the train of e-commerce in Laos.

A handful of shops in Laos are now using a logistic company to deliver their product to buyers, in which transactions like ordering and paying are all done online. Banks in Laos have been releasing banking (ex: BCEL One, JDB Yes) applications for the ease of financial matters like paying and transfer money through QR Code. This method is well catered to online payment trends that are much-needed nowadays especially online vendors. Therefore, online transactions like shopping and delivery are doing so well in Laos today due to higher demand and the convenience of it. In the time of waiting for COVID Vaccines and getting back to “normal” the digital economy will continue to grow when there are more people inevitably have access to smartphones and the internet connection.

Then what about logistics? The logistics business has also grown alongside the increasing online shops in Laos. A logistic company like HAL, Mixay provides delivery services across the country. Logistics plays a significant role in the growing e-commerce in Laos, in which it gives the vendors and consumers the convenience of sending and receiving the product. 

According to datareportal.com, as of January 2021, there are 3.55 million internet users in Laos, with an increase of 468,000 or 15% between 2020 and 2021, and the penetration of the internet stood at 48.4%. This is equivalent to 49.1% or about 3.66 million Lao people currently using social media, which increased by 500,000 or 16% between 2020 and 2021. 

As for the mobile connection, there are 5.80 million mobile connections as of January 2021, with an increase of 414,000 or 7.7%, equivalent to 79.1% of the total population.

E-Commerce is a promising market that has been constantly growing in Laos. When an internet connection becomes essential in everyone’s daily routine, that is when the digital economy finally grows in Laos. Furthermore, towards being a land-linked country, such connection is much needed for Laos’ economy. Keep an eye on the emerging e-commerce in Laos, they are more than ready to be a part of the digital world.