Southeast Asia is on the verge of a logistics “boom” thanks to e-commerce, but will require huge investments in cities and last mile networks to cope, says Mr Pierre Poignant, the man behind the systems that keep Alibaba-owned Lazada moving.
Mr Poignant, chief operating officer, said the Singapore-based marketplace, for its part, would continue to bet on delivery and other partnerships as demand grows.
In addition, it will expand its footprint to cut costs and improve services, with smaller local hubs closer to customers, as well as a major warehouse it can use in Malaysia for goods that move less often. Lazada, with 130,000 merchants on its platform, has 14 warehouses and over two million square feet of space – and plans to open another five to six warehouses next year. It also has 130 smaller distribution centres.