Do E-Commerce Sites Like Lazada Prove The Power Of The Internet During The Movement Control Order Period?

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We saw a ‘slight panic‘ among some Malaysians on the day before the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into force (17 March 2020). Aside from that, everything seemed pretty calm and in control.

In fact, many Malaysians expressed relief at the announcement of the MCO. They felt that this is the best course of action the government could take to prevent the COVID-19 virus from spreading further.

Given that this is the first time such an order is implemented – and it’s safe to say that no one in our generation or our parents’ has experienced anything like this – I’d say Malaysians are doing pretty well at the moment.

And for that, we need to thank the Internet

This would not have been possible 30 years ago – before routers became a common fixture in Malaysian homes, and mobile data was still non-existent.

As a millennial who has spent the last six years doing pretty much everything (especially navigating the streets of Klang Valley) using apps – I can honestly and bravely say that we would not have been so calm if it were not for the Internet.

E-commerce platforms like Lazada allow us to shop for essential supplies safely from home

While online shopping used to be just a convenient option for us, it is now pretty much a necessity given the current situation.

On the first day of the MCO, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin delivered a special speech that strongly encouraged Malaysians to “just stay at home”. Heading out unnecessarily not only increases the chance of spreading the virus, but it would put yourself and your family at risk too.

As such, online shopping is not just a safe thing to do – it is the responsible thing to do.

The government confirmed that e-commerce platforms like Lazada are categorised under “essential services”, so you can still shop online and have your purchases delivered to your home.

You can get almost everything from Lazada these days: from the latest gadgets and fashion, to groceries like packaged food and even fresh produce.

It is also said that certain necessities are much cheaper when bought online, such as infant milk formula (all authentic thanks to Lazada’s Milk Formula Guarantee) and diapers. We took a quick look at Lazada’s Mesti Beli list to check out the prices:

180-piece diapers at RM90.90
23 rolls of tissue paper (seems to be every panic buyer’s favourite) at RM23.90
6 cups of instant noodles (another crowd favourite) at RM7.25

Those are just the absolute necessities. If you are really bored and have some money to spend, the PS4 Slim is on sale too at RM899.

Since Lazada is providing free shipping in conjunction with their Birthda y Sale happening on 27 March, you could stand to save even more by just checking out your purchases on that day.

Just remember that you can only have your purchases delivered to your home address. Office deliveries will resume on 1 April 2020 or after the MCO period ends – this is mentioned in one of their social media postings:

We get to practise social distancing by using online food delivery platforms

Thankfully, the National Security Council clarified that restaurants and eateries are allowed to operate to prepare takeaway and delivery orders. With online delivery platforms, hawkers can still generate some income during the MCO period – and those of us at home can still enjoy our favourite hawker-style chicken rice and char koay teow while practising social distancing.

The Internet also connects us to the underprivileged who might need supplies delivered to them

It is worth noting that there are still at least 12.6% of Malaysians who are non-Internet users. These are mostly the elderly (aged 60 and above) and those from underprivileged backgrounds.

This group of Malaysians, along with those who live with disabilities and others who are forced to take unpaid leaves, do not have the luxury of shopping online or even getting enough supplies to last throughout the MCO period.

In response to this, a Facebook group called Caremongering Malaysia was set up almost immediately after the MCO was announced. Malaysians who would like to help can get connected to those in need. You can help by getting groceries and medical supplies delivered to them via Lazada, or have food sent to them via any online food delivery platforms.

Sure, e-commerce is great – but the real heroes during the MCO are still our frontliners

(Credit: LEL Express – Malaysia/Facebook)

Not every job or action can be done from home. As convenient daily life during MCO is with e-commerce, it would not have been possible without our abang delivery, police, doctors, and nurses – and we owe all of them a big thank you for this.

In return, we can all pull through one more week (hopefully) of restricted movement so that the number of infections can decrease.

So just keep calm, stay home, shop online if you need to – and most importantly, stay safe.

Staying home safe with Lazada.

Shout out to our friends at Lazada and their delivery partners for making shopping for supplies easier as well as safer during the Movement Control Order. Keep calm, shop online, and check out their Mesti Beli list to enjoy great savings now.