How technology helped communities navigate a challenging year

Technology has transformed the way we fulfil our needs, transact, and connect with each other. In 2022, we relied on technology again to navigate challenges in a post-pandemic world. For shoppers, e-commerce and other digital services helped them save more as living costs rose. For businesses, going and staying online created new ways to grow and sustain their incomes.?

At Shopee, our mission is to improve the lives of local communities, especially the underserved, with technology. In 2022, we were fortunate to play a part in helping Southeast Asians stay resilient in the face of new challenges, while we continued to help more people benefit from e-commerce and digital services.

Last week, we published Shopee Serves: Building Resilience with Technology, a report that outlines the positive impact that Shopee had on our local communities in 2022. I would like to share some of my thoughts below.

Building resilience for businesses

Sri Wigatiningsih is the owner of Dinova Store, a small handicraft business located in Tulungagung in East Java, Indonesia. A Shopee seller since 2019, she, like many others, faced higher costs and competition last year, even as the pandemic took a backseat. Yet she was able to find a silver lining with Shopee.

By joining the Shopee Export Program, she was able to scale her operations effectively and reach even more customers across Southeast Asia. Today, her business has grown and she has 16 employees, most of whom are single mothers from her community, under her care.

Sri’s story is one out of millions of local Shopee sellers across Southeast Asia. I am heartened to see our platform and tools improve the livelihoods of not only business owners, but also their local communities.

Making the digital economy more inclusive

As we recognise the positive impact that technology can create, we must also ensure that every person can access and benefit from it. In Southeast Asia, digital connectivity is improving fast but people outside capital cities and in rural areas still need help to participate in the digital economy.

Last year, we continued to make e-commerce, payments, and digital services more accessible across our markets. In fact, 85% of new Shopee users in 2022 came from areas outside of capitals and major cities. We believe technology will have the biggest positive impact for people in these areas, who can discover new choices and opportunities that are otherwise more difficult to access.

In Vietnam, we worked with local governments to boost digital access with events like “Cashless Day 2022”, boosting the adoption of digital payments in Hanoi. Across the year, 24 million people across Southeast Asia used ShopeePay, our digital wallet, for the first time. We will continue working hard to make technology accessible to everyone.

Uplifting?local communities

We also continued to use our platform and tools to serve those that need support the most. Across 2022, some 600,000 people participated in our community and CSR efforts across Southeast Asia. In Thailand, we partnered with the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) on a digital skills workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs from the disabled community. Our teams shared with everyone essential digital skills and at the end of the workshop, many set up their own online store on Shopee. This is just one of many efforts across our markets, which we will continue to expand on in the future.

I am proud of the positive impact that #TeamShopee continues to create for our communities. We remain dedicated to our mission and I hope to see us outdo ourselves in the year ahead.

You can find out more about our impact in 2022 here.