Bringing Tech and Business together

Lazada Group
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

Lazada Labs Session 1

There comes a pivotal point in every successful startup’s journey, where structure and division of labour creates specialists and knowledge silos. As companies grow that entrepreneurial flair can dwindle, and complacency can set in.

At Lazada, entrepreneurial ownership is etched in our DNA, and Lazada Labs was created to uphold that founding principle. Lazada Labs’ Session 1 that took place in Vietnam, in the early part of June, was an amalgamation of business and tech minds that strove to address real problems and opportunities at Lazada, averting the formation of function based silos. The two day ‘ideation and pitch’ competition encompassed 12 teams, bringing together individuals from the 6 countries and numerous functional groups. While innovation and competitive spirit was an important catalyst, the overarching driver was to bolster knowledge sharing between business teams and technology teams across the region.

“Get ready to witness the future of Lazada!”, exclaimed one of the presenters. Passionate, filled with energy, the presenters and the pitch sessions, a culmination of the 2-day competition, were filled with electrifying moments like this. The 7-minute presentations and 3-minute Q&A’s were enlightening yet nerve-wracking. The 10 or so judges were authentic and challenging in their line of questioning, and it was inspirational to see the presenters rise to the challenge.

The 48 hours prior to the pitch session were for some an emotional rollercoaster. Judging the feasibility, impact, and requirements of each idea required the teams to push themselves and step out of their comfort zones. “Trim the fat, cut out the BS” was a statement practically every team heard during the preparation phase. Our appointed judges, became rockstar mentors, and our Chief Customer Experience Officer (CXO) achieved celebrity status, as all the teams scrambled for 15 minutes of consultation time.

One of the finalist teams sought to supercharge Lazada’s Wishlist, proposing a simple yet elegant value proposition. “How can we significantly drive conversion by further empowering shoppers via Lazada’s Wishlist?” was the unassuming challenge the team posed to the audience. The powerful takeaway from their presentation and the judges feedback was that one clear and focused feature tweak, can do more for Lazada, than 5 ambitious yet less feasible snap-on features.

In the end, although two finalists were crowned, most felt that everyone who participated came back a winner. Those who partook, left with a broader understanding and deeper appreciation of the mechanics involved in developing, integrating, and scaling an idea at Lazada. The knowledge exchange, between business and tech, and its resulting output reinforced how powerful collaboration can be to foster firm-wide innovation.

I was honoured to be given the chance to participate and innovate, and I hope that we can inspire more individuals to contribute and participate in future sessions.

Written by

Lazada Group operates Lazada, Southeast Asia’s number one online shopping and selling destination. Visit http://www.lazada.com for more.

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