Petronas Dagangan ties up with Lazada to boost e-commerce presence

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB), which is aggressively venturing into the e-commerce segment, today announced a tie-up with Lazada Malaysia, its third e-commerce partner, to strengthen its presence in the segment.
“In e-commerce we are just scratching the surface, there is so much potential there,” PDB head of retail business Aadrin Azly told reporters at a media briefing in relation to the announcement of the partnership. PDB has arrangements with e-commerce players Shopee and 11 Street as well.
While e-commerce is an avenue PDB is looking to grow in, it is very selective when it comes to choosing a collaborative partner.
The marketing arm of national oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd is also careful not to expand too fast into the e-commerce space as it does not want to jeopardise customer experience.
In line with that, Aadrin said, PDB wants to ensure that logistical needs are in place to meet demand should it widen its product offerings.
The partnership will see discounts for Petronas Fuel Gift Cards and merchandise purchased on Lazada’s site, whereas two million Lazada vouchers are up for grabs for customers who fuel up at Petronas stations using the gift card – in conjunction with Lazada’s Online Revolution campaign, which will kick off on Nov 11 and go on for a month after that.
During an ongoing trial, nine Petronas stations within the Klang Valley are being used as pick-up and drop-off points for items purchased via Lazada. The nine stations are at Putra Bistari, Seksyen 26 Shah Alam, Kepong Industrial Park, Seksyen 2 Wangsa Maju, Taman Dagang, Jalan Segambut, 5.5km Cheras, Alam Damai and Bandar Puteri Puchong.
While starting off with a handful of stations, the two parties are aiming to extend the service to 50 stations by the end of the year.
Lazada Malaysia CEO Hans-Peter Ressel said these delivery channels will facilitate faster delivery to customers while making it more convenient for merchants to ship their orders out in a shorter period.
Ressel said the service might be expanded to rural areas in the future.
The partnership will last beyond the campaign with new initiatives expected to be rolled out after the campaign.
“We don’t view this as a transactional partnership. This collaboration is a starting point. There are many other avenues we can collaborate on,” Aadrin said.