Shopee, Southeast Asia and Taiwan’s leading e-commerce platform, announced the opening of its new regional headquarters in Singapore at Kent Ridge.
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The move reflects the homegrown company’s commitment to invest and innovate in Singapore and the region — to nurture tech talent, develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and create job opportunities.
“Shopee’s rapid growth since its inception and their new headquarters here is a testament to the strength and vibrancy of Singapore’s technology ecosystem. We are heartened by their commitment to build a strong pool of tech talent, not just for their own needs, but also for the larger ecosystem here. We look forward to Shopee’s contribution to Singapore’s growing digital economy, as they continue to innovate and expand their footprint in the region using Singapore as a springboard,” added Mr Kiren Kumar, Chief Digital Industry Officer, Digital Industry Singapore.
Zhou Junjie, Chief Commercial Officer, Shopee, said, “Shopee has grown from a start-up to the region’s leading e-commerce platform in less than four years. Singapore has been our headquarters, even when we were just 10 employees strong. This new office marks our rapid growth so far and sets the stage for us to solidify our leadership position.”
Elevating Tech and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Based on a recent Salary Benchmark report, demand for tech jobs in Singapore rose by 20 per cent in the last 12 months. To help fulfil this need, homegrown tech company Shopee has introduced nation-wide initiatives to upskill local tech talent such as the National Data Science Challenge (NDSC) and the upcoming I’m the Best Coder! Challenge.
“Our new office reaffirms our long-term commitment to the country and elevates Singapore’s attractiveness as the Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia. Grooming more tech talent and nurturing an entrepreneurial ecosystem for sellers, including SMEs, will continue to be areas of focus for us. Going forward, as technology advances and the E-commerce landscape evolves, Shopee will continue to invest ahead of demand and build more advanced capabilities to better serve our users,” Junjie added.
This year’s inaugural NDSC was designed to expose students to the technical skill sets essential for tech jobs of the future. The competition is the largest national data science competition in Singapore, and attracted around 5,000 students, tech professionals, and non-tech professionals. The winners are offered full-time or internship opportunities to join Shopee.
Riding on the positive feedback and strong momentum from NDSC, Shopee will launch the I’m the Best Coder! Challenge in October this year, targeting coders and programmers at all levels, from junior college, polytechnic, or university students to professionals from all fields.
In addition, Shopee continues to invest in empowering and educating sellers and SMEs to grow their online businesses with Shopee University, which provides a comprehensive suite of tools and the latest e-commerce know-how.
Shopee’s Growth in the E-commerce Landscape
In less than four years, Shopee has become the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. In Q2 2019, Shopee achieved 246.3 million orders regionally and recorded a gross merchandise volume of USD$3.8 billion. Adjusted revenue was US$177.4 million for Q2 2019, up 201.7% year-on-year.
According to the latest report by App Annie, Shopee is the number one shopping app in Southeast Asia by average monthly active users (MAU) in Q2 2019. Shopee also ranked number one for ‘Total Time in App’, and is currently the most downloaded shopping app in the region during this time.
Shopee’s new headquarters spans 244,000 square feet, and will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 employees, contributing to its strong established presence in seven markets across Southeast Asia.
The purpose-built space boasts a host of features to facilitate a more collaborative and creative working environment, including a marketing studio where Shopee LIVE and Shopee Quiz are filmed, a gym, and a fun zone where employees can relax over a game of darts, air hockey or table tennis.
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With local offices operated mainly by local talent, Shopee has a deep and nuanced understanding of users’ market-specific needs, enabling the brand to take a hyper-local approach, rolling out campaigns that target the needs of local shoppers.