Lazada to invest over $25m for 11.11 Global Brands Festival

Lazada will invest over S$32.5 million (US$25 million) in its 2025 11.11 Global Brands Festival, which takes place across Southeast Asia from November 1 to 14.

Lazada is an ecommerce platform that operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The campaign will feature discounts, partnerships with creators, and AI-powered shopping tools, ending with its largest sale from November 10 to 13.

Lazada will upgrade its AI shopping assistant, AI Lazzie, to help users find deals and rewards, and will double affiliate commission rates for YouTube creators from November 1 to 15.

The company also announced further integration with YouTube Shopping, allowing creators to tag and promote Lazada products in video content.

Participating brands include Dreame, MUJI, HINOMI, DJI, and others, with limited-time deals and special promotions planned for the event.

🔗 Source: Lazada

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Lazada’s US$25 million 11.11 bet targets creators amid stabilized market share

Lazada is putting US$25 million into 11.11 while holding the No. 2 spot in Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. Shopee controls 52% of the region 1, while TikTok Shop is second and nearly quadrupled Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) to US$16.3 billion in 2023 2.
Lazada doubled affiliate commissions (payouts to creators for driving sales) and added YouTube Shopping integration (lets creators tag products in videos) to counter TikTok Shop’s discovery-driven buying model. Live and video make up 20% of platform GMV in Southeast Asia. Livestream shopping (real-time shopping via livestreams) generated US$17.6 billion in 2024. It delivered 14% of platform GMV 3.
Lazada reached positive Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) in 2024 by leaning into branded goods plus AI 1. GMV has flattened, so the company is prioritizing profit over expansion.

Creator platforms can capture rising affiliate spend in Thailand and Malaysia

Affiliate management platforms (software that tracks plus pays commissions) and creator agencies (firms that manage influencers) can use Lazada’s doubled commission rates from Nov 1–15. Thailand grew 21.7% in 2024, and Malaysia grew 19.5% 1.
YouTube Shopping opens a channel for creators. They can tag products in videos and monetize on TikTok or YouTube.
Brands account for under 30% of ecommerce platform GMV in Southeast Asia. Creator tooling startups (software makers building tools for creators and merchants) should target sellers or categories with higher brand concentration to lift commission yields during promo weeks 3.