Shopee said five times more items were bought in the first two hours of its first major sale of the year, 3.15 Consumer Day, than in a normal day.

During the sale on March 15 more than 36 million vouchers were claimed every hour.

Orders on Shopee Mall were up five times from normal as brands saw a surge in traffic to official stores, the company said.

There were 33 million engagements on social channels across the campaign. Loyal users won prizes in the #ShopeeCelebratesYou initiative on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The company also provided surprises to lucky winners in the ‘I Use Shopee’ photo contest and ‘15.3 Jingle Duet’ on its official accounts on social media.

Tran Tuan Anh, managing director of Shopee Vietnam, said: “We are happy to see more people find time to celebrate and reward themselves on our first 3.15 Consumer Day.

“Our users will always form the core of everything we do, and we are proud to pioneer another special day for them and the millions of businesses we serve. The year has only just begun, and users can look forward to even more exciting activities to enjoy in the months ahead. We look forward to creating more value and joy for all of our users in the rest of 2022.”

The beauty, home and living and fashion were the most popular categories, with skincare, fashion accessories, and bath and body care items being most in demand.

More shoppers from outside big cities took part with their orders quadrupling from last year.

The most active shopping age groups, expectedly, were Millennial and Gen Z, with the most orders coming from shoppers aged 18 - 34 followed by 35 - 50 years and then teenagers.

Some 7.5 million views were recorded on Shopee Live as users connected with sellers, brands and local celebrities. — VNS