Lotus’s enhances leader position with “New SMART Retail”

Lotus’s (Ek-Chai Distribution System) is set to capitalize on the anticipated economic recovery in the 2nd half of 2022 by leading in “New SMART Retail” in which smart technology seamlessly connects offline stores with online platform to offer customers a delightful frictionless shopping experience. The retailer will continue to open new stores and refurbish existing stores to become “Everyday SMART Community Centers” for customers. Its e-commerce platform will have the most extensive network of distribution points from some 2,300 stores located nationwide.

Mr. Sompong Rungnirattisai, Chief Executive Officer, Lotus’s Thailand, said: “We have started to see positive signs since Q2 of 2022, with higher consumer spending. The recovering economic situation along with good progress of our strategic programs have led to an achievement of our performance targets. Since the start of the year, we have laid a foundation that will help Lotus’s become a leader in New SMART Retail, with a powerful IT infrastructure that connects our 2,300 physical stores nationwide with our e-commerce platform. We are also using big data to offer intelligent personalization to our customers through our reward program My Lotus’s.”

Inspiring fresh & food destination
During the 1st half of 2022, Lotus’s opened 39 new stores and introduced new and delightful concepts that cater to the lifestyles of customers in specific locations. These include SMART Urban Supermarket at Nuanchan, Open Air Mall at Khlong 2, and SMART F&B Heaven at Sutthisarn. Ultimately, all stores are geared to become inspiring fresh & food destinations as well as everyday SMART community centers for customers whenever and wherever they visit. For the 2nd half of the year, Lotus’s will open another 70-80 new stores including Lotus’s North Ratchapruek in Q4/ 2022.

A wide array of F&B options are also being added to Lotus’s shopping malls. For the first six months of 2022, Lotus’s enlisted 1,300 F&B tenants in its malls across the country, with an aim to reach 5,800 F&B tenants by year end.

In Lotus’s hypermarkets and supermarkets, the focus has been on fresh food, where end-to-end improvements have been made throughout the value chain, from sourcing the best quality products locally and internationally, uplifting quality and safety standards, adding new delightful ranges, through to upgrading in-store and online fresh food shopping experiences. A variety of ranges of products including GI (geographic indications) fruits, premium & imported products, as well as locally-grown leafy vegetables have been introduced in appropriate stores across Thailand. All offers continue at affordable prices.

SMART life solutions
In March 2022, Lotus’s unveiled its powerful Lotus’s SMART App, the first application from a retailer that combines e-commerce with a highly personalized reward program. Since launch, the application has been downloaded by more than 4.5 million customers, and online sales have grown more than 400% since March 2022.

SMART technology seamlessly connects the e-commerce platform with Lotus’s network of around 2,300 stores nationwide, enabling customers across Thailand to place online orders and receive their products from a Lotus’s store near them. Lotus’s Go Fresh stores offer on-demand services with deliveries made from one hour of an order being placed, while Lotus’s hypermarkets offer a more comprehensive choice of products with next-day delivery services. Real-time inventory updates ensure that customers receive available products from the store closest to them.

Thanks to Lotus’s SMART App, Lotus’s is the supermarket retailer with the most extensive network of fulfillment centers in Thailand, with an ability to deliver products quickly and efficiently.

Personalized value that goes beyond price
Reward program My Lotus’s is a crucial tool in ensuring highly personalized offers and value to each specific customer, thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and big data. Through the program, customers collect coins with every purchase made offline and online. The coins can be redeemed for instant discounts or several other privileges, offline as well as online.

My Lotus’s Member Price, a program that was introduced in July this year, has taken personalized value to the next level. Thanks to the collaboration with more than 50 leading brands, Lotus’s is able to offer the best prices on more than 500 products to My Lotus’s members. The program will continue throughout the 2nd half of 2022 to help customers through inflation.

Everyday sustainability
Lotus’s is committed to being a platform of opportunities for SME operators and local farmers. In addition to being a distribution channel, Lotus’s has developed SMEs and farmers’ capabilities through a wide range of incubation programs, from which more than 2,500 SME operators have benefited during the first six months of the year.

For the second half of 2022, Lotus’s will continue to enlist more SME suppliers and expand its direct sourcing efforts to provide sustainable income to farmers and quality products to customers. Lotus’s , in collaboration with CP Origin, is also introducing a convenient online platform to help SMEs find effective sales channels through Lotus’s malls.

“We see positive external factors to the economy. Lotus’s is well poised to capitalize on the growth and cater to rising demands, thanks to the strong foundation that we have laid.” Sompong concluded.

Lotus’s number of stores as of July 31, 2022
224 hypermarkets
203 supermarkets
1,852 mini-supermarkets
Total 2,279 stores

Expecting to open 70 new stores in H2/ 2022, bringing the total number to around 2,350 by year end.