Grocery shopping has become burdensome for many, as lines going into and checking out of the supermarket have become kilometric due to limitations and health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19).

On bad days, total grocery time could go as long as four hours just to secure necessities such as food, toiletries, and drinks. This too long a task outside the comforts of the home not only stresses people out but also poses health risks, even as social distancing is practiced. 

However, there are alternatives to this situation. Online marketplace Lazada, for instance, allows Filipinos to buy their essential goods online and have them delivered to their homes. This is not only a convenient way of grocery shopping but is also safer. 

Lazada users may also opt to pay cashless via GCash, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines, to further reduce the risk of contracting the virus through paper money. GCash has partnered with Lazada to provide online shoppers a cashless payment option when checking out. 

“Online shopping has become a phenomenon in the Philippines, and we at GCash believe that it is the opportune time for people to reap the benefits of this integration between Lazada and GCash. We hope that this provides greater convenience and safety to our users during these challenging times,” GCash Chief Technology and Operations Officer Pebbles Sy said.

Lazada offers a wide variety of goods—from instant noodles to canned food, from face masks to laundry detergents, and from diapers to vitamins. 

GCash users only need to link their GCash wallets to their Lazada accounts for a seamless shopping experience. This may be done via the Lazada app, in the “Payment Options” icon on the user’s profile. 

Aside from this, GCash users may also use their GCash wallets to purchase other goods from social sellers that offer daily necessities and occasional wants. 

Online sellers on Facebook and Instagram are selling a spectrum of different goods such as vegetables, meat, seafood, cookies, cakes, and even kimchi. A good number of social sellers offer GCash as a payment option. 

“With the health risks that this pandemic poses to all of us, it is still best to stay at home. We may leverage on technology to help us in our tasks such as grocery shopping during these times to keep ourselves safe from the virus,” Sy said.