DangaoSG: Embracing Change with Digital Commerce

For Daniel Tay, building an online business has been an ever-evolving journey. The 31-year-old had already been working in the eCommerce space in a vendor acquisition role for several years, and after seeing how exciting it could be, he decided to try it for himself and launched DangaoSG, a home and living store, on Lazada in 2019.

While DangaoSG was originally intended as a casual side business, Tay quickly became hooked and decided to dedicate more time and focus to his online store. Nowadays, he runs it on a full-time basis while also operating an eCommerce consultancy for other online sellers.

Change Is the Only Constant

“When you sell on eCommerce, whether it’s Lazada or anywhere in general, you have to be very adaptable … You need to be able to adjust and adapt quickly, be it in terms of how you run the business, in terms of your strategy, in terms of campaigns, etc.,” Tay said, explaining the need to keep an open mind and have an agile approach when working in the fast-changing digital economy.

For Tay, one of the biggest changes he faced involved the logistics and operations of expanding from a small home-based business to a full-fledged operation. “Initially, when I started, it was myself in my home doing the packing, and then soon it became myself and my then-girlfriend – now wife – who came to support me a little bit. Then it became a little bit more challenging, because when orders start growing, it starts to consume your time. You burn the weekends or you burn your weeknights to do the fulfillment,” he said. “That point was when we made the call to shift all operations to a warehouse and then started to look for alternative solutions to logistics, including by hiring some part-time packers, training them and so forth.” While this transition was a challenge at first, Tay was able to resolve it, and this milestone moment allowed DangaoSG to reach the next level.

Being Part of an Empowering Community

Aside from the evolution of his own business, Tay has also witnessed many changes at Lazada, especially in terms of how the platform has expanded its tools and support for sellers throughout the years. In particular, Lazada University’s constantly updated resources, Lazada Singapore’s dedicated Lazada360 page and the eCommerce platform’s key account managers have all played important roles in Tay’s entrepreneurial journey.

Tay also highlights the value of Lazada’s seller community, which he is an active member of. In fact, as a Lazada Seller Ambassador and LazStar Trainer, he’s participated in workshops and livestreams where he has been able to share his experiences with other entrepreneurs. “When we spoke to other sellers, I think they really appreciate the content by the community,” he said, adding that this sort of peer-to-peer sharing can be especially empowering, as it offers a relatable way for sellers to engage with others and build connections.

Working Toward Success

Looking ahead, Tay wants to continue growing DangaoSG and even hopes to expand to become more than a reseller and distributor. “In the longer term, we have plans to move more into the development of our own brand, so that we can stand out from generic supplies in the market. Eventually we want to be able to own the whole end-to-end process by ourselves,” he said.

Even though the fast-paced world of eCommerce can be challenging at times to navigate, Tay said that entrepreneurs who have clear strategies and who are willing to invest the time and effort are likely to succeed.

“If you don’t have a passion for retail – for buying, knowing your products, catering to what consumers want, looking at trends – then it will be a very difficult journey,” he said, adding that this career path is not for those who just want to make a quick buck. “Passion is important – passion for eCommerce and passion for retail.”