Following a pitch launched in 2014, ecommerce company Lazada has signed UM to handle its media duties in Singapore. This is the first time the company will work with an outside agency.

“Lazada is one of the pioneering ecommerce brands in the region,” said Martell Hardenberg, CEO of Lazada Singapore. “We have ambitious growth plans and look forward to UM’s contribution in our journey ahead.”

Launched in 2012, Lazada has grown rapidly to include over 4,000 employees across Southeast Asia and has an online footprint of more than 45 million unique users per month. According to Pat Lim, Managing Director, UM Singapore, the company has enjoyed incredible growth in the region and has attained a great reputation and products.

With more than 12,000 seller partners, Lazada offers a wide array of products across 13 categories, including health and beauty, home and living, fashion, mobile and tablets, consumer electronics, home appliances, and sports and outdoors.

At present, a mere 0.2 percent of Southeast Asian retail sales are made online. According to a 2014 UBS report, the market is poised to explode, estimated to grow five-fold over the next five years. Lazada has already enjoyed substantial growth, raking in $70 million in sales in December 2014 alone.

Lazada operates Southeast Asia’s number one online shopping mall in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Lazada also has offices in Hong Kong, Korea, UK and Russia.