Shopee Unveils How Malaysians Gear Up for Digital Inclusion

Shopee Malaysia officially unveils ‘Past the Starting Line: Adapting to Malaysia’s Digital Consumers in 2023’ Consumer Trends Report. Of 2,150 Malaysian buyers surveyed, 60% remain steadfast in achieving ambitions and enjoyment in e-commerce in 2023. In fact, buyers under categories such as Mobile & Accessories (61%), Automotive (60%), Fashion (59%), and Home & Living (59%) are becoming more tech-savvy and fully aware of their diverse needs in supporting local businesses for a future-forward economy.

1. Increased and savvier use of digital services

When asked what their New Year Resolutions are in 2023, 35% of Malaysians want to prioritise personal health and wellness this year. The degree to which they look to self-improve is spread: better lifestyle and living choices (26%), upskill and nurture hobbies (23%), and increase social confidence (16%). When thinking about discovering and buying items, 39% of buyers plan to buy more home and living products in 2023, 38% show interest in family essentials like household goods, 13% gain knowledge through books and games, and 10% equip themselves with workout and travel gear.

Because they are more digitally savvy and spending more time online in all parts of their consumer journey, 51% of buyers see the increased importance of greater personalization and shopping flexibility for the new year. In particular, 32% of Malaysians across all categories want to explore Shopee's circle deals and live shopping, and 17% want to embrace mindful shopping by being sustainable in support of local inclusive businesses. 

2. Growing adoption of digital services for rural communities

When Shopee asked the surveyed buyers about their interest in locally made goods from Borneo sellers, 5 in 10 buyers expressed interest in supporting local businesses in Borneo to improve their living standards. 35% consider shifting preferences to shop for more local goods, and the remainder carries on with their learned and adopted online shopping habits. Many are excited to support Made-in-Malaysia products from underserved communities in rural areas because of their high quality and durability. Sellers outside big cities can seek inspiration from Khairul Aming, local entrepreneur from Kelantan, who was awarded the Super Favourite MCO Entrepreneur at Shopee Super Awards 2022 for having remarkable growth through the support of loyal buyers.

“We continuously work with a user-centric approach to keep ourselves well-informed of the trends and buyer contexts to create a positive impact through our inclusive ecosystem. This helps us channel efforts and optimally address user needs to share the future of the digital economy. And thanks to all their efforts and blessings, Shopee ranks first in the YouGov Best Brand Ranking in Malaysia and won gold for Kantar’s Strongest Malaysian Brand in the ‘General Retailers’ and ‘Lifestyle App’ categories. We look forward to coming together, celebrating, and giving back to our local communities with greater hope so Malaysians can enjoy a joyful shopping experience,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia.

3. The rise of younger, more purposeful buyers

With the rise of younger, more purposeful buyers, many will not compromise on principles. 7 in 10 Malaysians strive to make smarter purchasing decisions through insightful content such as product warranty, live demos, and unboxing to ensure the products they love are worth the value. Since buyers pay close attention to what a seller stands for and does, they can interact with Shopee’s diverse community of influencers and affiliates to discover and enjoy an authentic shopping experience.

Terence Pang, Chief Operations Officer at Shopee said, “We have seen in the past two years, how adoption of digital services like e-commerce can improve people’s lives and transform the way consumers and businesses connect. Despite many having come online, we’re only just past the starting line in Malaysia’s digital economy, with a greater long-term opportunity to help more people benefit. In the coming year, these digital consumers will continue to shape the future of the digital economy. Shopee is sharing key consumer trends we have observed that businesses need to adapt to, and those who do so, will lay the foundation for a resilient digital ecosystem that will enable them to reach more users in the future. We are committed to helping our partners understand these trends and unlock more opportunities.”

Buyers will continue to influence the future of the digital economy with higher expectations of their online interactions. 32% of buyers intend to spend more time in 2023 to de-stress and earn coins through Shopee Prizes. Over 29% choose to support local businesses and products via Shop Malaysia, 28% habitually find authentic and genuine goods at Shopee Mall, and the remainder follow trends and latest products sold on Shopee Live and donates to the underserved via ShopeeGivesBack.

‘Past the Starting Line: Adapting to Malaysia’s Digital Consumers in 2023’ Consumer Trends Report is part of Shopee’s thought leadership series. These data-driven insights allow online sellers and buyers to tap e-commerce and digital services to drive resilience and stay relevant. Further insights on Malaysian influencers will be shared in greater detail in the coming week. 

Shopee: 63% of Malaysian Sellers Positive about E-Commerce

Shopee Malaysia kickstarted the New Year by launching its three-part 2023 Consumer Trends series called ‘Adapting to Malaysia’s Digital Consumers in 2023’. The first part of the series that focuses on sellers found that 63% of Malaysian Sellers feel excited and positive about e-commerce opportunities in 2023. In particular, sellers from the Health and Beauty (71%), Toys, Kids, and Babies (69%), and Fashion and Lifestyle (66%) categories are the most optimistic, stating that they are on the right track to capture the opportunities in 2023.

 

Parts 2 and 3 of the series that focuses on Malaysian buyers and influencers will be shared in greater detail in the upcoming weeks. Findings can be utilised by businesses to tap e-commerce and digital services to drive resilience and stay relevant.

 

The survey covering over 1,000 Malaysian marketplace sellers in December 2022 found that sellers are excited to take advantage of three main e-commerce trends observed by Shopee, in staying digitally resilient and relevant on e-commerce: 1) Increased and savvier use of digital services, 2) Growing adoption of digital services among consumers living outside big cities, and 3) The rise of younger, more purposeful buyers.

 

 

1. Increased and savvier use of digital services

 

When asked what milestones they would like to achieve for 2023, given the digital savviness of buyers who spend more time online, 8 in 10 sellers agreed that they wanted to increase product discovery, consideration and purchase online. Specifically, 5 in 10 wanted to take advantage of Shopee’s hyperlocal campaigns tailored to engage consumers and ShopeeLoyalty Program rewards to increase traffic and demand, 2 in 10 wanted to engage audiences with higher value transactions from Shopee Mall and cross-border platforms, and the remainder wanted to use Shopee’s customised recommendation tools like Daily Discover to gain better visibility and consideration.

 

With the Shopee Growth Program, all local sellers are also eligible to boost store performance and sales with one week free trial of the highly popular Shopee RebateNOW where buyers enjoy 10% off between 9 till 15 January 2023. In addition, local marketplace sellers can claim up to RM100 Free Ads credit for two months to enhance their store visibility and traffic between January to March. 

 

2. Growing adoption of digital services amongst consumers living outside big cities

 

With technology giving better access to affordable and convenient digital products and services outside big cities, 7 in 10 sellers surveyed are interested in reaching consumers who live in Borneo in 2023. Thanks to Shopee’s integrated logistics infrastructure, sellers can take advantage of the nationwide network of warehouses and delivery hubs to reach more customers in Sabah and Sarawak. Among the sellers most keen to tap new audiences in Borneo, by category, are: FMCG (81%), Sports, Entertainment & Recreation (75%), and Groceries & Pets (74%).

 

3. The rise of younger, more purposeful buyers

 

In response to the rise of younger, more purposeful buyers entering the marketplace in 2023, 50% of sellers surveyed are interested in catering to value-based shoppers who support Local Malaysian Made goods via Shop Malaysia circle, and Green Sellers via ShopeeGivesBack microsite. They are also excited about the inclusion of more educational content in influencers’ live streams that demonstrate the importance of supporting these causes. 

 

As part of their 2023 New Year Resolutions, 95% of sellers want to upskill themselves with free Shopee University Courses in Sales, Marketing, and Operations. The most popular Shopee marketplace features they would like to incorporate in their strategies are: Marketing Tools (35%), Listing Optimizers (29%) and Business Insights (27%). A small percentage of sellers require Batch Tools (8%) to process bulk orders efficiently. 

 

Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia said, “I am beyond excited for the marketplace sellers who have positive resolutions in 2023 to try new features and discover new opportunities. Just two weeks ago, I personally handed out 34 awards at our Shopee Super Awards to Super Growing, Super Customer Satisfaction and Super Favorite Sellers, so I know that they can succeed. We always put a spotlight on sellers who light the path for other sellers to succeed and create a supportive environment for them.”

Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP’ Back-to-School Campaign Returns to Support 200 Children from Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) Communities

The majority of Malaysian families eagerly anticipate  the start of the new school year, racing to equip their children with all new school necessities to motivate the kids to excel in their primary education. However, for urban poor families, the new school year is laden with major expenses. 

While the percentage of urban poor is relatively low at 3.8%, Malaysia has one of the fastest urbanisation rates in South-East Asia with 77.9% of the country’s 32.4 million population living in urban areas which translates to almost 960,000 urban dwellers living in poverty. Most of the urban poor are settled in Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) low-cost flats, which are densely populated with limited public amenities that are often associated with drug and alcohol abuse, crime and petty theft as well as domestic violence and abuse, making the residents vulnerable. 

Those with lower educational attainment tend to be from households with lower incomes causing the income gap to widen. Encouraging and improving education opportunities is key to reduce income inequality.  

Understanding the plight of these urban poor families and recognising the importance of education for all, the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP (Brighter Future with TOP) charity fund-raising campaign is collaborating with MYDIN to equip a total of 200 Primary One  students from hardcore poor families living in PPR communities in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang, with back-to-school essentials for the 2023/2024 school year.  

A portion of sales from selected TOP detergent products across MYDIN stores from December 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023 will be channelled to equipping these 200 Primary One  school students.

The back-to-school essentials include brand new school uniform, school shoes, socks, stationery set, pencil case, and colour pencils for each child. TOP will deliver the personalised back-to-school packs to the families ahead of the new school term giving parents and children ease-of-mind that they be on a level playing field with other classmates.

Since its inception in 2015, the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign has benefited 3,206 children from 97 communities nationwide with back-to-school essentials, while contributing TOP detergent products to their families and caregivers. 

TOP recently introduced The TOP Colour Signature line of Super Colour premium powder detergent and Colour Protect premium liquid detergent with breakthrough 5D Colour ProTech Laundry Technology that allows consumers  to wash all laundry together with the confidence that colours won’t bleed, colourful clothes remain  vibrant, and dark clothes stay dark. It prevents fabric from early aging, keeping them newer for longer helping prolong the life of garments thus promoting more sustainable living. Each participating family in the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP program will receive a 2.1kg pack of TOP Super Colour powder detergent from this line, and a reusable detergent dispenser.

All TOP detergents including the Colour Signature line are powered by Advanced Micro-Clean Tech with Lion Japan’s Anti-Microbial Tech that deploys next generation detergent technology that effectively removes 99.9% of harmful viruses including (COVID-19 virus, Influenza A & Coxsackie), and bacteria. This specially curated multi-tech formulation includes Anti-Malodour, Anti-Mite Dust and Anti-Sebum functionalities, enhanced with Bolder Scent Technology, a distinctive fragrance with proven efficacy against malodour control while it enhances mood. 

TOP partnered with Kloth Cares and INTI to introduce the Colour Signature detergent line, and in the process collected more than 700 kilograms of good quality pre-loved clothing kindly donated by the Malaysian public. The pre-loved clothing will be cleaned and made available to participating families interested in upcycling projects. 

“Rising cost of living is a global issue, and the urban poor are most at risk. Back-to-school preparations for even one child can disrupt the tight budgets of urban poor families, yet education is vital for these kids to break the cycle of poverty. Having similar back-to-school items as other students can help to motivate them and put them in the right headspace to excel. This is why the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign resonates with and is supported by Malaysians who are invested in helping other Malaysians achieve their full potential. Our thanks to MYDIN for their cooperation on this campaign,” says Ms Carmen Foo, Senior General Manager of Southern Lion Sdn Bhd. 

To support the Cerahi Kehidupan Bersama TOP campaign in providing 200 urban poor Primary One students with back-to-school essentials, the public can purchase TOP detergent products from any participating MYDIN store nationwide from 15 December 2022 to 15 January 2023. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TOPdetergentMY. 

“We are committed to supporting 200 children through this campaign but we hope to achieve a higher collection so that we can help even more kids. Join TOP to make a difference to urban poor families so that they can enjoy a brighter future,” adds Ms Carmen Foo in closing. 

To find out more about TOP products and the campaign, please visit http://www.southernlion.com.my or call customer care line at 1800-880-133.