Penjana campaigns boost local retailers for economic recovery plan

THE government's short-term National Economic Recovery Plan () e-commerce campaigns have been effective in helping local online retailers to boost their amid the pandemic, merchants said.

Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn Bhd CEO Vach Pillutla said Penjana is considered as relevant and timely as the pandemic has impacted almost the entire retail sector, including sports goods.

“In fact, we made a business decision to pivot from offline to purely online until the Movement Control Order was lifted.

“This included moving our entire marketing investment, operations and social media activations to our e-commerce platform. Our efforts saw daily transactions grow by 20 times during the period,” he said in a panel discussion yesterday.

“So, setting up the Al-Ikhsan Official Store on Shopee Mall is a natural progression as we increase our e-commerce efforts alongside our participation in Shop Malaysia Online.”

The Penjana e-commerce campaigns require sellers and business owners to participate on e-commerce platforms, followed by the e-Penjana RM50 credit that can be claimed via three e-wallet services in Malaysia.

Gadget Velocity online manager Gan Poe Yee said the company managed to achieve up to RM500,000 sales in August 2020 alone.

“We were fortunate that we were eligible for the Penjana e-commerce benefits which helped boost our orders, but we know that we cannot just rely on one-off assistance. We have to also do our part by upholding a high level of customer service through fast response and after-sales service.

“All efforts combined are what helped us achieve a fivefold sales uplift compared to when we first started on Shopee,” she said.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Digital Economy Corp e-commerce division enablers and demand generation head Prasad Babu said the campaigns are vital for a short-term stimulus, where both customers and business owners can benefit from the injection of cash.

“This was a move for such a situation, however, I do not think we will be pumping more (funds) in the long run or pushing for it in the budget.

“It's more important that it has placed more business owners online where they can be safe from the implications of a physical store and increase their income channels,” he said.

Shopee regional MD Ian Ho (picture) said the e-commerce platform itself refreshes the Shop Malaysia Online initiative with a new theme weekly to ensure the excitement among customers and makes it easier for locals to identify homegrown sellers.

“For instance, we introduce cashback vouchers that reward consumers when they complete a purchase from local retailers, thereby encouraging repeat purchases that drive sustained growth for our sellers and brands. That is how we keep the economy moving and this is highly beneficial to local sellers,” he said.

Shopee is also ramping up its efforts by including a Penjana platform takeover on Sept 16 in conjunction with Malaysia Day as well as make buying and selling online more easy and convenient.

Until Sept 9, Shopee will be bringing down the minimum spend for free shipping to RM9, offering 50% off vouchers and RM9 deals daily during Shocking Sale.

Malaysians also stand to win prizes worth up to RM99,000 through Shopee Games, including nine units of Samsung Galaxy Note 20, when they play Shopee Farm.

Separately, Lazada Malaysia will also kick off its annual 9.9 Big Brand Sale this year with various interesting offers for customers.

“This year, we are so excited to offer our customers upgraded shopping experience with LazMall 2.0. Having more than 99 exclusive brand deals on Lazada is also a sure sign of continued excellence and confidence placed on Lazada by international and local brands,” Lazada CEO Leo Chow said.

“The 9.9 sales event this year will offer Lazada-Only deals and Shoppertainment offerings including live streaming and coin rewards. Shoppers can expect 24 hours of non-stop promotions, including Crazy Brand Mega Offers with discounts of up to 90%, selected picks on RM1 Crazy Flash Sale, and a chance to redeem an Oppo Reno 4 smartphone,” he added.

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