Malaysians Happily 'disrupted' By Digitalisation Wave
By Niam Seet Wei
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 (Bernama) -- Businesses and consumers are embracing the idea of being "disrupted", riding the wave of the digital transformation as the Internet-of-things emerges as one of the hottest topics in recent times.
With the mushrooming e-marketplaces in Malaysia such as Zalora and Lazada, or even social media platforms like Facebook, technology has been upending not just in the retail industry but the entire ecosystem and lifestyle of the people.
According to statistics from Bank Negara Malaysia, there were 25.2 million Internet banking subscribers from January to November 2017 in the country, up from 22.8 million in 2016.
As for mobile banking, the number of users surged to 11.26 million in the first 11 months of 2017 from 8.94 million in 2016.
Speaking to Bernama recently, iPay88 Holding Sdn Bhd Executive Director Chan Kok Long said e-commerce was set to boom in light of the higher penetration rate of both Internet and mobile banking, coupled with the arrival of mobile e-wallet.
"Nowadays, almost everyone owns a variety of smart devices. Whatever websites you browse through, you can easily see all kinds of advertisements, and sooner or later, Internet users will start trying to buy things online," he said.
Noting that even 'aunties and uncles' in rural areas have begun making online purchases due to the amenities offered, Chan said online shopping was no longer a strange thing to Malaysians.
It has instead seeped into and become a part of people's daily lives.
"iPay88 statistics show that since the second quarter of 2016, mobile e-commerce has become prevalent and started overtaking desktop e-commerce.
"Our system also saw a record high of 9.3 million Internet traffic from mobile shoppers in fourth quarter of 2017, three times that of the desktop traffic," he said.
Citing a 2017 report from comScore, Chan said Malaysian digital users aged 15 to 24 were mostly accessing the Internet via mobile only while those aged 24-35 were multi-platform users.
Meanwhile, Michelle Low, 34, has capitalised well on her ?buy online? experiences gained since her university days in China, transforming her know-how into a new business opportunity.
"I was studying in China about 10 years ago and really got used to the culture of buying online.
"I couldn't get enough of buying stuff from Taobao, the largest online shopping mall in China, and I have continued to do so even after I graduated and returned to the country," she said.
After years of purchasing from Taobao in Malaysia, Low, a former journalist at a local Chinese daily, has not only managed to learn which shops offer the best pricing and quality of the products, but also ways of shipping the products directly from the republic.
"I opened my first online shop selling home living items on Taobao about eight years ago and generated over RM30,000 in just the first month.
"In January this year, I opened two additional stores on Lazada and Shopee by selling similar items to cater for the increasing demand in the market," she said.
Diana Azmi, 30, said she had been turning to online shopping over conventional shopping since four years ago, having enjoyed a hassle-free and efficient shopping experience via the Internet.
"I buy almost everything online, ranging from daily necessities such as clothes and beauty products to food and supplements. I even do my grocery shopping online nowadays," she said.
Refusing to stay as an ordinary online shopper, Diana began her very own e-commerce business in February last year, selling kids wear.
"Although it is just a part-time job, I can make roughly RM3,000 to RM4,000 in sales a month from the business, especially during festive seasons such as Hari Raya and Christmas," she said.
Diana said that if the business continued to expand, she might consider quitting her current job as a clerk to fully engage in her online business.
"I believe improving Internet facilities, such as high-speed broadband services that are available in the country, will encourage more people to buy online and further enhance my business," she said.
Meanwhile, the government outlined a series of Internet and broadband speed enhancement initiatives in the 2017 Budget and the efforts continued in the 2018 Budget, whereby a sum of RM1 billion is being allocated to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to develop the communication infrastructure and broadband facilities in Sabah and Sarawak.
-- BERNAMA
