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Online businesses are spreading like mushroom in this day and age where infrastructure and Internet usage is at a very healthy level in Malaysia. E-commerce businesses continue to reap the benefits of this phenomena and the number of Internet users in Malaysia will only climb into bigger numbers in the future. To start an online business is easy. But how do you take advantage of Malaysia’s unique consumer behaviour?

Leverage On Celebrity Culture

Malaysians have a unique affinity with celebrities, and we don’t mean just your traditional appears-on-tv celebrities. Social media celebrities are leveraged heavily on their ability to relate with people and influence buying decisions. The tricky part is just choosing one that can resonate well with your brand and determining how much risk are you willing to take with Malaysian celebrity culture which is often riddled with controversies.

Provide On-going Offers

Another thing Malaysians love is definitely offers, offers, and more offers. Face it, it’s a competitive market out there and for many the pivot point for customers to choose your brand instead of any other brand that offers the same thing is the price point and all the offers that comes with it. Make your offers visible and attractive. Embed in your customers’ minds that whenever they think of you, they are sure to find offers lying around, somewhere.

Inject Creativity

A lot of brands in Malaysia tries to employ a really charismatic appeal to their products, offering products that are homegrown, fusing the traditional with the modern or anything that can tie time to common ideals. Plenty of streetwear companies are injecting a sense of pride in wearing their apparels, like Rebong Nusantara Streetwear and Abstrax Jingga x MAS. It can be part of your offers or promotion, not necessarily a part of your brand.

Make Everything Easier for Your Customers

It’s now easier than ever to diversify payment methods for your business. Many offer the ability to pay via debit or credit cards and online banking so that you can capture a wider range of customers. According to MCMC in a survey published in 2017, online bank transfer is the most common mode of payment for online shopping (63.8%), followed by ATM bank transfer (48.8%). That’s quite a number of people still preferring cash on delivery options, a service offered by MatDespatch.

Collect Information

Another way to leverage – figure out whether their male or female, their age group, regularity of orders, and collect relevant information. Information is power in this day and age and you can use the contact details to reach out to your customers for offers and promotions. However, be careful how you use the data as everyone is subject to the PDPA. Here’s a guideline on how to handle data of your customers.


This article is an initiative by MatDespatch.com to help and guide businesses in Malaysia to ease their journey in the business world. If you have any suggestions or comments, kindly email qayyum@matdespatch.com.

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